His scholarship focuses on poverty reduction and workforce development
Philip Hong, a scholar and academic leader whose research focuses on poverty reduction and workforce development, was named dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work.
Hong is currently a professor and associate dean for research at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, where he also directs the Center for Research on Self-Sufficiency (CROSS). He recently served as the Lucian and Carol Welch Matusak Professor and served as director of the doctoral program at Loyola’s School of Social Work. His appointment to UGA is effective July 1, 2022.
“We look forward to welcoming Dr. Hong to the University of Georgia leadership team as the next Dean of the School of Social Work,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “He brings considerable experience in growing research productivity, strengthening community partnerships, and supporting social work faculty and students.”
As Associate Dean for Research, a position he has held since 2018, Hong established a Grants and Fellowships Development Office that helped increase extramural funding by more than 200%. It also supported faculty in establishing three externally funded research centers, formalizing four externally funded training institutes, and maintaining three externally funded community programs. As director of the doctoral program in social work, a position he held from 2018 to 2021, he implemented recruitment and curricular innovation strategies to help increase the number of applications and partnered with the Doctoral School to increase scholarships and allowances.
Hong is the founding director of CROSS, a community-based research center at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Social Work that leads local, national, and global initiatives and public-private partnerships on building self-reliance policies, programs, and systems. Funded by the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CROSS examines bottom-up, long-term solutions to promote the empowerment and inclusion of individuals and systems through community engagement , innovation and research on social impact in collaboration with various urban actors. and rural communities. In recognition of her international and national impact, Hong received the Lucian and Carol Welch Matusak Professorship at Loyola University Chicago from 2016-2020.
“Dr. Hong is a collaborative leader who is committed to providing exceptional teaching and impactful, community-engaged, interdisciplinary research,” said S. Jack Hu, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and UGA Provost. “Its record of achievement is extraordinary and it is well positioned to build on the School of Social Work’s national reputation for excellence.
Hong’s research has been supported by more than $4.6 million in funding from foundations and federal agencies such as the US Department of Health and Human Services. The social work intervention model he developed, Transforming Impossible into Possible (TIP), is a national model of social policies that promote self-sufficiency and family strengthening. The TIP is applied and tested as a model to support communities in the areas of employment and workforce development, health promotion, youth development and empowerment, reintegration of returning citizens, addiction recovery and violence prevention. He is the author of over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and other publications and 100 peer-reviewed conference presentations.
Hong has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Poverty and Public Policy and the journals Social Work Research and Families in Society. He has also served as an external reviewer for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Policy Support Office. As part of his community involvement, he served on the Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinating Committee of the Chicago Housing Authority, as an advisor to the Division of Poverty and Development (recently renamed Division of Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and on the boards of several not-for-profit social service agencies.
Hong was part of the 2018 class of the Future Leaders in Social Work Education program sponsored by the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work. His additional accolades include the Chicago Top 100 Innovation Award and the Senior-Level Career Achievement Award from the Korean American Social Work Educators Association.
“I am truly honored to join the community of academic excellence and innovation at the University of Georgia, a place where social work’s contribution to a collaborative journey of goal-oriented education and research, engaged in community, inclusive and socially responsible is fully respected and supported,” Hong said. “I look forward to working with everyone to advance the School of Social Work and University’s tripartite mission for the well-being and sustainability of the Athens community and the world.”
Hong earned her master’s degree in social work and her doctorate. in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a master’s and doctoral degree. in political science from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He received his bachelor’s degree in social protection from Yonsei University in South Korea.
Marsha Davis, dean of the College of Public Health, led a 14-member search advisory committee that helped identify finalists for the position. The committee was assisted by the UGA human resources research group.
