Advocacy and activism have always been central to the mission of social work—and they remain a defining part of the Pitt School of Social Work. Home to the nation’s oldest community organizing program, the school is proud of its history and legacy, which includes trailblazing leaders such as Jim Cunningham, Moe Coleman, and Tracy Soska.
Building on this tradition, the school recently welcomed Suzanne Pritzker, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, whose scholarly expertise lies at the intersection of policy, politics, and social work. Pritzker is nationally recognized as a leader in political social work and macro-level change. Her co-authored book Political Social Work: Using Power to Create Social Change helped establish the field of political social work scholarship. Soon after joining the Pitt School of Social Work faculty, she participated in the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP)’s Social Work Day on the Hill on March 26, joining the panel “Reaffirming the Need for Social Workers in Political Arenas. “I am thrilled to join Pitt’s deep legacy of community-engaged, justice-focused national social work leadership,” said Dr. Pritzker. “I have long admired the school’s commitment to education and research that helps advance meaningful social change. I am excited to continue strengthening social workers’ political voices and working to eliminate structural barriers that limit inclusion of diverse voices in policymaking with my new Pitt community.”
Students, too, have always been at the forefront of social change, a role that is especially vital in today’s complex and volatile environment. In the spring, Dr. Jeff Shook, along with alumni Julie Platt and Andrew Perrow—both COSA graduates working in policy and politically oriented positions—helped organize a series of “Advocacy in Social Work” trainings. These workshops equipped students across all programs with practical advocacy skills, reinforcing the idea that social workers’ unique perspectives can strengthen political campaigns, policy initiatives, and community movements.
The impact of this training quickly became clear. Just a few months later, students hosted over 60 people and 12 candidates from local judicial races. In conjunction with the forum, they developed the May 2025 Judicial Forum and Candidate Guide to help community members better understand the local judicial candidates running in the 2025 primary election. The guide connected candidates’ platforms to core social work values, emphasizing dignity, equity, and respect.
As societal issues continue to affect those social workers are meant to serve, the school remains committed to its mission “of preparing courageous leaders to transform social work practice, policy, research, and education in a community-engaged and inclusive environment. We build and develop collaborative partnerships to understand, prevent, and ameliorate complex social problems with innovative approaches that promote social justice.”