Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
        • Accelerated MSN
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers
  • Transcripts

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
    • Transcripts
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
        • Accelerated MSN
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

group of smiling nurses studying and collaborating
Are RN to BSN Nursing Programs Worth It?
caregiver with patient in a home setting
Preparing for Your Career as a Family…
Three male nurses smiling with their hands on each other's shoulders
6 Reasons Men Are Choosing a Career in…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Health Professions
  • Chamberlain Colleagues Inspire During Social Work Month

Chamberlain Colleagues Inspire During Social Work Month

March 10, 2023 by Rubina Ali
SWM Faculty

Every March, Chamberlain University celebrates Social Work Month, a salute to social workers who serve as advocates, champions and leaders, and make our society a better place to live. And each year, the National Association of Social Workers shines a spotlight on this helping profession.

As part of Social Work Month, we celebrate and honor the contributions of two of our own barrier-breakers and innovators: Stacey Borasky Ferguson, EdD, MSW, dean of the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program, and Linda Quast, MS, MBA, PMP, faculty manager of the MSW degree program. Here are their inspirational stories.

Chasing A Passion for Social Work  

Growing up in West Virginia, Dr. Borasky Ferguson often heard her state and its people ridiculed. She saw West Virginiansignoredby leaders who didn’t seem to care about Appalachia.

“I remember being so outraged by the ignorance and it made me realize that I would always fight for people who were left out, mistreated, or made to feel like they didn’t matter. I would fight for justice because everyone matters, and everyone deserves a safe, secure life,” she says.

While earning her master’s in social work, Dr. Borasky Ferguson developed a program with 7th and 8th-graders that taught problem-solving, communication, stress management and other life skills. After graduating with her MSW, she started a model treatment foster care program for teenagers in Tennessee; the model ultimately was used throughout the state.

“I have a special affinity for teenagers in foster care. I know what happens when they age out of care and have no place to go. We need to provide a place where they belong. They need a system that provides them safety, security and permanency,” she says.

She earned an education doctorate so she could use her knowledge and experience to educate aspiring social workers. Answering that call to service is threaded throughout the Chamberlain MSWdean’s life and career. She was inspired to the field by her mother, who worked for the Department of Health and Human Services, and she now has a daughter involved in gerontological social work.

“It’s in her blood,” she says.

Learn more about Dr. Borasky Ferguson’s contributions to social work, education and professional literature.

Finding a Home in Higher Education

Career paths—and life—often twist and turn as we find our way to our true calling. For Linda Quast, faculty manager for Chamberlain’s online MSW degree program, managing financial assets on Wall Street, measuring water quality in Washington and experiencing life’s ups and downs along the way led her to find career satisfaction in the social sciences and academia.

“I’ve been wealthy, and I’ve been dirt poor. I’ve lived through domestic violence and have been successfully remarried. I understand how it works from every angle,” she says. “... I believe in human potential. I believe people can create the life they want if they have the right tools.”

Now living in Arizona, the MSW degree program faculty manager’s human services work is built on finding solutions to challenges. Quasthas provided behavioral services to children with disabilities, written grants and served on the board of nonprofit organizations. She also worked within the Containment Model, in support of services provided to parolees.

Quast has now spent more than 15 years in higher education, working in roles that include campus and online program management, student and faculty management, and assessment and accreditation project completion. She’s also taught online and on campus.

Her interests in human services and education come together in a collaboration with a special education teacher in Venezuela. Quast sends educational videos to the educator who uses them to help teach reading, writing and math.

“It helps to know I can pay it forward,” she says.

Read more about Quast’s experiences in education and human services. 

Exploring Social Work Careers

This is part of series of blog posts we’ll be sharing during Social Work Month. We hope you join us in honoring the powerful, positive impact social workers have on society.

If you’re busy with professional and personal activities but are interested in advancing or launching your social work practice, you may want to choose an MSW program that lets you earn a degree online. Chamberlain’s online MSW degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CWSE) Commission on Accreditation. CWSE accreditation of a master’s social work program indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.

With Chamberlain, you’ll find the choice and flexibility to earn an advanced social work degree that you can use in a variety of job roles. Customize your degree by choosing one of three MSW tracks: Crisis and Response Interventions, Trauma, and Medical Social Work. Engage in online coursework that’s available 24/7.

Learn more about Chamberlain’s MSW degree program and what social workers do. Social Work Month is just 31 days, but at Chamberlain, we honor social work professionals 365 days a year.

 


Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. 

By Rubina Ali

More from Health Professions

View all >
students in scrubs
Why More Men Should Consider the Field of Nursing
Read more
cath m
5 Nursing Leadership Lessons
Read more
Teacher with glasses in front of an easel with a note pad
5 Great Reasons Students Are Turning to Chamberlain to Earn…
Read more
caretaker with elderly patient
10 Reasons to Be Proud You're a Social Worker
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800
Chicago, Illinois 60606

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook
  • Transcripts

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website
  • Cost of Attendance

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Nondiscrimination and Access
RELATED CONTENT
  • 10 Reasons to Be Proud You're a Social Worker
  • Celebrating the Role of Social Workers in...
  • Qualities of a Great Social Worker

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2025 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, www.cswe.org. Detailed accreditation information for Chamberlain’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) programs can be found at this link

    Certified to Operate by SCHEV. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2025 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.