And the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Goes To… Linda Reeser

 Linda Reeser, PhD, LMSW receives the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from Dr. Hector Diaz

Dr. Linda Reeser’s career matches the criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award because she has superbly demonstrated a continued commitment to the principles of social justice through leadership, education and advocacy.

She has been an exceptional teacher, advisor and mentor of social work students.  She teaches social justice and ethics and has practiced both remarkably throughout her social work career. Her leadership, service and scholarship have contributed to the competent and ethical delivery of services to clients, enhanced education of social work practitioners, and raised the stature of our profession.

Dr. Reeser has served in administrative positions in addition to her role as a professor. She served as Director of Field Education for Western Michigan University School of Social Work for eighteen years. As Director of Field, among many other tasks, she established procedures for placing students in field internships; and for recruiting, screening, and developing quality field placements. Dr. Reeser’s competent leadership advanced the acquisition and maintenance of quality internships for students. As Coordinator of the BSW program, Dr. Reeser determines curriculum, recruits and advises students, sits on the Advisory Board of the School, and engages in many other responsibilities. Under her advisement the BSW student organization, Eta Eta Sigma has become an active force in socializing students into the profession. 

Dr. Reeser is on multiple committees each and every year and is a proven leader. Dr. Reeser was elected to the Michigan Chapter of NASW Board of Directors for two terms 1994-96 and 1996-98.  During her second term she was on the Executive Committee and had the position of V.P. for Standards and Services.  She served as a Region 2 Delegate to the Delegate Assembly at least five times and in that capacity rewrote NASW policy statements on welfare reform and government provision of services. Currently she holds a pivotal position on a Task Force to develop a new concentration on social justice and advocacy at the School of Social Work. Also, she serves as a Research Ethics Fellow on WMU’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.

Dr. Reeser has written two seminal books in the area of ethical decision making and the importance of social workers’ mission of social justice. She has written eighteen articles or book chapters, primarily on the subjects of social work activism, social change and social work ethics.   Moreover, she has given numerous presentations on these topics at the state, national and international levels. She frequently provides CEU workshops and webinars on ethics for social work practitioners.  Dr. Reeser’s scholarship has advanced our profession’s knowledge base about ethical decision making and social activism through her research, writing and teaching, both near and far.

Whether through community service, administration, teaching, research, workshops or webinars, Linda has brought outstanding dedication, thoroughness, integrity, and intelligence to each task. Dr Resser earned this award by not working for it.  She neither pursued titles to gain recognition in misleading lines to her vita/resume nor did she cut corners in the efforts she took on behalf of others. Instead, she worked for the betterment of our students, the School of Social Work, the University, the larger community, and the profession of social work. Each year she has given her very best in all that she does, and as a consequence Dr Reeser has advanced social justice throughout her remarkable career.

Linda is a strong advocate whose noteworthy accomplishments are bolstered by moral strength to confront injustice and powerful analytical and communication skills.

Dr. Hector Diaz is the Director of the Western Michigan University School of Social Work.