Students in Social Work 600 learn how to evaluate, develop and implement AI-driven solutions that enhance the delivery and effectiveness of human services. 51ÁÔĆć students planning to work in a health or social services role after graduation, such as social work, nursing, or healthcare administration, will gain basic knowledge about the implications of AI in these fields.

“AI is providing an amazing opportunity for enhanced outcomes and productivity across many disciplines including health and social services,” Matt Friedel said.

Friedel is the co-founder of the Disruptive Technologies Laboratory at 51ÁÔĆć, a Lubar Entrepreneurship Ideas Challenge Fellow and teaching faculty in the School of Information Studies. Friedel and Helen Bader Endowed Chair Colleen Galambos developed Social Work 600: Practical Applications of AI and Technology in Health and Social Services. Friedel will teach the class.

“AI is a new tool that is rapidly being integrated in health and social services,” Galambos said. “This course will equip students with the knowledge they need to use AI in the workplace and to advocate for the use of it from an ethics and social justice stance.” She added that the class gives students an advantage in a competitive job market.

Friedel and Galambos developed Social Work 600 with a grant from the , whose mission advances southeastern Wisconsin as a national hub for data science research, education, and talent development.

“The focus of the class is practical applications for emerging professionals – students who are interested in learning these new tools and highly marketable skills,” Freidel said.

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Every semester for the past two years, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s College of Community Engagement and Professions (CCEP) has hosted an event centered on students enrolling for the following semester’s classes. This event, Rock Enroll, has become a staple of the CCEP’s student services.

Additionally, its leaders, Maggie Flath and Carly Tucker recently won an award from the for their dedication and ingenuity in developing this event. Maggie Flath agreed to participate in an interview regarding this event and the award it earned. Maggie serves as the chief event planner for the Rock Enroll events. The next CCEP Rock Enroll event is scheduled for December 4th, 2025.

Maggie is an academic advisor in CCEP. She has worked at 51ÁÔĆć since July of 2017 – starting in the School of Information Studies, which has merged to become part of CCEP. Maggie earned a master’s degree in higher education administration in 2018. She also serves as the current chairwoman of the Advising Professional Development Committee.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Could you provide some additional background on this program? What is the Rock Enroll event and how did it come to be?

Rock Enroll started in Fall 2023. 51ÁÔĆć previously hosted a campus-wide event called Class It Up with similar goals, but limited funding led to changes that reduced its impact. When the event was discontinued, the CCEP advising team decided to build on the original concept and reimagine it in a new way. I initially thought of having some kind of enrollment open lab. When I brought it to our team we brainstormed on things for a while and came up with Rock Enroll. While it has changed slightly over the years, the overall set up and purpose has stayed the same – to help students get enrolled for the upcoming semester before they leave on break.

Rock Enroll is a daylong enrollment event where all CCEP advisors are together in one room available to help students enroll for the upcoming semester or get as close as possible if they have barriers in the way. We have therapy dogs attend, pizza for lunch and snacks all day, prizes for completing certain tasks, music playing (usually Rock and Roll to stay on theme) and, campus partners attend to help students with other concerns and issues. Faculty and staff also attend to help direct students, answer non-advising questions, serve food, and other duties as assigned.

How does Rock Enroll make an impact on students?

Advising season is very busy and students often must wait a few weeks to get in and see an advisor. Rock Enroll helps them be able to meet with an advisor right away and get enrolled in their upcoming classes together. Students also can work with their advisor to clear holds and resolve any other issues that may be affecting their enrollment. It is also a great community building event. Students have come to know they can expect Rock Enroll to be held at the end of the semester. It is open to all CCEP students, even if they are already enrolled for the upcoming semester. They can come to get a free meal, pet a therapy dog, talk with CCEP faculty and staff, and do other fun activities. The entire CCEP Student Advising & Support Services team attends every semester and pitches in to help however they are needed.

What was the process of receiving this award (i.e., were you nominated, did you have to provide a demonstration or quantifiable results, etc.)?

We were nominated by a fellow advisor in the College of Health Professions & Sciences (CHPS). They saw the great success we had with the event and thought it deserved to be recognized. I had no idea we were even nominated until I was told we had won. I am very proud of this event and all the good it does for students. But it was especially meaningful for a fellow advisor to be the one that made it happen for us.

How did receiving this award impact the program or CCEP, if at all?

I think the award has increased the awareness of the program on campus overall. Two other units so far have decided to begin hosting their own Rock Enroll events (CHPS Advising, and Zilber College of Public Health Advising). The Chancellor mentioned Rock Enroll in his start of the year plenary. I presented on the Rock Enroll event at an on-campus training event called the Student Success Summit and many units seemed interested in giving it a try if possible.

