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Dr. Stanley F. Battle Named Founding Director of the M.S.W. Program at the University of Saint Joseph

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) announces the appointment of Stanley F. Battle, Ph.D., M.S.W. as professor of social work. He will serve as founding director of the master’s degree in social work (M.S.W.) program which will be offered at USJ starting in the summer of 2014.

 

In his new role at the University of Saint Joseph, Battle will provide vision and leadership in developing and implementing the new M.S.W. degree program which will prepare social workers for community-based clinical practice in labor force shortage areas such as health and mental health; children and family services; aging and disability services; veterans’ services; and services to newly arriving populations and ethnic communities. He will mentor faculty and develop partnerships with community organizations.

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“I am thrilled that USJ has attracted a social work educator with the leadership skills and breadth of experience that Dr. Battle possesses,” said USJ Provost Michelle M. Kalis, Ph.D. “Guided by best practices in cultivating scholarship and research that engages faculty and students, Dr. Battle will establish robust graduate learning opportunities, advancing USJ’s Mercy mission, outreach, and community partnerships.”

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Battle has extensive experience in higher education administration, having served as interim president of Southern Connecticut State University from 2010 – 2012; chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro, N.C.) from 2007 – 2009; and president of Coppin State University (Baltimore, Md.) from 2003 – 2007. Most recently, he served as professor of social work at Central Connecticut State University.

 

Battle’s academic career as a faculty member and administrator also encompasses distinguished service spanning from 1980 – 2003 at public and private institutions including the University of Minnesota, Boston University, the University of Connecticut , Eastern Connecticut State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

 

A native of Springfield, Mass. who currently resides in Glastonbury, Conn., Battle earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Springfield College; an M.S.W. from the University of Connecticut; an M.P.H. from the University of Pittsburgh; and a Ph.D. in social welfare policy from the University of Pittsburgh. He also completed the Educational Management Institute at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education as well as the Millennium Leadership Institute of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

 

Highly respected as an accomplished educator, researcher, consultant and speaker, Battle has authored or co-authored 11 books along with numerous articles and book chapters, many of which focus on social issues concerning the African American community. Throughout his career, Battle has held editorial positions for various academic journals. He currently serves as contributing editor of the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment and co-editor of Social Work in Public Health (both published by Routledge Group, Philadelphia, Pa.).

 

Battle’s many funded research projects include the Kellogg Devolution Initiative, a $270,000 grant awarded in 1999; the National Ford Community Development Project with the University of Chicago and the Upper Albany Collaborative, a $113,000 grant from the Ford Foundation in 1992; and a $300,000 grant from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Health Services’ AIDS Section and the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission in 1989 for a survey of intravenous drug users.

 

His exemplary involvement on nonprofit boards such as the United Way, Goodwill Industries, Inc., and the American Red Cross illustrates Battle’s investment in the community. He currently serves on the Meriden Chamber of Commerce and the New Haven Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the Connecticut Campus Compact.

 

Recognized in 2011 by the NAACP as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut, Battle has been honored with myriad awards such as: recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc. Presidential Leadership Award; the Legacy Laureate Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh; the African American Heritage Award from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from Eastern Connecticut State University; and the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families Recognition Award. Eastern Connecticut State University established an endowed scholarship fund in honor of Battle and his wife, Attorney Judith L. Rozie-Battle, who has been appointed interim vice president for programs at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving effective September 1, 2013.

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