About Dr. Shawn D. Ginther

Dr. Ginther earned his A.A. from Fresno City College; his B.A. in Social Work from California State University, Fresno; and his M.S.W. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Following graduation he was appointed Research Specialist, then Research Gerontologist at the University of California, San Francisco. There he worked on many local, state, and national policy research initiatives that focused on the care and treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients and other health care challenges. He has explored the nature of care for victims of Alzheimer's disease, and published in the areas of professional care recommendations and clients' and patients' service choices. Dr. Ginther came to MSUM in 1996 with more than a decade of applied academic social research experience. Approaching twenty-five years in the academe, his current interests include theory and research, and teaching includes human behavior and biopsychosocial development, social work research methods, health care, social welfare policy, grant writing, practice outcome assessment, and program evaluation. He has received CSWE training in social work program reaccreditation. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He served as Associate, then Managing Editor and Editorial Board member of academic journal Contemporary Rural Social Work. He also served as Vice President of the National Rural Social Work Caucus. His current work focuses on human service program capacity for outcome assessment, assessment of teaching and learning, social work program reaccreditation, research self efficacy, and teaching antidiscrimination through modern film. Dr. Ginther mentors area and regional agencies as they write grants, establish outcome assessment systems, and perform program evaluations. Dr. Ginther resides in Moorhead, Minnesota with his wife Dr. Susan Humphers-Ginther (Sociology & Criminal Justice, MSUM). His older daughter Annie holds her graduate degree in technical communication. Dr. Ginther's younger daughter Sara holds her graduate degree in sociology from at the University of Montana at Missoula. Her specialty is in rural and environmental change. And of course he and his wife are adoptive parents of two adorable rescue kitty brothers, Harley & Davie.