Social Welfare support staff is dedicated to guiding students

KU School of Social Welfare student support staff members Amea Chandler, Joseph Bush and Hazel Rogers.

Mon, 08/26/2024

Sean Collins

Joseph Bush doesn’t come from a social work background, but his role at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare as a professional writing consultant enables him to help students express their enthusiasm about the field.

Bush, the recipient of the 2023-2024 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching and the Mignot Award, appreciates each opportunity to assist a student.

“It’s truly humbling to be able to see how many of those students, even if it was just one appointment, get that next step done in their educational career,” Bush said.

The impact of a role like Bush’s is a focus for the School of Social Welfare, which added or expanded on multiple positions over the past two years to provide a more dedicated and detailed system to help students.

The people in those roles are passionate about helping those students.

Bush started in 2022. Amea Chander, who has over 15 years of experience providing student support services, added Bachelor of Social Work retention coordinator to her duties this year.

Hazel Rogers’ first day as student support coordinator was in August. Vicki Mignot has been with the school for decades but started her Master of Social Work role in 2023. Tara Combes, the school’s MSW and DSW academic advisor, has been supporting students since 2022.

The goal is to give students as much control over their academic success as possible, and the message is shared by each of these professionals.

Giving students what they need

Chandler said it feels like all her previous jobs led to her retention position. That includes waitressing. Motivating and activating are primary traits, she says. Chandler wants students to know that someone cares and is rooting for them.

“They might not have a cheerleader at home, and they might not even have a support system to give them that energy that they need,” Chandler, who is also the MSW academic advisor at the KU Edwards Campus, said. “So, I try to provide that.”

Rogers, who has worked with students with high needs, just started her new role. She wants to serve as a quality starting point for students looking for help.

“I want them to know that they can reach out and talk to me for any reason about anything,” Rogers said. “They shouldn’t feel any kind of trepidation about talking to me about something that maybe I'm not the right person, because my job is to help them find the right person.”

Originally from the central valley of California, though she claims the whole state, Rogers was a special programs coordinator for two and a half years before this role with the School of Social Welfare. She sought student support plenty of times when getting her Master of Social Work from Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Whether it’s creative problem-solving or helping a student meet financial needs, Rogers will ensure students have a partner in that process.

Honing strengths

The School of Social Welfare wants its student support staff to provide comfortable and helpful options for the many aspects that go into academic success.

Bush provides support for any student wanting to improve their writing.

“I try to appreciate the person I’m working with and understand the experience of the writer so I can help them hone their own strengths,” Bush said.

Chandler said she sees the School’s investment in student support as a team effort she wants to take part in. She added that her career was somewhat inspired by the stigma around social workers, which she noticed in movies she watched growing up. What was portrayed on screen wasn’t an accurate representation of the profession.

Chandler wanted to bring real social work qualities to her advising role.

“I have a very strong intrinsic motivation to help this team, and these students, because I feel like the work that we are doing is helping many people go on to these amazing careers,” Chandler said. “And I think that we're helping, in a way, save lives.”