It has been quite a year! As a school with a strong commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and a collective drive to support each other, our communities, and our broader society, it has been a year of pivots, emergent approaches and initiatives, and a strong focus on our values: service, human dignity, social justice, connections, competence, and integrity. Through it all, we have centered our vision of “Transforming: Our world, Our future, Ourselves” as we focus on our mission to prepare courageous leaders, develop and advance innovative approaches, and build collaborative partnerships.
This year, as we’ve come together to navigate the broader world, we have also advanced significant expansions and initiatives within our school. I hope you enjoy the ones that we highlight in the following pieces. We have increased access and equity by launching our MSW online. We have come together to build synergies and momentum around healthy aging, public social work, human flourishing, and care work. We have expanded our number of endowed professors, continued to build our strong research portfolio, and enhanced efforts to expand community-partnered research, collaborations, and impact.
Social Work focuses on complex social issues, creative real-time problems solving, connections and collaboration, and finding effective ways to promote a more just and equitable world. This year, it has been a true privilege to be part of this school, discipline, community, and movement!
Onward in solidarity and community,
Dean Betsy Farmer