School Updates
Dear alumni, colleagues, and friends,
The years feel like they’re flying by! When I came to the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work in 2018, I had no idea how much we’d accomplish and how exciting it is to be part of this school. I am infinitely grateful to be able to share some of what we’re doing with all of you. I hope that you find some warm and fuzzy memories from some of what is included here and that you are inspired and invigorated by reading about this slice of what we’re doing.
This issue centers on our work in the field of child welfare. Those of you who have been affiliated with the school over the past 30 years know how important our focus on child welfare is—for our school, our students, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the nation. Here we provide a brief overview of the incredible innovation, expertise, and persistence it has taken to build and grow the Child Welfare Education and Research Programs and to remind us of the myriad ways that these programs and efforts affect the lives of social workers, agencies, parents, and children. It is a truly wonderful component of our school, and I’m glad that we can reflect on and celebrate it here.
We also highlight the broad range of activities, initiatives, and impactful work that have been happening in the school over the past year. As you’ll see, we are growing—with new staff and faculty, some of whom are alumni bringing their skills home to their alma mater, as well as long-standing colleagues who are helping us to expand our possibilities and impact in so many ways.
The school has a long and strong history in many areas of social work practice, research, and leadership. We were happy to see this reflected in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report national rankings, which placed us 12th among 319 MSW programs. We also are working to tell our story better and to help others better recognize who we are and what we do. We have long-standing excellence and a national reputation in the areas of race and social problems, mental health, and child welfare. We continue to excel in each of these areas and to grow our impact. From our recent $5 million National Institutes of Health grant to evaluate the Center on Race and Social Problems’ Racial Equity Consciousness Institute, to our movement toward more explicit focus on the importance of lived experience in research and knowledge development, to our efforts for increasing our collaborations and impact in the world around us, Pitt Social Work continues to excel, partner, and lead. And we’re working to expand long-standing strengths (e.g., community, organization, and social action and aging) and recognize the cross-cutting areas where we want to focus our efforts (e.g., caregiving, flourishing, and the role of social work in society).
As you read through these pages, I hope that you’ll see our current faculty, staff, and students as well as yourself, your classmates, and your fellow alumni engaged in a rich array of work and initiatives that make you feel connected, empowered, and in awe of what we can do. As I look at everything that we’re doing—in the school, within our alumni network, in our respective communities and spheres of influence—it inspires me to make sure that we recognize the importance of all that we do, that we see the forest (and don’t get tripped or distracted by the trees), and that we take a few moments to genuinely reflect on and celebrate all that we’re doing. As we enter 2025, I can’t think of a better place to be or a better group of people to be connected with. Thank you all for what you bring to our community, impact, and possibilities!
Finally, to our alumni reading this, please remember all the ways that you can continue to be part of the school. We are grateful for your engagement as practicum supervisors, part-time faculty members, partnering colleagues, and supporters who allow us to nurture the next generation of excellent practitioners, researchers, organizers, innovators, and transformative leaders. We also want to hear from you so that we can include your accomplishments and ideas in our subsequent materials. If you have suggestions or items for future newsletters or issues of Bridges, please send them to Riley Belden-England at sswalums@pitt.edu. We would love to hear from you!
All the best,
Elizabeth M.Z. “Betsy” Farmer
Dean, School of Social Work
University of Pittsburgh