IN MEMORIAM  

Dr. Jean E. Daniels

On Saturday, January 17, 2015, the world lost a legend; Dr. Jean E. Daniels, founder of the CSUN Department of Social Work and long-time Sociology professor passed away.

Dr. Daniels was a trailblazer, a role model, mentor and an inspiration to so many of us in the field of social work. She earned her BA from the University of Kansas in 1964, her MSW from Howard University in 1966, Her MPH from UCLA in 1973, and her PhD from UCLA in 1976.

Dr. Daniels began her tenure with CSUN in the fall of 1976 as a part-time lecturer and remained with us until her retirement in 2013. Throughout her time at CSUN, Dr. Daniels continued to give back to the social work community by serving in various roles in the San Fernando Valley local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and as a board member of organizations such as the American Lung Association, American Heart Association and the Northeast Valley Multipurpose Senior Center.

After her retirement, Dr. Daniels was inducted into the Social Work Hall of Fame at the California Social Welfare Archives 2014 Awards Reception and we are proud to call her a Professor Emeritus of the CSUN Social Work Department.

Her legacy will live on in the Jean E. Daniels Award for Leadership and Academic Excellence that is presented during our MSW hooding ceremony every May.

At the state level, Dr. Daniels served on the NASW California chapter’s Professional Development Committee from 2002 through 2004 and—as a very active committee member—she was dedicated to improving education for social workers through academia and through professional development, including the chapter’s annual conference.

Dr. Daniels also served on the Nominations and Leadership Committee from 2004-2006 and, in doing so, provided extensive knowledge related to leadership identification. Chapter staff will remember Dr. Daniel’s for her quick smile, gentle spirit, calm demeanor, and her seemingly endless passion for the social work profession.

The CSUN community will celebrate her life on Monday, March 2,  2015 at 10:30 am in the Thousand Oaks Room of the University Student Union (USU) during our campus Memorial Service in her honor.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Jean E. Daniels Scholarship Fund.

• Thank you to Amy Levin and NASW-CA for providing this information.

Dr. Daniels also received the Frances Lomas Feldman Excellence in Education Award from the California Social Welfare Archives in April of 2014.

A video of the event can be viewed here at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpgvMaN7E8s&index=3&list=PL06FD57D499DC7F5B

The following text is from the program of this event.

Jean E. Daniels, D.S.W.
Frances Lomas Feldman  Excellence in Education Award

 Jean Daniels’ commitment to the education and success of tomorrow’s social work leaders spans four decades. Among the first African American women to be part of the faculty in the sociology department at California State University, Northridge, Daniels began as a part-time sociology lecturer in 1976, working her way to full professor of sociology in 1987. She also served as director of the university’s Center for Education and Research in Gerontology from 1983 to 2003.

While a professor in the sociology department, Daniels devoted herself to establishing a Master of Social Work program and worked for years to make that vision a reality. Thanks to her pioneering efforts, the Department of Social Work at CSUN now offers both a two-year and a three-year program, including offsite programs, and soon will graduate their eighth class of social workers prepared to promote the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.

 Daniels is a California state licensed clinical social worker and has been a member of several organizations, including: the Academy of Certified Social Workers; American Public Health Association; California Council on Geriatric and Gerontology; National Association of Black Social Workers; Phi Kappa Phi society, a national academic honors organization; and the Phi Beta Delta Omega Chapter, of Honor Society of International Scholars.

In the past several years, Daniels has served on the advisory board for the Alicia Broadous-Duncan Senior Center in Pacoima; the Committee on Leadership Identification for California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW); and the Executive Committee of San Fernando Valley Unit of Region G, NASW-CA, which recognized her contributions to the social work by naming her Social Worker of the Year in 2002. Daniels is listed in “Who’s Who Among African Americans.”

 Daniels has been published in the “Journal of Women & Aging,” “International Social Work Journal” and the “Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.”

Daniels earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at University of Kansas, followed by two Master’s degrees, one in social work from Howard University in Washington DC, and one in public health at UCLA. She continued her studies at UCLA and earned her D.S.W in 1976.

Colleagues and graduates continue to seek counsel from Daniels, whose ongoing efforts as an educator, innovator and mentor have paved the way for the success of countless social workers and their clients.