CHHS to Celebrate New School of Social Work
On March 19, the College of Health and Human Services at UNC Charlotte will celebrate the transition of the Department of Social Work into the new School of Social Work. It’s much more than a simple name change.
To mark the occasion, North Carolina Rep. Graig Meyer will deliver a keynote speech. The topics include discussion of the challenges individuals, families, and communities face in our state and nation; the Role of social workers in various arenas to address challenges, especially in light of the profession’s commitment to social and economic justice; and the challenges facing UNC Charlotte’s new School of Social Work.
Following Meyer’s remarks, a panel of community and governmental professionals will discuss social workers’ contributions to change in their specific arenas. The panel will include Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio; Mecklenburg County Chief District Court Judge Regan Miller; Rodney Sadler, associate professor of the Bible, Union Presbyterian Seminary at Charlotte; and Martha Whitecotton, senior vice president of Behavioral Health Services, Carolinas HealthCare System.
The event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Student Activity Center Salons on the UNC Charlotte campus.
“This elevates our mission from one that focuses only on teaching into a school with graduate programs with the capacity to emphasize teaching and research,” said Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College of Health and Human Services. “To be designated as a School of Social Work will enhance our ability to recruit research-oriented faculty, to acquire funding, to enroll top-quality and diverse undergraduate and graduate students, and continue to secure vital field placements and instructors.”
According to U.S. News & World Report rankings, UNC Charlotte’s national ranking was 82nd in 2008 and 66th in 2012, which was the second-highest ranked program in North Carolina after UNC Chapel Hill. According to the magazine, of the top 103 social work programs, 77 percent are schools of social work, while only 9 percent are departments of social work. Of the 65 programs ranked above UNC Charlotte, 98 percent are either schools or colleges of social work, while only 2 percent are departments.
There are no departments among the top 20 social work programs.
“We rank higher than all other social work programs in North Carolina with the exception of Chapel Hill,” said Fey-Yensan. “Our faculty are engaged in externally funded research that is founded on strong community connections. In both our academic offerings and in research, we are already operating at a level well above an average “department” of social work.”
Those who would like to attend this free event can register here.