When I joined the School of Social Work (SSW) in 2018 as Founding Dean, I had a vision and big goals for the new independent School of Social Work – above all, I wanted our students to receive the better quality education worthy of their sacrifices. Over the past few years our amazing faculty and staff have worked hard to achieve these goals, and today I believe SSW is better positioned than ever to provide students with the high quality education they need. to meet the diverse needs of our communities. . I believe the mental health and well-being of our communities is directly influenced by the quality and quantity of students we get.
In the spring of 2021, the SSW experienced its highest enrollment rate in history with nearly 800 students, an increase of 433% over the past four years. Despite the challenges of COVID, our registrations are up 12.33%. The SSW was one of two schools at the University to show an increase in enrollment during COVID. SSW contributed to 11% of graduate students at the university. Our minority workforce increased by 15.11%. Our academic success rate is 10% above the national average and our MSW program remains one of the most affordable in the country with a retention rate of almost 100%.
Provide an education worthy of the sacrifices of our students
Over the past few years, we have had 15 new faculty members and have improved the diversity of our faculty to be more representative of our student body.
We know that one of the most important predictors of student success is the time spent with faculty outside of the classroom as part of the mentorship. This is what students lacked when the majority of their classes were taught by part-time instructors (LOA). LOAs remain an important part of our ability to deliver the right courses and we have an incredible pool of social work professionals who provide us with instruction. But these new full-time hires allow the school to provide much-needed mentorship to our students. The new hires were made possible by self-financing programs and prudent budget management.
The state of Nevada suffers from a severe shortage of social workers. Currently, there are approximately 3.2 million people living in Nevada served by 2,700 licensed social workers, or one social worker for every 1,100 citizens. UNR is one of two universities in the state to offer a degree in social work. The growth of the school has become more critical than ever as the success of the school has a direct impact on the ability to deliver mental health services and improve the well-being of all Nevadans and beyond.
With the school’s focus on improving the mental health and quality of life of Nevada’s diverse and growing population, we have expanded our partnerships with public and private hospitals, health facilities and agencies. community. We have also expanded community and state partnerships with health and social services to advance social work practice and education.
Provide affordable education to our students
Over 86% of social work students are women and over 50.1% of our total students are minorities. Sadly, women and minorities are disproportionately burdened with student debt due to the persistent pay gap – plus to access jobs that don’t pay high wages.
For these reasons, I continue to advocate for education to remain affordable and accessible to all students.
We have extended educational opportunities to rural areas by developing 3 + 1 bachelor’s degree programs in partnership with community colleges, which allow students to complete the equivalent of the first three years of university study at a community college and their final year. at University. These partnerships have improved access to education for low-income students, students of color, and working adults in rural Nevada.
We also have a Title IV-E Child Protection Training Grant that provides training for child protection staff in northern Nevada in addition to stipends for students interested in child protection.
Our field internship, which is a crucial part of the study program, allows students to have real-world experience with community organizations and public agencies. We strive to make field placements paid opportunities for as many master’s level students as possible.
Elevate our students and our profession in leadership roles
I believe social workers are uniquely equipped to take on leadership roles because of our professional values and ethics.
These values are universal: social justice, service, integrity, competence, human relations and dignity. These values guide social workers in their decision-making, and this is what makes them great leaders. Our mission is to ensure that our students graduate with a desire to take on leadership roles. The desire to become a leader is not selfish; it is an obligation to ensure that the voices of marginalized populations are heard. I want students to understand that they owe it to their constituents to become leaders because they are the agents of change and future leaders.
The future of the School of Social Work is bright
Looking ahead, I’m excited for what’s to come. We look forward to developing specializations and certificates that equip students with the skills to meet the needs of today’s workforce – we are exploring micro-accreditations and other ways to improve skills and development. employability of our students.
I believe we have an obligation to help meet the workforce needs of Nevada. We know the state needs social workers who can get started and I look forward to establishing specializations and certificate programs in areas such as aging, behavioral health, child welfare, medical social work, etc. to meet this ever-increasing demand.
We currently have a number of faculty working on research and grants and they partner with community organizations and the state in many ways. Some of the things we are working on:
- Work with a federal grant with the Department of Health and Human Services to train and prepare minority leaders for health equity. This grant would help fund a one-year scholarship for graduate students who have been out of school for two years and who work in public policy and who aspire to become leaders.
- Work with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) and the Latino Behavioral Health Association to provide leadership training to Latino social workers.
- Work with Nevada Health and Human Services to train and supply more qualified social workers to work in the area of aging and disability. There is currently a shortage of social workers in this demographic.
- Partnered with the College of Education and Human Development through the Nevada Center for Excellence and Disabilities to support families, children and youth with special care needs through free consultations and services.
These are just a few of the things we are working on. We are also looking forward to having our own building on campus. I believe that having our own building shows the value of social work within the campus community and another way to elevate our profession. We hope to be in this building by December 2022.
My commitment to our students and our community is that we will continue to grow, but also ensure that our growth is sustained so that the quality remains strong. I have always believed that if you have a quality program, growth becomes a side effect of that quality. Affordable and quality education will always be at the heart of my mission.
We will continue to remain resilient. The resilience of the SSW is essential to help meet the growing social service needs of the state and serve families in desperate need of the skills, services and advocacy provided by social workers.
