Faculty News
Last year was a busy and exciting time for University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Research Associate Professor Mary Elizabeth Rauktis (PhD ’93). She received a grant through the Fulbright Specialist Program, which is part of the larger Fulbright Program, and traveled in August 2022 to teach at Assam Don Bosco University in India. She also became president of the Greater Pittsburgh Area Chapter of the Fulbright Association.
We asked Rauktis to share more about her Fulbright experience, what she currently is working on, and her life outside Pitt Social Work.
Q: Congratulations again on the Fulbright Specialist Program grant! What is the social work program like at Assam Don Bosco?
A: Thanks! The Fulbright program is a wonderful opportunity for faculty, students, and staff, and I would encourage anyone interested in learning more about it to contact me at gpittsburgh@fulbright.org. Senator J. William Fulbright’s belief in creating the program was that it is in meeting people in their communities and learning about them that we create a peaceful and connected world. It’s been an honor to be a Fulbright scholar (Portugal, 2017) and specialist (India, 2022). I learned far more than I ever expected during my time in country.
Social work in India has a curriculum very similar to that in the United States. However, the structures are somewhat different. Undergraduate education is three, not four, years. Doctoral social work is very different, with less course work and more time for dissertation. I taught both undergraduate and graduate students in social work and psychology. The students do “block” field placements, so they do most of their course work in the beginning and then are in the field full time for almost nine months. All students at Assam Don Bosco do service projects, regardless of their major. Some of the projects implemented by faculty and students were improving potable water and mushroom cultivation for sale and consumption, a green library in villages, and a training program for electric tradespeople.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I’m working on an edited book that the faculty from Assam Don Bosco are writing on their service projects. I also worked on creating a study with the social work faculty at Assam Don Bosco on readiness to implement foster care in Assam, which they just finished and presented to UNICEF.
We are very excited to honor World Social Work Day next month! A group of students in the Global Perspectives class is planning the day (Tuesday, March 21) and events throughout the week to raise awareness of the role of social work in the world.
Q: Tell us about your journey back to Pitt Social Work.
A: When I left in 1993, it was with no intention of returning! I was in my mid-30s and had worked during the time that I was completing my PhD at Pitt; back then, the doctoral program was not funded, and one could be a part-time student. Frankly, I was tired of the academy and wanted to get on with my life, as it felt as though I had been at Pitt a long time! I took a position at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, which had just created a new evaluation unit, working with Pamela Twiss (MSW ’87, PhD ’93). From there, I went to work for Pressley Ridge, an international provider of children and family services, and became more expert in the child welfare side of programming, specifically residential and foster care.
I never expected to come back as faculty [in 2007], although I had taught as an adjunct in the research class sequence. When I was initially approached by Professor Emeritus Edward Sites for the position of researcher in the Child Welfare Education and Research Programs, I was excited by the opportunity to teach the next generation of social work professionals.
Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t at work?
A: With my daughter grown and living on her own, I now have more time to do things that I love, such as volunteering at Animal Friends’ Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank, sorting food and delivering to more than 30 pet food pantries in the region. I also foster cats and kittens.
I love to stand-up paddle! On summer weekends, you can find me at Moraine State Park boarding and sometimes camping. I read a great deal as well and quite widely. I’ve taken on reading David McCullough’s “Truman,” which is 1,120 pages long. I hope to finish it in the next year!