Media Contact:
Dr. Joan Pennell, 919/513-0008

Nov. 21, 2003

NC State Announces New Department of Social Work

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Opening the door to new opportunities for social work students, faculty and staff, the North Carolina State University Social Work Program officially became the Department of Social Work after recent approval by the university’s Board of Trustees. The new department resides in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Most notably, department status will help pave the way for a new master’s of social work degree.

The department has a well-established bachelor’s of social work (BSW) program and is working to develop a master’s of social work (MSW) degree. This combined BSW/MSW program will be the first of its kind in the Triangle. With university approval, the plan is for classes to begin in fall 2005.

“Achieving department status is a significant milestone in our continuing development,” said Linda R. Williams, director of field education and member of the department faculty for 25 years. “This is a real statement of commitment to our department by the university, and it certainly clears the way for a number of exciting new initiatives.”

The new status also will increase accessibility to research grants, allow the department to expand its teaching and support staff, and help facilitate the accreditation process, which takes place every eight years through the Council on Social Work Education.

“As a professional degree-granting unit, we have to demonstrate autonomy in curriculum, administrative processes and hiring,” said Dr. Joan Pennell, head of the Department of Social Work. The Social Work Program achieved accreditation last spring, and Pennell says that the new department status will help make the process go even more smoothly.

The NC State Department of Social Work currently offers a BSW, which prepares students for entry-level social work practice in many public and private social agencies. The department has 125 students, with 20 percent from underrepresented groups. The department’s mission is to promote a socially responsible society through education, research and extension/community service.

Departmental special projects include: Family-Centered Meetings, part of the child welfare reform effort in North Carolina and funded by the N.C. Division of Social Services; Child Welfare Education, which prepares students for practice in public child welfare in North Carolina and is also funded by the N.C. Division of Social Services; and Geriatric Enrichment of Social Work Education, which is supported by a three-year grant from the Hartford Foundation and the Council on Social Work Education.

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