Honor Selena T. Rodgers

Senate Resolution No. 4951 BY: Senator PARKER COMMENDING Selena T. Rodgers Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the Master of Social Work Program at CUNY York College on May 18, 2018 WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the distinguished careers of those outstanding educational leaders, whose dedication and achievements have been instrumental in developing character and academic excellence in the young people of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Selena T. Rodgers Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the Master of Social Work Program at CUNY York College; this auspicious occasion will be celebrated at the Program's Launch Party on Friday, May 18, 2018; and WHEREAS, Selena T. Rodgers earned her master's degree in Social Work from Syracuse University and her Ph.D. from Adelphi University; and WHEREAS, For over three decades, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has lived in Queens, New York, where she served as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSWR) for over 10 years; in this role, she provided culturally competent, mental health services for adolescents with experiences of violence and sexual trauma, and as an administrator at Safe Horizon, Inc., the largest victim-assistance agency in the United States; and WHEREAS, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers began her long and distinguished career as an adjunct social work assistant professor with CUNY over 16 years ago; she then led the college's Baccalaureate Social Work Field Education Program until 2016, when she earned tenure and was promoted to associate professor; and WHEREAS, When Dr. Selena T. Rodgers was named Founding Director and Chief Administrator of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program at City University of New York (CUNY) York College during the 2017-2018 academic year, she made "herstory," becoming the first African American woman to lead the first graduate social work program in Queens, New York, within the City University of New York; and WHEREAS, Established over 50 years ago, York College is a senior college of CUNY; the MSW Program at the college upholds the legacy established by Hunter College School of Social Work over 60 years ago and continued by Lehman College and College of Staten Island; and WHEREAS, Through Dr. Selena T. Rodgers' vision, the MSW program has pledged to meet community needs and growing labor demands and equip urban health scholars with the tools to soar and transform their lives; and WHEREAS, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has extensively researched posttraumatic growth in adults with various trauma-stressor experiences, vicarious trauma in social work scholars and practitioners and historical trauma in African American women; she has published in refereed journals and other scholarly platforms with emphasis on structural oppression through an intersectional lens; and WHEREAS, In addition, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers is the founding editor of "York College Social Work Field Education Signature Pedagogy" E-Newsletter, which highlights progressive trends in field education, scholar policy, and the profession; and WHEREAS, Dedicated to the social work profession, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has served as an Editorial Board member for AFFILIA Journal, PSC-CUNY Grievance Counselor at York College, and faculty advisor for the S.W.E.E.T. Club for over 12 years; furthermore, she was a reviewer for the CUNY Research Foundation; and WHEREAS, Since 1992, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first sorority for black college-educated women, and was the founding MSW faculty advisor for Chi Sigma Chapter of Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work which was established in 2018; and WHEREAS, A true asset to her community, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has conducted numerous workshops on mentoring and leadership and implemented mentoring opportunities for student scholars at the Rochdale Village Technology Learning Center; and WHEREAS, She has worked on Queens District Attorney's Richard A. Brown's Star (Straight Talk About Risks) Track anti-violence program in Far Rockaway, Queens to combat gun violence, drugs and gang violence; Dr. Rodgers has also led various mentoring initiatives for CUNY York and international communities; and WHEREAS, For her steadfast and unremitting commitment to her profession and her community, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades from her home campus, CUNY, community organizations, national associations, and a host of Queens elected officials; and WHEREAS, Throughout Dr. Selena T. Rodgers' tenure at CUNY York College, she has strived to strengthen global relations; she has served as a United States Delegate for South Korea, and participated in the inaugural CSWE sponsored Delegation to Havana, Cuba; and WHEREAS, As a United States Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Free International University (ULIM), Dr. Selena T. Rodgers was instrumental in developing a MSW program in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe; served as guest lecturer at Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, Vanderbijpark, in South Africa; taught at Mission Grandbois in L'Atribonite Marchand Dessalines, Haiti; and was an expert evaluator for Romanian and United States Fulbright Commissions; and WHEREAS, Educators like Dr. Selena T. Rodgers have provided a tremendous service to the future of our State and Nation, inspiring generations of young people in their educational journeys and ensuring their success in their future years; and WHEREAS, Dr. Selena T. Rodgers has clearly had an enduring impact on the youth of CUNY York College, as well as on the community-at-large, and accordingly merits recognition and applause for her impressive dedication to others; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the efforts of those individuals who work to support our proud tradition of public education by providing their skills and talents to our schools; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Selena T. Rodgers Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the Master of Social Work Program at CUNY York College; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Selena T. Rodgers Ph.D.