Social Work Faculty Member Receives Young Scholar Award

Michael Sherr, director of the Baylor University School of Social Work's doctoral program, will receive the University of Hong Kong Young Scholar Award for Outstanding Abstract at the 2010 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development in June.

Sherr's abstract is titled "Analyzing the Practice Methods of Jane Addams: Lessons for Building Partnerships, Social Capital, and a Global Civil Societies."

Sherr spent the year 2005 researching social worker Addams in depth. He found that her methods are as applicable and relevant today as they were in the late 1800s when she founded the Settlement House Movement, most notably Hull House, in the slums of Chicago.

"Jane Addams is one of my heroes," Sherr said. "She was one of the matriarchs of the social work profession. In a historical analysis of primary and secondary sources of her work, I discovered a coherent and identifiable practice method she used for creating and sustaining partnerships that cultivate social capital and fosters global civil societies.

"I am looking forward to sharing how her four overlapping strategies can promote global justice and human dignity in the 21st century."

The conference will be held June 10-14 in Hong Kong.

Contact: Michael Sherr, Baylor University School of Social Work, (254) 710-4483