Dr. Robert Madden got his start in Social Work as a counselor at a runaway shelter, and he has been committed to improving the lives of people in crisis ever since. Dr. Madden′s emphasis on the legal aspects of social work proves critical to students, as they must understand the constant changes in state and federal laws in order to work effectively. Students also learn social work practice skills in a variety of hands-on ways, including role-playing sessions based on actual cases that allow them to see how human dramas unfold. "The collaborative learning approach at University of Saint Joseph," Dr. Madden notes, "helps students apply research and theoretical issues to real-life situations." In addition to his work at the University, Dr. Madden is a volunteer family mediator at The Children′s Law Center of Connecticut. "We get cases that are referred to us by the court. I am exposed constantly to real-world conflict. We use these cases, anonymously, of course, as training points in classroom discussion." Dr. Madden says of his fellow faculty members: "There are very few places where there is such a high work ethic among faculty. Even after achieving tenure, professors keep striving to learn more and that striving for constant development fuels an intellectual atmosphere at the University." Degrees J.D., University of Connecticut M.S., Columbia University School of Social Work B.A., Providence University Awards Named Social Work Educator of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Connecticut Chapter, 2008