WT’s Social Work Program to Celebrate 50th Anniversary with Party, Symposium

Copy by Chip Chandler and Brad Newman
Media contact: Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s social work program will celebrate its golden anniversary with a pair of events Oct. 16 and 17.

The program, established and accredited in 1975, has graduated hundreds of professionals who have gone on to make a difference in schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and agencies across the Texas Panhandle and beyond.

“Social work professionals are special,” said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of WT’s Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences and Texas A&M University System Regents Professor of Education. “They have a servant’s heart; they genuinely care about people. The social worker may be the most uplifting person some people see in a day.

“Our college is honored to have a half-century tradition of developing these truly indispensable professionals,” he said.

A 50th anniversary social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St.

Alumni will mingle with current students, faculty and community partners over hors d’oeuvres, cake and WT’s signature Buffalo cookies.

The celebration will continue with “Reimaging Mental Health Care: Honoring History and Expanding Practice,” part of WT’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which was created to enhance education at WT by inviting people of national prominence to speak to students and the community about important issues.

Angela Lutts and Bolutife Dosumu offer a symposium that will examine the evolution of social work and mental health systems, challenging traditional care models and promoting professional growth among practitioners. The morning session will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by an afternoon session from 1 to 3:30 p.m.; registration begins at 9 a.m.

Lutts is the owner of Embracing Hope Counseling & Family Services in Colleyville and specializes in helping clients heal from trauma and resolve relationship issues. Dosumu is the owner of Glasshouse Effect Psychotherapy Center in Austin, provides psychotherapy specializing in trauma, cultural and spiritual identity.

The symposium, which is primarily targeted to social workers and other social service-related employees, is open to the public.

Housed in the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, WT’s social work degree has equipped students to succeed at licensure examinations and future careers across a wide range of fields, said program director Ruth DeAnda, instructor of social work and undergraduate program director.

The program begins with an introduction to the vast array of options for students who study social work. Often, the many possibilities are surprising to new students, DeAnda said.

“We aim to educate our students on the wide-ranging roles that social workers have. There are so many areas that students simply aren’t aware of,” she said.

A common misconception, DeAnda said, is that social workers simply “take kids from families” through Child Protective Services. But that’s an incomplete, limited view of social work, she said.

“Social workers are there to meet people in crisis, and in all types of crisis situations,” DeAnda said. “That means there’s a never-ending need for social workers in our communities.”

WT also offers a master’s degree in social work. The graduate program, now offered fully online, began in 2010.

Kristy Bartlett, director of WT’s social work graduate program, said WT’s degree plans help shape what she called “the social work heart”—people who are driven, passionate, and want to make a positive difference in another person’s life.

“Often, students come into the program with big ideas to change the world. But I remind them, if you can just change one person’s world, you could make an impact for generations to come,” Bartlett said.

Ultimately, that's the goal of social work, DeAnda agreed.

“Our job is to go into these spaces—where you sometimes see the worst and the best of humanity, and sometimes the systems are so broken—but we go in with hope, to empower people to see their best selves and get to a better place in life,” she said. 

“We advocate for the vulnerable and protect the unprotected and provide a voice for the voiceless. We give hope.”

WT’s efforts to provide a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for learners of all levels is a key principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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