CONTACT: Dean C. Aaron McNeece, (850) 644-4752; <amcneece@admin.fsu.edu>

April 21, 2008

RYAN NAMED THE JEANENE M. JANES PROFESSOR OF CHILD WELFARE

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Scott Ryan, a highly regarded adoption and child welfare expert, has been appointed the Jeanene M. Janes Professor of Child Welfare at the Florida State University College of Social Work.

Jeanene Janes, a longtime child welfare advocate from Jacksonville endowed the professorship with a $100,000 gift to the college in 2001.

“I am delighted to have Dr. Ryan in place,” said Janes. “Being an adopted child myself, I have always had an interest in the process, though it is a whole different ball game today than it used to be. Even the size of the system has changed. Today, there are about 3,000 kids in the foster care system in the Jacksonville area alone.”

An active teacher and scholar, Ryan values community-centered practice research and focuses much of his efforts on identifying and creating evidence-based interventions that are sensitive to the needs of families involved in the child welfare system. He expressed great enthusiasm about the appointment.

“It is a great honor to be named to this professorship, and I am looking forward to using this platform to help better the lives of children and families in the child welfare system,” he said.

Ryan, whose scholarly output is extensive, has been a College of Social Work faculty member since 2000. He has written eight book chapters and more than 30 journal articles, with more in progress. He has won several awards for his work, including, most recently, the Friend of Children Award from the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Angel in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, and an Adoption Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Children’s Bureau. He earned his doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Ryan is one of many productive faculty members who have helped the FSU College of Social Work achieve prominence in national rankings in recent years.

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