Celebrating our CSW Hall of Fame Recipients
Our annual College of Social Work Alumni Hall of Fame celebration will take place on Friday, Oct. 2 at Noon at the Fawcett Center. We will honor Siema Eljack, MSW ’22, with the Recent Alumni Award, and Dr. Joseph Walsh, MSW ’79, PhD ’92, and Dr. Brad Yoder, PhD ’79, with Distinguished Career Awards.
Eljack is a healthcare leader, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, educator and entrepreneur whose work bridges behavioral health, healthcare, public policy and community impact. She is the founder of Balsam Counseling and Siema Eljack Leadership & Consulting, where she provides clinical care, leadership development, and behavioral health education.
Dr. Walsh enjoyed a 42-year career in social work, both as a direct practitioner and academic. He worked in community mental health and was a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University for 27 years. He also served on the Virginia Board of Social Work for eight years. Walsh’s work always focused on practice theory and intervention with persons who have severe mental illnesses and their families.
Dr. Yoder was attracted to social work because of its comprehensive concern for the whole person – body, mind and spirit – within its whole environment. He is Professor Emeritus of Social Work, Sociology and Criminal Justice at Manchester (IN) University. His 52-year career focused on mental health and criminal justice. Yoder helped to create Midtown Community Mental Health Center in Indianapolis in 1969, the first CMHC in Indiana. NASW inducted Yoder as an NASW Social Work Pioneer in 2026.
Join us in celebrating these Hall of Fame Inductees
Alumni Fall Event
Fellow CSW alumni, faculty and staff are invited to a Buckeye Watch Party and Alumni Reunion on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Watch the Ohio State and Iowa football game, enjoy a catered buffet and an open bar, and spend an afternoon of old-school entertainment – duckpin bowling, patio pong, pinball, arcade games, foosball and more.
There are only few places in the world where the crushing of Hawkeyes and the crashing of pins go side-by-side with the nostalgic clang of pinball flippers.
Pins Mechanical Company
6558 Riverside Drive, Dublin
Kick off TBA, reserved area
An Update from Dean David Jenkins
Between the muggy heat and the recent smoke from the wildfires up north, July has been brought some challenging weather to Columbus.
I hope that wherever you are, you have had the opportunity to both survive and enjoy the summer months. Whether you spend these months traveling, working or simply recharging, I hope you were able to take some time to enjoy the season before the start of our new academic year.
August is always a busy and exciting time as we welcome new and returning students back to campus. The folks here in the college have been working hard to be ready for the new year. I always hope a new semester offers students and our faculty and staff a fresh opportunity for academic/career growth and personal development. Our enrollments are up for both the undergraduate and graduate programs. So, we will be busy welcoming our newest cohorts.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer. I hope life offers you some wonderful opportunities too.
Go Buckeyes!!
Dean David Jenkins
