Today, energized by a thriving, on-campus MSW program and a new online program that’s doubled in enrollment since its first cohort in January, McCave now sees the next generation of thoughtful, well-equipped social workers.
 
“They learn a lot about themselves in the program, and it's really rewarding for me,” said McCave, a professor of social work and associate chair of the Department of Social Work.

“What we're seeing is our students feel supported and nurtured. They bring their passion and we bring our expertise, and together, we're creating a better future for our clients and our communities.”

McCave’s colleagues and students see it, too.

On Oct. 21, McCave will be honored at the Center for Faculty and Staff Excellence awards ceremony with four peers: Dawn Colomb-Lippa, senior instructor of biology and adjunct professor, physician assistant studies; Nita Prasad, professor of history and concentration director; John Bau, assistant dean for student experience and career development; Sarah Driscoll, director of international student services; and Christie Soltys, assistant director, academic development and outreach.

“It’s very validating to feel like the work that you do matters and that the students feel it,” McCave said. “That's the most important thing. The care has to come through to students because it's more than just a job, right?

“Being a social worker is a calling and being a teacher is a calling. I’m fortunate that I get to merge both of those things,” she said. “It’s great to see the students so excited to learn because I learn from them, too, and we get to create this wonderful learning environment together.”

For MSW student Sar Kass, McCave’s commitment to ethics, engagement and advocacy gave them the strength, courage and skillset to support others in need. 

“Dr. McCave has embodied what it means to be a social work educator for this entire year, but especially this semester,” Kass wrote in their nomination letter last spring. “She was tasked with the incredibly difficult job of teaching our diversity graduate class ... and in the midst of political turmoil and social upheaval, grounded us in learning that will make us better social workers and people.”

McCave deeply identifies with the calling of social work as well as the self-care it requires.

“I really appreciate the students who struggle and are willing to go there and try to figure out how they move through this,” she said. “I often share my own experiences and how I've had my own challenges and moved through them.”

McCave has never been afraid of rolling up her sleeves, especially when she can look down at her right forearm and find courage and love in a tattoo that is so much more than a bar of music.

McCave was 3 years old when her mother took her own life. It wasn’t until much later that she held out that forearm for a staccato needle.

The tattoo features a single bar of music with the musical notes C, A and G in succession. The notes represent her mother’s initials.

Next, there is a rest followed by the note E (for Emily) under a fermata — it almost looks like a bird’s eye — that indicates that her work is sustained by her love for her mother.

She continues to be inspired by the words written below the bar of music, which say, “Be the Vo;ce” — with the semi-colon, which means that your story is not over. Ever.

As McCave navigates her work and her students, her colleagues have seen this care and commitment up close, every day.

“Emily’s leadership in interprofessional healthcare education is extraordinary,” wrote Kimberly Hartmann, professor emerita, in her nomination. “She was selected by the dean of the School of Health Sciences to serve as a faculty fellow in IPE where she worked to implement our online learning modules used by 400 students each year and she served as the first assistant director of the IPE Center.

“I am grateful for her leadership and significant teaching contributions to IPE at Quinnipiac and the professional community,” Hartmann said.

For Amber Kelly, professor of social work, McCave is both a community builder and a community advocate.

“I see the ways Dr. McCave works to engage faculty, staff and students in ways that bring broad awareness about the healthcare concerns of transgender individuals as well as the biases we each bring to our healthcare interactions,” Kelly wrote in her nomination.

“Additionally, Dr. McCave has created an escape room scenario for healthcare students, using this creative and innovative co-curricular tool to encourage critical thinking, teamwork and creativity across health professions,” she said.

It’s why McCave came to Quinnipiac, after all — to make a difference in the lives of her students and to prepare them to help clients of their own someday.