The mission builds from the university’s purpose and desire to provide high quality educational programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of study. Consistent with the university’s central focus, the School of Social Work seeks to provide the highest quality professional social work education in a context of developing the student’s moral and intellectual capacities.

The School recognizes that these capacities are realized in light of two certainties: the importance of family and community and the recognition that the enhancement of human potential depends upon a critical understanding of the multitude of human perspectives.

The mission and work of the School of Social Work is guided by values and beliefs that filter through our teaching and learning, our scholarship, and our service. The School is committed to the enhancement of the quality of life for families and communities in the region and beyond. We believe that the highest quality social work education builds on the values and ethics of the profession, integrating the principles of social and economic justice – locally, nationally and globally.

We also believe that a strengths-based perspective provides an understanding of individual development and behavior across the life span and of interactions among and between individuals, families, groups, and communities. Furthermore, we believe in the need to enhance human potential through a critical understanding of human diversity.

Given these values and beliefs, the mission of the School is to extend the social work knowledge base through collaboration with our surrounding communities, to provide leadership in the social services, and to train culturally adept, competent practitioners at the BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) and MSW (Master of Social Work) levels.

The School collaborates with regional communities by participating in the life of those communities, stimulating scholarship, and contributing to the existing knowledge base. We seek to serve as a catalyst for change in the region, by enhancing and developing regional systems of communication through the advancement of emerging technology.