Every year, 成人影片 honors four exceptional employees with a听President’s Award for Excellence听and one employee with the听President’s Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. According to President Christine M. Riordan, the honorees 鈥渉ave won the admiration of their peers and colleagues by providing an extraordinary level of service to the University, and working to advance our shared values and goals.”
Candidates are nominated by their colleagues, and these nominations are reviewed by committees that are representative of our community. After reviewing the nominations, the committee submits final nominees to the president.
We congratulate 成人影片’s 2022 President’s Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion honoree:
Schanica Pickens, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, School of Social Work
Pickens has earned the 2022 成人影片听Presidential Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion听for her dedication to promoting diversity and multiculturalism at 成人影片. She is the third recipient of this award.
鈥淚 am honored and grateful for the recognition,” she said. 鈥淢y work here tells a powerful story about my passion, service and ethical responsibility as a social worker in the pursuit of fostering diversity, equity and inclusion. It also gives me the opportunity to elevate the voices and lives of students.”
Over her 13 years at 成人影片, Pickens has worked her way up from director of student engagement and academic success to director of the Master of Social Work program to assistant dean of student affairs. Throughout, she has remained committed to providing resources for underserved students.
Committed to the Community
Lyudmila Bryzzheva, PhD, associate professor in the School of Education, first met Pickens in 2013 at the Undoing Racism workshop conducted by The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. 鈥淪he stayed afterward to connect with presenters and meet with organizers,” Dr. Bryzzheva said. 鈥淚t became clear to me then that Schanica has a powerful drive to participate in the work of advancing racial justice.”
Pickens went on to co-lead Conversations on Race with Dr. Bryzzheva and Laura Quiros, PhD, associate professor in the School of Social Work. Members of the 成人影片 community鈥攊n some cases, more than 200鈥攇athered to address racism, racial equity and how to promote institutional change. She advanced diversity, equity and inclusion by hiring the most diverse group of licensing advisers and instructors in the School of Social Work: More than 80 percent of advisers and instructors now identify as members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community. She also helped design an innovative social action project that is mandatory for all students in the School of Social Work. Last year, more than 500 students worked in small groups on impactful projects that earned media coverage, initiated community change and are being used in professional journals.
In the Spring 2022 semester, Pickens spearheaded BreaKING the Ice: Black Men’s Mental Health and Wellness Conference. 鈥淚t is the first of its kind to be offered by any school of social work and truly embodies the change we would like to see in this world,” said Manoj Pardasani, PhD, dean of the School of Social Work.
Being of Service to All Students
鈥淪ocial work ethics call for us to be mission-driven and to operate with the philosophy of giving back,” Pickens said. 鈥淎s I consider my journey, I consider what can be done differently to support all students. That includes BSW students, PhD students and those from different departments.”
Pickens has organized multiple workshops and events, such as Social Work Is Voting; the Women, Power and Leadership Conference; and Building an Antiracism Practice. She serves on the Curriculum Committee, Reaccreditation Committee, Student Engagement Committee, Social Action Committee, and the Doctor of Social Work Exploratory Committee. She is also on the board of the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which is the largest professional membership and advocacy organization for social workers.
鈥淭he energy, dedication and initiative that Schanica brings to her work demonstrate considerable support for our diversity, equity and inclusion goals,” said CarolAnn Daniel, PhD, professor of social work, 鈥渘ot only in the School of Social Work, but in the wider University community.”