The Fellowship program will be held in Washington, D.C., in June. A member of the University faculty since 2005, Ringstad said she hopes to initiate and explore partnership opportunities between governmental organizations and social work programs in the areas of workforce development, policy-making, community development, and research. She teaches courses in social work practice and policy, research methods and data analysis, and capstone graduate research, and supervises social work interns and student researchers.
The Fellowship program is designed to enhance the professional growth of participants while fostering workforce diversity and strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high quality education and increased opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Mark Bender, Chair of the Agricultural Studies Department, the first CSU Stanislaus recipient of the Fellowship in 2007, said his experience provided an excellent insight to the myriad of opportunities within the USDA and other governmental agencies for grants and contract partnerships and student internships.
Ringstad is working with the CSU Stanislaus student research project that addresses the needs of the homeless at a Turlock resource center. She is also involved in a U.S. Department of Education Global Learning research grant addressing immigration and migrant services in the San Joaquin Valley.
In addition to a Ph.D. in Social Work and Higher Education from the international institution Berne University, Ringstad holds a state Clinical Social Worker license and has extensive social work practice experience in the fields of child and family services, child protection, health and mental health, and substance abuse intervention.
Gary Novak, Dean of the College of Human and Health Sciences, noted that Ringstad has worked closely with faculty colleagues from Nursing, Psychology, and Child Development on developing research grants for the college, including child health and welfare issues related to healthy eating and nutrition.
"This program will acquaint her with many opportunities available through the USDA," Novak said. "In addition, she will be able to meet with representatives from many other agencies relevant to the interests of the College's faculty."
Margaret A. Tynan, Department of Social Work Chair, said Ringstad's Fellowship establishes a partnership between the USDA, CSU Stanislaus, the College of Human and Health Sciences, and the Social Work Department.
"The goals of each entity are very compatible; to strengthen the capacity to provide high quality education, to promote diversity of the workforce, and to prepare that workforce to address social and economic issues," Tynan said. "We are very proud of Dr. Ringstad's achievement. She is an asset to this University."