School Updates
Dean's Message
Dean Larry Davis discusses how the School of Social Work has been affected by the recent presidential election, international engagement, and new faculty and staff.
Greetings, alumni and friends,
Much has changed since our last issue of Bridges. Foremost, America has a new president who is hostile to much of what we as social workers do. There is little doubt that funds and services to our constituents will be cut, and such cuts to the social safety net will bring unique hardships to thousands of poor families and their children. Social workers are now grappling with how to move preemptively against the reduction of social supports to our constituents. It would be unwise for us to stand and wait to be hit by what are sure to be reductions in social services. We must look back on our history to see how we have addressed similar challenges in the past.
The school continues to do well. The faculty is on a roll with a very high rate of grant submissions and acceptances. Our student body has proven to be one of the best we have had. Now, more than ever, many of these students are committed to social advocacy and community involvement. The University of Pittsburgh has recently committed itself to the creation of a number of community engagement centers, of which the School of Social Work has been asked to be a part.
This issue of Bridges features Cuba. For about 10 years, our Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) has taken a group of students and faculty members there as part of Cuban Social Policy Issues, a unique study abroad course through which students—and faculty—have the opportunity to confront their preconceptions about the country’s culture, government, and people. You will find the feature story on Cuba both interesting and informative. It has been fascinating to note changes in Cuba over time.
We continue to increase our commitment to international engagement, enrolling more international students than ever in our programs and launching a new undergraduate international field placement program. Associate Professor Sara Goodkind has just recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that is intended to increase the numbers of Bachelor of Arts in Social Work students who can partake in field placements abroad.
This past year, we have been fortunate to bring on board new faculty and staff. Leah Jacobs has come to us from the University of California, Berkeley, with a research focus in social welfare and criminal justice policy. Abel J. Koury, also a very welcome addition, will work as a data analyst. Karla Perelstine is the new project coordinator for the Cannon Fellowship Program, and Michelle Zorich is the new project coordinator for the Leadership in Public Health Social Work Education Training Program.
Our graduates are doing well, with licensure rates above the national average. It is also the case that our retired alumni have remained committed to their social work values and have retained close contacts with the school. We have highlighted three such individuals in this issue: Dorian Mintzer, Alan Momeyer, and Bob Schwartz. Each talks about what retirement really looks like in 2017 (see story on page 18).
As always, we invite you to come visit the school. Please plan on attending one of the CRSP or school lecture series talks. You will enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Davis, Dean and Donald M. Henderson Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Director, Center on Race and Social Problems