What are the next steps for the Rock Enroll program? How would you like to see the initiative grow in the future?

I would love more advising units on campus to hold their own Rock Enroll events, or for it to become a campus wide event. Even a campus wide “holiday” of sorts would be fun – 51ÁÔĆć Rock Enroll day where all units are hosting this event and students know they can go see any advisor on campus for enrollment help. I think we are heading in that direction as two other units have already gotten on board.

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Here are the CCEP researchers included in each list:

2024 list

School of Education

• Nadya Fouad
• Kelsey Autin

Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

• Thomas LeBel
• Joshua Mersky

School of Information Studies

• Hope Olson
• Wonchan Choi
• Dietmar Wolfram

Career-long top 2%

School of Education

• Nadya Fouad
• Barbara J. Daley

Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

• Colleen Galambos

School of Information Studies

• Dietmar Wolfram
• Hope Olson

Full story

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At a time of high social isolation among young people, finding opportunities to connect can be key. The College of Community Engagement and Professions offers a unique opportunity to combat social isolation – hosting community building workshops.

Each workshop is a two- or three-day group experience. According to Dimitri Topitzes, these workshops promote a vision of community, defined by a “spirit of unusual safety and intimacy” and act as an antidote to social isolation, personal alienation, and lack-luster group cohesiveness. Topitzes has been involved with community building workshops – or CBWs – for more than a decade and has promoted them at 51ÁÔĆć as chair of the Social Work Department.

Community building workshops have a long history, starting in the late 20th century as an idea of M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist and best-selling author of self-help titles. These workshops began taking off in the 1990s, when Bob Roberts, an educator and scholar, began a workshop in a medium security Louisiana prison.

The results of that workshop were increased reading function of the participants and after Roberts published his findings, community building workshops became ubiquitous among criminal justice and social work organizations as well as the general public.

Enthusiastic reception for community building at 51ÁÔĆć

In the years since CCEP started hosting its own community building workshop, the student participants have been ecstatic. Lexy Lunger, a 2025 bachelor of social work (BSW) graduate and incoming master’s degree candidate, couldn’t praise these workshops enough. “In August 2025, I’ll be joining my third community building workshop, after finding the past two deeply valuable for both my professional and personal journeys,” she said.

As a social work graduate student and sexual assault advocate, Lunger mentioned that this workshop has been a space to practice presence and radical listening.

“These skills are essential to supporting the clients I work with, both now and in the future. And personally, the experience has been a beacon of hope in challenging times, reminding me that community is intentional, possible, and powerful.”

For Topitzes, these statements are positive proof that community building workshops are fulfilling a needed feeling of closeness to community. “We’ve heard from students that they are feeling disconnected from each other and their programs, particularly post-pandemic,” Topitzes said. “CBWs typically help participants cultivate a greater sense of intimacy and belonging, something that can help students more easily reach their performance potential during the academic semester.”

Topitzes continued, “The CBWs can help students hone particular expressive and receptive community skills, a critical area of development for students in disciplines such as social work, education, and counseling psychology among others.” As these professions routinely work with the general public, being able to communicate and connect with others is an essential part of their careers.

Developing skills rooted in empathy and intention

Though community building workshops have been occurring on 51ÁÔĆć’s campus for years, and across the country for decades, there is still some trepidation for prospective students to participate.

One student, Heather Maggio, a May 2025 BSW graduate, offered her experience in attending 51ÁÔĆć’s workshop: “I was not entirely sure what I had gotten myself into when I signed up for the Community Building Workshop and Resource Exchange: a chance to meet new people, develop new connections, network. Well, what does that mean, exactly?” she said. Maggio anticipates obtaining a master’s in social work degree in December 2026 from 51ÁÔĆć.

But Maggio found an appreciation for the workshops immediately after attending. “The Community Building Workshop helped me to connect deeper with myself. I was able to reflect deeper on who I am so I can connect more meaningfully with others, creating relationships that are more complex and nuanced and not shallow.”

In a particularly powerful testimonial, shared anonymously by Topitzes, a student expressed their gratitude for the personal transformation afforded by the community building workshops:

“I was put in direct touch with my own capacities for engaged, empathic, and emotionally present listening. I discovered within myself the latent ability … to stand in silent solidarity with a wide variety of individuals. I was able to abandon superficial barriers … and to experience … acceptance. The workshop gave me an opportunity to learn how to manage unpleasant situations and frustrations, how to set and understand my own boundaries and how to regulate my emotions in the midst of deep expressions of human suffering and trauma.”

This student continued to illustrate how community building workshops are fantastic tools to supplement social work and criminal justice courses. “This has been the social work class I have been searching for my entire student career. I was able to have a true experience of the many principles, values, and strategies … that other classes have only alluded to.”

