The University of Georgia names an interim dean for its School of Social Work: UGA professor Llewellyn Cornelius will serve as dean while a search committee looks for a permanent replacement for Anna Scheyett, who announced earlier this year she would step down after five years as dean of the School of Social Work at UGA. 

Cornelius also teaches in the Master of Social Work online program at UGA through the School of Social Work.

From UGA Provost Jack Hu…

I am pleased to announce that Llewellyn J. Cornelius, the Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Professor of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies, has been named Interim Dean of the School of Social Work, effective January 1.

Dr. Cornelius is a nationally recognized and engaged scholar with an outstanding record of teaching, mentorship, research, and service. He directs the University’s Center for Social Justice, Human, and Civil Rights as well as the Caribbean Studies Abroad Program in the School of Social Work.

He conducts research that focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions that seek to improve the health and well-being of under-resourced communities. His research as principal or co-principal investigator has been supported by more than $1.6 million in funding from agencies such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He is the author or co-author of 115 journal articles, book chapters, and reports, as well as four books. One of his co-authored books, “Designing and Conducting Health Surveys: A Comprehensive Guide,” has been cited more than 2,200 times.

Dr. Cornelius has served on the doctoral program committee and the faculty organization committee in the School of Social Work. He has chaired or served on nearly 40 Ph.D. committees and currently chairs the school’s master’s program committee.

His community involvement includes service on the board of directors of Chess and Community, an Athens nonprofit dedicated to preparing youth to lead through community engagement and civic empowerment. He currently serves on the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and previously served on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Health Statistics, housed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Internationally, he has served on the board of directors of the Moving Well Project in Zambia and advised the Virgin Islands Caribbean Cultural Center.

I am confident that Dr. Cornelius will provide outstanding leadership as Interim Dean of the School of Social Work and hope that you will join me in congratulating him. 

Anna Scheyett, who has led the School of Social Work since 2016, announced in April that she would step down as Dean on December 31 and return to the faculty. A 14-member search advisory committee chaired by Marsha Davis, Dean of the College of Public Health, is conducting a national search for the next Dean of the School of Social Work.

The original article can be found here.