UMKC School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences

We are happy to share that Assistant Teaching Professor Cindy McDonald, Ph.D., was selected by students as the Honors Faculty Member of the Year. This recognition was a well-deserved expression of gratitude from our students to Cindy for her years of dedicated support of Honors students. She was honored and celebrated at the Honors Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations!

Meet Benjamin Lewis, a UMKC student turning creativity into a career through the university’s 4+1 teaching program. By combining his passion for art with hands-on classroom experience, Benjamin is preparing to inspire the next generation of young artists — and doing it all on an accelerated path to earning his master’s degrees.

Learn more about Benjamin: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/may/inside-umkcs-4+1-teaching-program-how-benjamin-lewis-is-preparing-to-become-an-art-teacher.html

Congratulations to our Class of 2026 grads! Here are a few who will be walking across the T-Mobile Center stage today.🎓

Every semester, outstanding graduating students are named Dean of Students Honor Recipients. SESWPS student William Matheson is one of 20 students given that honor this semester, for his academic achievements, service and leadership. Congratulations!

Learn more about the students: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/may/graduating-students-named-dean-of-students-honor-recipients.html

Our Master of Arts in Higher Education students recently presented their case study analyses for their capstone class at the case study showcase. Family, friends and colleagues all attended this event that celebrates our students' experiences and success in graduate school.

Our graduating social work students recently presented their capstone projects at the annual Social Work Conference. There was a variety of workshops presented to everyone that participated as well as the annual practicum awards. Congratulations to all awardees and our graduating students who presented!

The heart of Lighting the Way was hearing directly from students whose journeys are shaping the future of education in Kansas City.

Students from the UMKC Institute for Urban Education spoke candidly about balancing coursework, student teaching and personal responsibilities while preparing for careers in classrooms that urgently need dedicated educators. They talked about mentors who encouraged them to keep going, faculty who knew them by name and the confidence they gained through real classroom experience long before graduation.

“I entered UMKC as a freshman in 2006 and was accepted into IUE. And I can say without hesitation, it changed my life. It didn’t just prepare me to teach. It shaped me as a man. It challenged me to think beyond myself. It gave me purpose. I remember being part of a cohort, walking into schools weekly, learning in real classrooms, not just from textbooks but from lived experiences. By the time we graduated, we had spent over 1,400 hours in schools. That’s not just preparation, that’s immersion. That’s transformation." - IUE Alum Harrison Neal Sr. (B.A. ’11, M.A. ’14).

Learn more about Lighting the Way: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/march/institute-for-urban-education-lights-the-way-for-next-generation-of-educators.html

Congratulations to Candy Sarres, a senior in psychology with a minor in bioethics and medical humanities, who is one of two UMKC students to have been selected from more than 4,500 applicants to participate in the Critical Language Scholarship Program, one of the nation’s most competitive international awards.

The scholarship enables students to spend eight to 10 weeks abroad building advanced language skills and cross-cultural understanding. This is Sarres' second award from the Critical Language Scholarship Program. In 2025, she received the CLS Spark award, which provided intensive online Mandarin language and cultural classes. Her new 2026 CLS award will allow her to travel to Taiwan to continue her studies this summer at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan.

Read more about the program here: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/april/umkc-students-receive-highly-competitive-national-award.html

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and today we’re celebrating Teacher Appreciation Day! We’re proud to recognize our incredible students and alumni who have chosen the path of education; your dedication and passion for impact inspire us every day. 🍎✨

The inaugural Research and Innovation Excellence Awards recognized UMKC faculty whose work is advancing discovery, improving lives and shaping the future of the region and beyond. Congratulations to Elizabeth Neilson, assistant professor in the School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences, on receiving the Trustees’ Faculty Scholar Award (Non-STEM)!

Neilson’s research examines the intersections of sexual violence, substance use and reproductive health, focusing on real-time decision-making, risk factors and prevention strategies for at-risk populations. With more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, her work is helping shape the direction of the field.