FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2008

Contact: Shirley Melikian Armbruster

559.278.5292 or 593.1815

Silvia Barragan, a field liaison and instructor for the Department of Social Work Education at California State University, Fresno, is one of four recipients of the national “Heart of Social Work” award. She was honored Feb. 18 by the Council on Social Work Education at its annual meeting in Chicago.  
 
“Silvia’s passion and dedication for our students, community and university have influenced the development of programs that benefit families and children,“said Dr. Benjamin Cuellar, dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Fresno State.  
 
Barragan has worked at the university for six years. Each semester she supervises 19 students in the field and six students who participate in the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend Program. That program provides specialized opportunities for students in the Masters of Social Work curriculum relating to the field of child welfare practice, the public child welfare setting and family wellness.    
 
She provides instruction, monitors and evaluates students’ field work performance and consults with community agencies that provide child and family services.    
 
Barragan, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, received her master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University. She also has specialized training in the area of child sexual and physical abuse, chronically mentally ill Hispanics and cross-cultural intervention strategies.  
 
For more information, contact Brandie Campbell at 559.228.2150.