New director chosen for Master of Social Work Program

Portland State’s School of Social Work has hired a new director for its Master of Social Work program.

Keva Miller, who received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and her doctoral degree from Fordham University in New York, has taken the position.

Aside from her education, Miller brings a resume that includes: school and medical social work; juvenile and adult criminal justice; adoption; and child welfare research consulting.

Miller was an assistant professor at PSU for five years before the promotion. With a passion for both research and administration, she said she is committed to promoting the key tenets of the SSW’s mission statement. Key among those is a “dedication to social change and to the attainment of social justice for all people.”

“As a social worker, it’s synonymous with social justice,” Miller said. “My vision is to go forward with what we’re doing and strengthen it.”

That strength, Miller explained, comes from a constant concern for and focus on the school and its curriculum that faculty, staff and students alike share.

Miller asked: “Are there injustices in any way with the work we’re doing?” She answered her own question with a resounding yes, and went on to say, “We as humans can always do better.”

Miller focuses her work on the idea of doing better and emphasizes the utility of the skills and perspectives found throughout the department’s curriculum.

“It’s always important for the students to have a social justice lens,” she said. “It’s not just the responsibility of faculty but the student’s responsibility. We’re all responsible for learning and holding each other accountable.”