USC CIR – News

Alum finds higher calling among local veterans

by Claudia Bustamante

Since graduating from the University of Southern California, Nathan Graeser has been actively involved in Los Angeles making sure the needs of veterans are met, especially their spiritual needs.

It is a natural fit for Graeser, MSW ’13, who has been in the military for 14 years, including the last three years as a chaplain with the Army National Guard.

Graeser said involving faith communities in the network of support services for returning veterans was a logical step.

“It starts with conditioning in the military where the chaplain is the safest person to talk to,” he said. “Often, that carries over […]

Washington, D.C., trip offers insider’s view of policymaking

by Claudia Bustamante

For USC School of Social Work students interested in working one-on-one with veterans and military families, a trip to the nation’s capital provided a meaningful lesson in understanding how policies are made and their influence on everything from the accessibility of timely mental health services to the successful reintegration of soldiers to society.

For 19 MSW@USC (online) students, a summer immersion trip to Washington, D.C. offered the opportunity to meet each other in person and a chance to appreciate the concept of government policy—a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action and funding priorities—that could help them as […]