Alumni Awards
Each spring, the School of Social Work Alumni Association takes pause to recognize the growing achievements of our Alumni. Award Nominations are due before March 1st and can be made by any Alumni or Friend of the University of Illinois.
Nominations may be submitted online using the following link, or by mailing a copy of the forms provided after the award descriptions to the School of Social Work.
The Community Achievement Award is presented to a School of Social Work Alumnus who has made a significant contribution to his or her agency or community and is therefore recognized as a community leader. Nomination Form
The Outstanding New Social Worker Award is presented to a school of social Work Alumnus who has demonstrated unusual accomplishments in his or her first 5 years of post-MSW practice. Nomination Form
The Outstanding Field Instructor Award is presented to a Field Instructor who has demonstrated strong commitment to the School and our students. As a supervisor, he or she also offers our student an exceptional experience in fieldwork. Nomination Form
2006 Award Winners
Community Achievement Award- Sheila Ferguson, MSW
This year’s award winner, Sheila Ferguson, works as the CEO of the Mental Health Center of Champaign County. Sheila has been a strong advocate of the recovery movement in community mental health. She is a dedicated mental health professional who exemplifies the values of the social work profession, proving herself as an effective administrator who supports her staff and collaborates with other social service agencies. As a student at the UIUC School of Social Work, she started working with homeless individuals with mental illness. Following graduation, she has worked in many of the mental health center’s programs for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Sheila has served in a number of roles at the MHC for many years, rising to the position of CEO in 2006. Upon assuming her duties as CEO, the mental health center has bounced back from difficult financial challenges and is very active in developing mental health programs for both children and adults in Champaign County. Throughout this time, Sheila was an active member of the social service community in Champaign County. She has written numerous grants and is responsible for a number of collaborations with other agencies.
Outstanding New Social Worker- Donielle Robinson, 2006, MSW
This year’s award winner, Donielle Robinson, was an accomplished student while at the UIUC School of Social Work and has acclimated to the profession quickly. While a student, Donielle completed a specialization in school social work and upon graduation accepted a position working for American Quality Schools, a non-profit management company that overseas six charter schools in Chicago and Indiana. Ms. Robinson successfully maintains a demanding professional schedule, splitting her time between three Southside campuses that serve African American and Latino students. Her enthusiasm for her job spills over from her workday into the evening, as she also assists with after school programming. As she says, “I live in my car, but I love it.”
Outstanding Field Instructor Award- Jean Buss, 1977, MSW
While this award need not be given to an Alumnus, this year’s Outstanding Field Instructor Award winner is 1977 MSW graduate, Jean Buss. Jean has volunteered to be a field Instructor for School of Social Work interns for the past several years. She is consistently described as kind, patient and as an excellent teacher by her interns. She provides a quality learning experience for the students and is always nurturing an supportive. She creates a learning environment that meets the needs of the students- no matter if they have several year of social work experience, or if they are right out of school. She is an excellent role model for the interns she supervises, and a great asset to Field Education.