Mission Statement
The School of Social Welfare is committed to building a more equitable society based on the values of human dignity, inclusiveness, diversity, equality, and on economic, environmental and social justice.
By advancing knowledge, engaging in systematic inquiry, and developing professional skills, we prepare students for social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and governments in a global context. The School teaches a person-in-environment perspective, community advocacy, therapeutic intervention, individual and group empowerment, and the affirmation of strengths as a means of promoting individual and social change. Asan integral part of our student-centered and evidence informed pedagogy, we prepare students to identify and analyze the nature and extent of structural inequality. We focus in particular, on social welfare leadership as a pathway to enhance emotional, psychological and social well-being. We work closely with the university and greater community to fulfill this mission.
We recognize that structural inequality exists in multiple and overlapping layers of discrimination including class, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability, among others. We therefore seek to remediate the impact of interpersonal and historical trauma, to foster human relationships that are grounded in social justice; human dignity and mutual respect; to develop new and just organizational forms; to transform already existing structures to reflect values that affirm and enhance human dignity and social diversity; and to identify new ways to influence social, economic and political systems to equitably distribute power, resources, rights and freedom.
Program Goals
MSW Program Goals
The goals of the program are to:
- Prepare advanced generalist practitioners who demonstrate ability to use their knowledge, values, and skills to work at the micro, mezzo, and macrolevels of practice within local, national and global contexts;
- Educate graduates to utilize social justice and human rights frameworks in their work and to embrace social action practice;
- Inspire graduates who lead efforts to improve health and wellness in the lives of all people and to create a more just and life-affirming society.
- Promote the ability of graduates to engage in critical, self-reflective and ethical practice;
- Develop practitioners who utilize strengths-based, person-in-environment and empowerment approaches in all their work that are informed by a respect for human dignity, diversity, and inclusiveness; and
- Educate practitioners who are able to engage in research-informed practice models and who are able to contribute to the creation of knowledge in the field of Social Work by engaging in practice-informed research processes.
The goals for our MSW program are clearly derived from our mission statement, and reflect the values, emphases, and perspectives articulated there. The first goal purposefully aligns with our stated premise to educate for all systems levels of practice in local, national, and global contexts. The second goal emphasizes the importance of social justice and human rights frameworks in our graduates’ ability to embrace social action. The third goal is an expression of our commitment to leadership in improving health and wellness for both individuals and in the society-this affirms our commitment to social and environmental justice as well as a reflection of our location within a health sciences infrastructure. Our fourth goal reflects the importance of social workers practicing ethically and from a value base. Our fifth goal expresses a commitment to compel graduates to use frameworks that are informed by human dignity, diversity and inclusiveness. Our sixth goal commits us to educate practitioners who seek and utilize knowledge in their work at all levels.
BSW Program Goals
The BSW Program aims to prepare generalist social work practitioners who are prepared for professional, entry-level positions across the various areas of social work practice. The BSW Program goals are:
- Prepare generalist social work practitioners to use their knowledge, values, and skills in professional entry-level positions in human services across the various domains of social work practice;
- Inspire graduates to apply a global human rights framework, and empowerment models in their practice across systems;
- Educate students to utilize, at every systems level, cultural sensitivity and with an understanding of how racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression and discrimination affect clients and the client -worker relationship; and
- Prepare students to employ their understanding of how social, political, and economic factors influence social problems, social policies and programs, and organizational procedures and practices in client, organizational, community, and social change efforts;
- Develop graduates’ ability to understand and utilize evidence based practice models in their work.
The goals for our BSW program are clearly derived from our mission statement, and reflect the values, emphases, and perspectives articulated there. The first goal clearly states that the program prepares students to practice as generalists, i.e. with all systems, in entry level positions. The second goal aligns with our School’s commitment to global human rights and empowerment practice. Our relationship with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights has helped to strengthen and enrich this particular goal. The third goal embodies our mission’s commitment to educate graduates who are particularly attentive to issues of culture and oppression. The fourth goal encapsulates our mission’s dedication to graduate BSW students who put their understanding of social, political, and economic change into their work at every level. The fifth goal is aligned with our mission’s obligation to scientific inquiry and the use of evidence based practice.
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