Topitzes himself incorporated community building workshops into coursework at 51ÁÔĆć and has been an active promoter of using community building workshops to increase student learning outcomes. As a researcher focused on early life adversity exposure, Topitzes understands how these CBWs can improve community connection and empathy.

For the foreseeable future, CCEP will continue to host community building workshops and resource exchanges twice a year. All CCEP students are welcome to join the workshops and are bound to come out of the experience better engaged and prepared for their future careers.

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Read the full press release here: /news/uwm-university-center-to-open-on-wctc-campus-offering-expanded-access-to-bachelors-degrees/

Learn more about the 51ÁÔĆć University Center at WCTC: https://uwm.edu/admission/university-center/

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Desmond attended Kristina Pekulik’s and Matt Steigerwald’s social work classes before speaking to a sold-out crowd at the UW-Milwaukee Student Union. Desmond spoke with students in Social Work 260, Case Management and Social Work, and Social Work 310, Social Work Practice I: Individuals and Families. He answered questions that covered topics ranging from housing inequity to taking care of one’s mental health.

The event was sponsored by Dr. Philip Blank who established the Beatrice Martin Kershner Social Justice Fund in memory of his wife.

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Megan White, UW-Milwaukee’s College of Community Engagement and Professions Student Well-Being Manager, joined the school during the Spring 2025 semester. With a background in both primary and higher education, Megan comes equipped to aid students as they enter college and aim to thrive throughout their years in school. As students face ever-increasing odds and numerous external stressors, Megan’s arrival could not have come at a better time to help students in all the ways they face adversity.

“Megan White brings both expertise and passion to the role of Student Wellness Manager, and we are excited to have her join the CCEP,” said CCEP Dean Tina L. Freiburger, Ph.D. “Her commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment aligns perfectly with our mission. I am confident she will make a meaningful impact on the lives of our students.”

In her role as Student Well-Being Manager, Megan will work to help students individually, but also in terms of policy and programming. One of Megan’s duties is to organize engaging programs such as wellness gatherings, community-building events, and resource exchanges to promote a sense of belonging and well-being.

We asked Megan to answer a few questions about herself to properly introduce her to the CCEP community. Her interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Please introduce yourself to us. What is your background, educational, professional, or otherwise? What led you to this type of work and/or 51ÁÔĆć in general? 

I grew up outside of Chicago and was really involved in sports and activities through high school. I did well enough academically that I was accepted to a good college, but I went away to school and suddenly found myself lost with time management and confused about why I wasn’t enjoying college more and/or doing better academically. I left college after a semester to try to figure out what to do. Instead, I went back to the same school and struggled for a few more semesters before finding a major. Then I started attending all my class sessions and got a part-time job. As my schedule filled up, I started to do a lot better in school. There was a similar experience during graduate school, but at some point in that program, I felt my brain making connections it never had before. It was amazing, and I started to love school, luckily, because I was studying to be a teacher. 

I taught in the Chicago Public Schools as a middle and high school teacher for a handful of years, then I moved to the Milwaukee area about 20 years ago where I began working in higher education as a tutor, adjunct instructor, assessor, academic coach, and student retention coach. I discovered my favorite spaces are working individually and in small groups with students, listening, supporting, and problem-solving. I could not be more excited about my new role as Student Well-Being Manager for CCEP.  

Tell us about your role at 51ÁÔĆć. What does your role entail currently? How do you plan on expanding the office’s duties?  

As the Student Well-Being Manager for the College of Community Engagement and Professions, I serve as a resource for all social work, criminal justice and criminology, information studies, and education majors. I work individually with students. This supports their connection to campus resources. I reach out to students proactively, respond to referrals and alerts from faculty, and plan to continue to get in front of students at orientations and other venues to let them know I am available to them. I work closely with CCEP’s leadership to identify barriers to student success and strategize to either remove the barriers or support student navigation of those challenges.  

Overall student well-being includes many aspects of experience: emotional, mental, physical, academic, and more. My role is unique in that I can support student problem-solving that overlaps many areas. Adapting to college and being successful throughout college, all while life is happening at the same time, can be very challenging and multiple support and/or a cross-categorical support, like my role affords, can be supportive.

How are you planning to introduce yourself to the 51ÁÔĆć community at large?

There have been a couple of events I have been invited to. We recently had a pizza party to introduce me and my new role to the college. I am also thrilled to be invited to support the Community Building Workshop with Dimitri Topitzes, which is an amazing experience open to all CCEP students and is offered before each semester starts. I was able to be a participant in January’s workshop and highly recommend people attend. I plan to be involved in new student orientations, and to continue to find ways to encourage student engagement, as well as to continue connecting with students one-on-one.  

