KU selects Arizona State professor to be new dean of social welfare

Michelle Mohr Carney, professor and director of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University and then-candidate for the dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas, gives a presentation at the Kansas Union on Thursday, April 13, 2017. Carney was announced as the school's new dean on Tuesday.

The leader of Arizona State University’s School of Social Work will soon be the new dean of social welfare at the University of Kansas.

Michelle Mohr Carney, professor and director of Arizona State’s School of Social Work, will join the KU faculty in July as dean of KU’s School of Social Welfare, KU announced Tuesday.

KU’s School of Social Welfare is ranked among the top 20 public programs in the nation, and the only Kansas program to offer degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, according to KU. In addition to its headquarters on the Lawrence campus, the school offers instruction and outreach in the Kansas City area and western Kansas, through Fort Hays State University and Garden City Community College.

“KU is indeed fortunate to have someone with Michelle’s leadership experience and scholarly background joining our team,” Neeli Bendapudi, KU’s provost and executive vice chancellor, said, in KU’s news release. “I’m confident she will guide the school toward new opportunities and partnerships that address student and societal needs.”

Carney was one of four candidates for the position to visit campus and give public presentations in April.

In her presentation, she emphasized the importance of creating an educational experience students find engaging and relevant.

She said community involvement and input were key to creating programs that make students want to enroll and that also are able to help the community and world outside of academia. One example is hands-on experience such as working in free clinics that help community members.

As for leadership style, Carney said transparency is critical and complacency is detrimental.

“If we’re doing really well, let’s figure out how to do something different or do it better,” she said in her presentation.

Carney said in KU’s news release that she was excited to join “such a prestigious university and school.”

“I can’t wait to start working with the engaged and productive faculty, and the dedicated staff,” she said, in the news release. “The KU School of Social Welfare is poised to be an even greater leader in social work education in the next decade.”

The Journal-World was unable to reach Carney for additional comment on Tuesday.

KU’s School of Social Welfare dean position has been in flux since former dean Paul Smokowski announced his resignation in March 2016, following student diversity protests targeting him personally. Smokowski remains a professor at KU, and professor of social welfare Steve Kapp is the school’s interim dean.

Carney has been director of Arizona State’s School of Social work since 2014, overseeing expansion of degree program offerings, enrollment increases and the development of two new research centers, according to KU.

Previously she spent 10 years in faculty and leadership roles at the University of Georgia. From 1998 to 2004 she was at the University of South Carolina.

Carney’s own research focuses on intimate partner violence, at-risk youths, community practices, leadership development, and collaboration and conflict resolution. She received her doctoral and bachelor’s degrees in social work from The Ohio State University and a master of science in social administration from Case Western Reserve University.