The challenge to take on the intersecting crises of our times — from the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate emergency to the struggle for social and racial justice — is at the core of a new bachelor’s degree program in community development designed to qualify graduates to meet a growing demand for interesting and important jobs in the field.

• Read more about ASU offers new BA degree in community development to help meet growing demand for jobs

For the second straight year, a program of Arizona State University's School of Social Work will receive the President’s Medal for Social Embeddedness. ASU President Michael Crow will present the award this fall to the school’s Office of Community Health Engagement and Resiliency (OCHER) for helping revitalize an underserved Tucson community.

• Read more about Tucson revitalization effort earns School of Social Work President's Medal

• Read more about 'Gain Power Over Pain' program aims to address opioid epidemic through preventative efforts

Friends and family members of a grieving person often will advise them to talk to a counselor, to “keep busy” or engage in some other activity they think will help. They want to see that individual return to a “normal life” as soon as possible.

• Read more about Social work professor explores animals’ abilities to help those dealing with grief

More than 2.7 million American children are directly affected by the current incarceration of a parent or loved one. Many of them, as well as their relatives and peers, lack the resources to deal with the associated feelings of shame and stigmatization.

Arizona State University's Center for Child Well-Being and the ASU Library have put together a collection of 64 books designed to help Arizona’s nearly 100,000 children of parents who are incarcerated better cope with their feelings.

• Read more about Book collection to help children of parents who are incarcerated

Families providing round-the-clock care to infirm veterans or military members will have volunteer respite caregivers to help them for another three years, as a federal agency renewed funding for a 20-year-old ASU program that administers the assistance.

• Read more about ASU-based Legacy Corps receives 3-year funding renewal to provide volunteer respite care to veteran and military families

ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice has renamed the annual Alumni Scholar Award for a distinguished member of its faculty who retired this spring.

The Dr. John R. Hepburn Alumni Scholar Award was renamed at the request of the faculty. It is an annual award presented for outstanding scholarly contributions to the discipline of criminology and criminal justice by a recipient of a MA, MS, or PhD degree from the school.

• Read more about ASU school renames Alumni Scholar Award for retired Professor John R. Hepburn

Regents Professor Flavio Marsiglia’s “outstanding contributions to advancing the field of prevention science” throughout a long and distinguished career led to his selection as the Society for Prevention Research’s 2021 Presidential Award recipient.

• Read more about Social work professor to receive national society's Presidential Award for lifetime achievement in prevention science

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic led Jason Faircloth, founder of the United States Disabled Golf Association, to cancel the association's annual national golf tournament, which was scheduled to be held in Mesa. This year, a severe lack of volunteers and sponsors – the lifeblood of a golf tournament – led the tournament’s founder to think seriously about shelving the 2021 event as well.

• Read more about Through recruitment, training of volunteers, ASU students help USDGA golf tournament go on

Nine tenure-track faculty members and one lecturer of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions have received promotions to new academic ranks, effective this August, Dean Jonathan Koppell announced.

• Read more about 10 Watts College educators receive fall 2021 academic promotions