Associate Dean Appointed Acting Dean
Dean Edwards is pleased to announce that President McCormick appointed Kathleen J. Pottick as acting dean during his service as the executive vice president of the university. "I know I leave the school in excellent hands. Dr. Pottick has the right experience to do the job and I am confident that under her leadership the school will continue to thrive."
Kathleen J. Pottick, MSW, Ph.D., LCSW, is professor and associate dean for faculty development at the School of Social Work and has a joint appointment as core faculty at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. Dr. Pottick joined the faculty in 1982 after receiving her PhD in Social Work and Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. The bulk of her research focuses on better understanding the barriers to the provision of effective mental health services for children and adolescents, and disadvantaged populations, and on developing strategies for removing them. She publishes in the fields of social work, psychology, and psychiatry, with recent articles appearing in Social Service Review, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and American Journal of Psychiatry. Her research studies have been funded by government and foundation sources (e.g., National Institute of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Annie E. Casey Foundation). A popular lecturer, Dr. Pottick has held numerous administrative appointments at the School of Social Work. Her program for mentoring junior faculty is being used as a model throughout the university. She is an avid admirer of Jane Addams and collects and contributes to literature about the social work pioneer.
"I am pleased to serve as the school's acting dean, welcoming the opportunity to work with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to advance the profession by building on the strong foundation that Dick Edwards established for the school in the university and state," Pottick says.