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CITEE is a leader in acquiring and implementing workforce development partnerships across Wisconsin. Funded projects have focused on disability, education, employment, technology, community inclusion, mental and behavioral health, and substance use. 

Now housed at 51ÁÔĆć, CITEE develops and implements high quality programs and best practices for businesses, educational institutions, communities and state partners. This comprehensive framework serves to increase talent acquisition and retention of individuals with disabilities in work and community involvement. 

Since 2017, CITEE funding has included more than $30 million in state and federal health and human services grants, including Governor Evers’ $9.1 million Treasury American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) award. That award supported the expansion of behavioral health services by focusing on providers and students committed to behavioral health careers. 

CITEE’s focus has grown to include supporting programs designed to increase access to mental health services at all levels of the state, including school-based mental health, school social work, school psychology, and school counseling programs.  

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The presentation covered the basics of ChatGPT, particularly GPT 4, preparing courses and teaching using AI, and the ethics involved in using these tools. 

Designing effective prompts to gather helpful information

An opened the workshop by introducing participants to the concepts behind AI. The basic definition of ChatGPT is that it is a large language model designed by Open AI that uses artificial intelligence to generate human-like responses to natural language inquiries.  
 
AI has become a tool to guide self-driving cars, facilitate speech recognition, generate written text for a chatbot, and assist researchers and students, among its many uses.  
 
ChatGPT has become widespread and generated an incredible amount of media attention. As of January 2023, the application had more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application of all time, according to An’s presentation. 
 
However, there is a large gap between those who can use AI effectively and those who can’t and don’t.  

According to An’s presentation, the key to using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools is designing effective prompts to gather helpful information. The process involves choosing and crafting specific words, phrases, or code snippets to achieve the user’s goal. 

Ten principles for creating effective prompts: 

• Be specific and transparent in your prompt 
• Break down complex questions into simpler parts 
• Experiment with different prompt formulations 
• Set context and provide instructions 
• Ask for step-by-step explanations or pros/cons 
• Request for sources and citations 
• Ask for alternative viewpoints (arguments and counterarguments) 
• Use constraints to control response length or format
• Provide examples (few-shot learning) to guide the model 
• Encourage critical thinking and exploration 

An offered numerous examples for each of these principles. Here’s an example he gave of different prompt formulations: 
 
“If you aren’t satisfied with the response to “How do genetic factors influence obesity?” try asking, “What are the specific genes and pathways involved in the development of obesity?” 

Or, instead of asking, “What are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease?” provide context: “Describe the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.” 
 
Chat GPT can be helpful for faculty in different stages of research, from identifying research topics and generating questions to data collection and management and preparing the final presentations. 

Implications for teaching

The workshop also offered faculty insights into the impact of ChatGPT on teaching, including how to assess student work and provide guidance to students on the ethical use of ChatGPT and other AI programs. 
 
As the use of AI becomes more prevalent, instructors must work closely with students to ensure academic integrity. Faculty can sometimes review work by looking at sentence length and structure, for example. According to An’s presentation, AI writing tends to have sentences of short, uniform size, monotonous text, predictable language, and hedging phrases like “some might say,” in a similar way. AI-generated artwork/photos often include some watermarks that computer programs can detect. 

An outline of several AI detection programs that use algorithms to perform similar functions was provided. These programs can help assess whether the student wrote the content based on writing patterns, syntax, and linguistic factors. An’s presentation offered links to many AI detection tools. The accuracy of these tools varies from 64% to 85%, so he said it’s essential not to use them as the sole indicator of artificial content generation. 
 
However, An concluded, as AI programs become more sophisticated and students and others use these tools in collaboration with their own writing and design work, decisions about academic approaches become more complex. 
 
The workshop also offered sessions on facilitating course preparation and teaching using ChatGPT and customizing ChatGPT for personal tutoring and self-learning.  

Ethics and AI

An also discussed the issue of ethics in the use of AI. 
 
The presentation offered examples of how AI could be misused in creating deceptive photos and videos to spread misinformation, showing, for example, an AI tool used to create a fake video of Barack Obama making phony speeches.  

Another example from a 2019 New York Times story focused on a couple who applied for Apple cards. Even though the wife’s credit score was better and the couple shared finances, assets, and tax returns, Apple gave the husband a credit limit 20X higher than hers. The husband, the entrepreneur, wrote in “Fast Company,” magazine: “Apple has handed the customer experience and their reputation as an inclusive organization over to a biased, sexist algorithm it does not understand, cannot reason with, and is unable to control.”  

According to the presentation, the use of facial recognition technologies is another ethical challenge.ĚýĚý
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In a 2019 study of facial recognition programs, researchers found that Blacks, Asians, and Native Americans were much more likely to be misidentified by these programs than white people.ĚýĚý

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