School of Social Work gets new dean

When David Springer received his doctorate in social work from Florida State University in 1997, he became a wanted man. Kevin Corcoran, professor in Portland State’s School of Social Work, remembers something of a bidding war between universities who wanted to hire Springer. “When you bring a guy like Springer to your college,” he said, “you improve your reputation.” Corcoran, who has taught at PSU for 20 years, added, “We wanted him then, but we knew we couldn’t afford him.”

The University of Texas at Austin won the bidding war in 1997. Now, 15 years later, Springer joins the PSU staff as the new dean of the School of Social work starting June 1.

At least three of the school’s faculty members nominated Springer for the dean’s position when it became available, Corcoran said, adding, “He’s very popular and well known in the field for his research and his work in juvenile justice.” Corcoran met Springer 18 years ago at a social work conference, and believes that Springer’s strong people skills, charm, poise and sense of humor will serve him well as an administrator.

In his current position at UT Austin, Springer is part teacher, part researcher and part administrator. The dean’s position at PSU, Springer said, is entirely administrative.

“I love to teach,” Springer said in a phone interview. “I’ll miss the classroom, but I expect I’ll be kept very busy.”

Barbara White, dean emeritus and professor at UT Austin, was dean of the School of Social Work when Springer joined the school’s staff a decade and a half ago. Before Springer finished his graduate degree at Florida State University, his professors notified White that he would be a “tremendous asset” to her school. “David, with his portfolio and recommendations, could have worked in any school he chose,” White said.

“There hasn’t been a day,” she added, “or even an hour when he wasn’t worth our efforts to recruit him.”

White said that Springer stood out because of his accomplishments in terms of publications, securing grants and positive teacher evaluations. He had been at UT Austin for only three years when, with White’s support, he was promoted from assistant professor to tenured associate professor—a process that normally takes between five and six years.

There were many tears shed, White said, when news spread through the Austin school that Springer was leaving. “It will not feel the same here without him,” she added. “It’s a huge loss for UT.”

White said that she couldn’t think of anyone who doesn’t like Springer. “He’s magnetic and well respected,” she said.

A good dean is a leader, White said, adding, “It’s a difficult job, managing a group of talented individuals.” It takes personal qualities like the ones Springer has, she said, to bring a team together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Springer earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida State University in 1990. He discovered his passion for working with youth near the end of his degree. While at FSU, Springer worked at Circles of Care, a mental health clinic in Melbourne, Fla. “Our unit,” Springer said, “treated clients with a range of mental health problems who did not have insurance.”  

Though he predominantly worked with adult patients at the clinic, Springer at times treated adolescents. “I discovered early on that I was drawn to working with young people,” he said. The adolescent patients he encountered at the clinic were scared and vulnerable. Young people, Springer said, need structure and guidance, but they want independence. Helping them “navigate” those forces is rewarding work for Springer, and that has been the focus of his academic research and consulting work over the last 20 years.

Within a week of completing his bachelor’s degree, Springer enrolled in FSU’s social work graduate program and received his master’s degree in 1992.

Springer and his wife are looking forward to cool weather, seasonal climate changes and taking their son to Timbers games. They consider living a short distance from both the ocean and Mount Hood is a bonus. With friends living in Portland, Springer has visited before, and he said he likes the spirit of the city and its walkability.

Springer, an ultramarathon runner, has run two 100-mile trail races and a “handful” of 50-mile trail races. He is excited to explore the trails around Portland. “They’re some of the most beautiful trails in the country,” he said. Springer wakes up at 4 a.m. to run on weekdays and gets in longer runs on the weekends. “I have a running group in Austin that I train with,” he said. “I’ll need to find a new group in Portland.”

When White heard that Springer was taking the dean’s position at PSU, she said her first thought was: “How lucky they are.”