College of Social Work Hosts 12th Anniversary Rosenstein Lecture

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 29, 2014) — The University of Kentucky College of Social Work, along with Dean Ike Adams, will celebrate the 12th anniversary of the  Irma Sarett Rosenstein Lecture on Early Childhood Interventions from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014 at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public. 

This year's lecture will feature Don Cipriani, director of the Just and Fair Schools Fund, a national donor collaborative fund supporting grassroots organizing initiatives that work to eliminate harsh school discipline policies and practices and uphold the right to education for all youth.  A reception will immediately follow the lecture.

Irma Sarett Rosenstein grew up in New York City and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s in social work. Rosenstein has always cared deeply about the welfare of children, the most vulnerable population. As a social worker at the UK Chandler Hospital, Rosenstein also taught in the College of Social Work and worked closely with the first dean of the college, Ernest Witte.  She recognized early on in her career that early intervention was the key to both treatment and prevention for kids in need.  Rosenstein brought an ethos of openness and of clarity to community problems.  She did not shirk from addressing racism and bigotry. She took on the big issues of her day, and still now her passion for social justice is evident.

Rosenstein was the driving force behind the Kentucky Conference on Christians and Jews, now named the Kentucky Conference on Communities and Justice (KCCJ), an organization dedicated to building community and ending bigotry.  She hosted one of social work’s most prominent leaders, Whitney Young, at a KCCJ dinner when no public places outside of UK were desegregated.

"Rosenstein came to Lexington more than 50 years ago and we know that she changed this community for the better," said James P. “Ike” Adams Jr., dean of the UK College of Social Work and Dorothy A. Miller Professor in Social Work Education. "The entire community is indebted to her and grateful for her courage.  The College of Social Work counts Mrs. Rosenstein as one of our Hall of Fame members and as a friend and colleague.  Irma remains one of the college’s staunch supporters, and we feel blessed to have someone with her integrity and compassion involved in our work.  Specifically, we are honored that Irma and Irv have gifted us with an endowment for this prestigious lecture series.  This lecture series is something the college is proud to offer each year to our students, faculty and to the wider community as a very special learning opportunity."

"We are delighted to have created this lecture series for UK and the community. Compassion for child welfare and social justice, which was instilled in me at an early age, continues to be a driving force in today's world even with all of the progress that has been achieved," Rosenstein said.

Thanks to a generous gift from Irma Sarett Rosenstein and her family in 2002, the College of Social Work has been providing research-based and practice-driven lectures by distinguished national speakers in child welfare.

To RSVP for the lecture, contact Heather Bosworth at heather.bosworth@uky.edu or 859-257-6654.

To register for continuing education units, contact Christine Gevedon at Christina.gevedon@uky.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu