Jasmin Hutchinson, PhD, professor of Exercise Science, was a co-author and collaborator on a grant, titled “The Power of Music for Sport & Physical Activity (MPOWER),” which was awarded €450,000 ($530,000 in U.S. dollars) by the Research Council of Finland in May 2025. The three-year project will investigate how music can be used to promote more physically active lifestyles, increase participation and sense of community via sports and physical activity, and improve outcomes in competitive and performance sports.
Effrosyni Kokaliari, PhD, professor of Social Work; Christine Tronnier, PhD, associate professor of Social Work; Laura Krishnan-Mackie, MSW, LICSW, a PhD student in Educational Leadership and assistant professor and Director of Practicum Education at Colby-Sawyer College; and Kleio Koutra, PhD, associate professor at Hellenic Mediterranean University, were awarded a $10,000 grant from the Council on Social Work Education's Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education in summer 2025. The project is titled “INSPIRE Global: The International Network for Social Work Partnerships and Innovation in Resources & Education” and will run from 2025 to 2028. It is a collaboration between Springfield College, Colby-Sawyer College, and the Hellenic Mediterranean Institute.
In June 2025, the Department of Social Work was awarded $600,000 from the Franciscan Children's Community Health Initiative, as part of the Boston Children's Collaboration for Community Health. The funding (spread over three years) will support the College’s THRIVE Scholars Program. THRIVE Scholars are current Master of Social Work students training to work in children's behavioral health care. The THRIVE leadership team includes Lisa E. Watson, PhD, associate professor of Social Work and department chair; Anthony C. Hill, EdD, associate professor of Social Work; and Dominique Shabazz, DSW, assistant professor of Social Work and director of Practicum Education.
Springfield College has been awarded a five-year $998,890 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration to support the education and professional development of future rehabilitation counselors. The grant will provide funds for graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling at Springfield College through September 2030. The project, directed by Kate Green, PhD, associate professor and program director for the Rehabilitation Counseling program, will enhance national efforts to address the growing demand for qualified rehabilitation counselors across the United States.
Springfield College has been awarded a $2 million grant from Corporation for National and Community Service to fund the AmeriCorps program over the course of the next three years. The Springfield College AmeriCorps Program provides opportunities for students to serve as mentors to youth in Springfield and Holyoke public schools. Nationally, Springfield College is one of the 25% of AmeriCorps programs receiving funding this year, and one of three programs that received funding in Massachusetts. This program is managed by Ana Mojica, director of AmeriCorps programs, and supported by Charlene Elvers, executive director of the Center for Service and Leadership.
Lisa Watson
Anthony Hill
Kate Green
