Diversity and Community Engagement

Core values of the School of Social Work include equal human rights and social justice. We foster an environment that allows all people to flourish and that is based on mutual respect, broad understanding, and trust. Below are a few examples that demonstrate the School’s commitment to diversity and inclusion:

Anti-Racism Statement

The School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte affirms its commitment to recognizing, addressing, and eradicating all forms of racism and ethnic oppression. We focus on engaging and collaborating in teaching, service, and scholarship that challenges oppressive and unjust forces. We work to reduce racial injustices both within the academy and the broader community. The School of Social Work faculty, staff, and administrators are united in the pursuit to end racial and ethnic bias and to empower our students towards this collective goal. Members of the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work unanimously approved an anti-racism statement which can be viewed in entirety here.

Anti-Sexual Violence Statement

The UNC Charlotte School of Social Work expresses our strong solidarity with survivors of all forms of sexual violence, including molestation, harassment, sexual assault, and rape, and supports efforts to hold those who perpetrate sexual violence accountable for their actions. Members of the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work unanimously approved an anti-sexual violence statement which can be viewed in entirety here.

Clubs and Organizations

Advocates for Change

Advocates for Change is a student-led graduate level student organization with Master of Social Work students and other disciplines who are committed to providing services to the UNC Charlotte campus and community. The Advocates for Change goal is to enhance the quality of life for oppressed and vulnerable populations through advocacy, human services delivery, and research.

Bachelor of Social Work Club

The UNC Charlotte Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Club is a chartered campus organization open to all undergraduate students. BSW Club seeks to promote the profession of social work by engaging students in service and continuing education activities.The club also participates in numerous community service projects. The BSW Club serves as a supplemental resource to students, providing an opportunity to exchange information about upcoming events and workshops in the community.

Graduate Social Work Association

The Graduate Social Work Association (GSWA) is a student organization that serves as an advocacy group and faculty liaison for the students of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program at UNC Charlotte. In accordance with the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics, GSWA strives to promote the well-being of not only students of the MSW Program, but also students, faculty, and staff of UNC Charlotte and local and global communities. Through community outreach, speakers, volunteerism and use of media, GSWA seeks to bring awareness and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity, with a special focus on empowerment and inclusivity of individuals who are vulnerable, disenfranchised, oppressed, facing social injustice, or living in poverty.

Phi Alpha

Phi Alpha is an academic honor society for undergraduate (BSW) and graduate (MSW) students that promotes social justice for all people by meeting humanitarian goals and ideals. Nu Theta, the UNC Charlotte chapter, recognizes those who have attained excellence of scholarship and distinction of achievement as students of social work. Membership eligibility is based on academic excellence, leadership ability, a high standard of personal behavior and dedication to Social Work. Undergraduate students must have achieved junior or senior status, earned an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher; earned a minimum of 6 semester hours or equivalent in Social Work, and achieved a GPA of 3.4 or above in social work courses. Graduate students must have completed at least 12 semester hours toward the master’s degree and achieved a GPA of 3.8 or above. Students eligible for induction will be notified in the spring semester by university email. There is a cost for membership and the induction ceremony is in the spring semester.

Community and Partner Engagement

The School of Social Work promotes community and partner engagement. A variety of activities and initiatives involve community stakeholders.

Community Advisory Board

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) of the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work strives to be representative of the region in its membership and to find new and creative ways to enhance the social work programs at UNC Charlotte. The CAB works to broaden and strengthen relationships across the region with the private, public and non-profits sectors in furtherance of the School of Social Work’s mission to prepare future social work professionals. For more information, please click here. Field Advisory Board

The Field Advisory Board (FAB) of the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work supports a high quality field education program by providing feedback on curriculum updates, student field placement, and community networking. The board is comprised of social work undergraduate and graduate students, field education faculty, and community field instructors.

Integrating Comprehensive Accessible Resources Equitably (ICARE)

ICARE is a partnership between the UNC Charlotte School of Work, Mental Health Research and Practice Lab, and the Academy for Research on Community Health, Engagement and Services (ARCHES). ICARE is an innovative peer-led case management team that serves to promote an integrative culturally adaptive and equitable implementation science framework to build effective linkage to culturally-relevant services and community resources. The program aims to reduce barriers in service delivery and facilitate an optimal follow-up process for the campus and Charlotte community. The original founders of ICARE include UNC Charlotte Faculty (Dr. Sonyia Richardson, Roger Suclupe, Dr. Mark DeHaven) and graduate students (Saliseah Scales, Kejana Da Silva Toreiro, Chris Bonilla, Nathallie Chavez) in collaboration with ARCHES and a student led research team (Alyssa Benziger, Nashe Marshall, Melissa Badger, Ariana Ponce, Emma Weichmann). For more information please click here.

Faculty Profiles

Our faculty members are involved in diverse community-engaged projects through their research, teaching, practice, service, and advocacy. These efforts align with the mission and vision of the School of Social Work and our commitment to the profession. For additional details, please view the faculty pages here.

Race and Social Equity Academy

The Race and Social Equity Academy (RASE) fosters the scholarship of practice and research focused on advancing racial and social parities within the community. Along with empirical scholarship, race dialogue is supported through intellectual discourse, bringing together thought leaders in our community representing a variety of perspectives on race and social equity matters. For more information, please click here.