UT Tyler Celebrates First Cohort of Bachelor of Social Work Degree Candidates

April 11, 2024 | Hannah Buchanan

The University of Texas at Tyler is celebrating the first cohort of Bachelor of Social Work degree candidates who will graduate this spring. Launched in 2020, UT Tyler’s BSW program was created to address the need for more qualified social workers in East Texas and the state.

“The projected need for social workers in Texas is growing,” said Richard Kenney, UT Tyler professor of practice and program director. “We congratulate these 19 students as they go on to provide meaningful service in our East Texas communities, the state and beyond.”

The cohort will be recognized during spring 2024 commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4, at the R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center.

UT Tyler’s first cohort of BSW degree candidates are listed by hometown.

ATHENS – Bertha Lopez.

BROWNSBORO – Jack McNulty.

CANTON – Katie Nava.

GREENVILLE – Kinsey Bell.

MARSHALL – Diana Maldonado.

MABANK – Chloe Urrutia.

MINEOLA – Brandi O'Shea.

PANTEGO – Madeleine Price.

PENSACOLA – Alex White.

TIMPSON – Harlie Ware.

TYLER – Rylie Bay, Tiara Davis, Emily Fowler, Cadence Hiltz, Cheyenne Lortz and Lluvia Martinez.

VAN – Emily Presswood.

WHITEHOUSE – Amanda Fritter.

NEW JERSEY – Amanda Amorim.

UT Tyler recently earned initial professional accreditation for its program through February 2032 by the Council on Social Work Education, which provides a gold-star standard of accreditation for colleges and universities. Students who entered or completed the program prior to accreditation will be retroactively recognized as graduates of a CSWE-accredited program. For more information, visit uttyler.edu/academics/programs/social-work-bsw.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.