Welcome from the Dean
I am Paula Allen-Meares, and as dean I would like to welcome you to the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
The School of Social Work is known for its national and international leadership, innovative curriculum, and high-quality scholarship and research. We are recognized for our reinvention of the profession of social work:
- We have developed an innovative new curriculum called PODS (Privilege, Oppression, Diversity, Social Justice);
- We have an interdisciplinary joint doctoral program with the social sciences, the first of its kind, with graduates attaining leadership positions throughout the world as distinguished educators, researchers, senior administrators, and practitioners;
- We have redesigned key areas of the School to address changes and needs in society;
- We have introduced the novel use of technology to facilitate infrastructure;
- We have embarked on a broad variety of new collaborative and interdisciplinary research initiatives; and
- We believe that evidence should undergird policies and practice, and that it is our responsibility to help translate our research.
We recognize the importance of investing in human capital as a mechanism for advancing the betterment of society, improving human conditions, and enhancing the lives of the more vulnerable individuals in our population. This is accomplished through a program that is far from traditional. Instead, we go beyond conventional professional foci and build grassroots partnerships with community and state agencies and institutions around the nation and the globe.
The School has a strong legacy of accomplishment. We acknowledge our past to move forward, but we regard this as an entirely new day for our School and for our profession.
We have many illustrations of research and practice activities that have made a real difference and have had major scholarly impact nationwide. These include major National Institutes of Health-funded initiatives on poverty, prevention, aging, homelessness, and mental health. Our faculty's research has also been funded by the Centers for Disease Control, National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and foundations such as Ford, Kellogg, Joyce, W.T. Grant, and Skillman. This research includes innovative collaborations and important outcome studies demonstrating efficacy of different interventions and benefit/cost analyses of different services.
Our School also has a strong legacy of support from a generous and committed community of friends. Major gifts to the School from the Lurie Family Foundation, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and its community, and others have allowed the creation of three endowed faculty chairs. These are facilitating the recruitment of renowned experts in the areas of children and families, gerontology, and Jewish communal service. Other major gifts have supported work in the area of children and families, gerontology, and a business/social work student exchange program.
We also have a broad scope of outreach with over 600 student placements in key service agencies throughout Michigan and the country, including Washington, D.C. In addition, the School has placed students in international settings, including Ghana, Israel, Switzerland, Nicaragua, and Korea. Plans are underway to create excellent continuing education opportunities.
The School offers several specialization and certificate programs to students in areas such as aging, school social work, and international health. In addition, there is a series of special programs. The Sol Drachler Program for Jewish Communal Leadership is a certificate program that prepares individuals for leadership positions within the Jewish community. Through a collaboration between the Schools of Business, Public Policy, and Social Work, the Nonprofit and Policy Management Center was established to provide opportunities and resources to students, faculty, and researchers interested in gaining greater insight into the nonprofit sector. Another successful program in the School is the Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network, which strives to foster interdisciplinary research and leadership in scholars of color.
We continue to build upon our accomplishments with bold initiatives that will enhance the well-being of individuals and communities throughout our state and country, and in some instances hold global significance in the face of rapid social change. One way we are able to accomplish this is through innovative collaboratory connections. The School of Social Work has interdisciplinary connections with other units throughout the University, including the Schools of Law, Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Education, Dentistry, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. We have also partnered with research units–the Institute for Social Research, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Center for Human Growth and Development, Substance Abuse Research Center, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, and many others.
Through our innovative curriculum and numerous partnerships, we will continue to translate our expertise into policies and practices that will benefit individuals and society.
We will continue to pursue research that will lead to new mechanisms of effective interventions, and we will continue to foster dialogue between academics, practitioners, and policymakers.
Above all, we will continue to be leaders rather than followers; to have an impact; and to act on our responsibility within a public research institution to make a difference in the lives of the citizens of our state, nation, and the world.
June 2006