Daphne Cain, associate professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Mississippi, gives a presentation on Monday, April 24, 2017 at the Kansas Union. Cain is a candidate for the position of dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas.

The third candidate for dean of the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare emphasized the importance of “social progress powered by science,” a phrase coined by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, during a campus visit on Monday.

Daphne Cain, associate professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Mississippi, said pillars of that include translating social welfare research into public policy and harnessing technology in the field.

“Evidence-informed policy is the ultimate end-game here,” she said. “… because that’s how we’re going to impact the largest group of people.”

Technology also is key to the future of social work schools, she said.

For one, it can help social work integrate with other fields such as medicine, Cain said. Like doctors who help patients remotely through telemedicine, tele-social work is a possibility that has potential to reach rural and other underserved communities “in a way we have not before,” she said.

Daphne Cain, associate professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Mississippi, gives a presentation on Monday, April 24, 2017 at the Kansas Union. Cain is a candidate for the position of dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas.

Technology also must factor into social work research, Cain said. For example, how does social media use factor into the American Academy of Social Work’s goal of eradicating social isolation?

Cain also emphasized the growing importance of social workers for the elderly, noting it’s an area of specialty for the KU School of Social Welfare with its Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options. She said a 92 percent increase in demand for gerontology social workers is expected.

“Gerontological social work is something we really need to focus on, and we’re not having as much success as we’d like to recruiting students to that area,” she said.

With regards to diversity in the school, Cain said, “I do know that there’s been some recent hiccups here.” She proposed first-100-day listening sessions at all KU social welfare instructional locations to gather input for developing goals to address KU’s organizational culture and climate.

“I always have an open-door policy, my leadership style is that of a servant leader,” she said. “I believe in open dialogue.”

Cain, a self-professed animal lover, also shared a photo of her family: her husband and their four dogs.

Cain’s research specialties include disaster mental health, parenting interventions with high-risk and vulnerable families, religion/spirituality and social work practice and child-welfare training.

Cain oversaw Mississippi’s development of the social welfare doctoral program and saw grants, peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations increase during her tenure, according to KU. Previously she was at Louisiana State University from 2001 to 2014, including as interim director of the School of Social Work. She has worked in marriage and family therapy in private practice and agencies.

Cain received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina State University, her master’s of social work from East Carolina University and her doctorate in social work from the University of Tennessee.

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.

Other presentations

Four University of Kansas School of Social Welfare dean candidates have been asked to present on the topic “The Social Work Profession in 2027 and the Role of Schools of Social Work in Preparing For It.”

Michelle Mohr Carney, a professor and director of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, gave a presentation April 14. Wesley Church, professor and director of the School of Social Work at Louisiana State University, presented April 17. Daphne Cain, associate professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Mississippi, presented Monday.

The final candidate — Stephen Kapp, professor and interim dean of KU’s School of Social Welfare — will present at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Centennial Room at the Union.