School of Social Work

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Campaign Priorities for the School of Social Work

The University of Washington School of Social Work is ranked # 3 among graduate schools in the nation and for good reason. The School of Social Work is training undergraduate and graduate students to meet the complex social challenges of the 21st century. Our students, graduates, and faculty serve every day, doing all they can to help people do better for themselves and their families. We're not going to solve all the problems in the world. But we are determined to leave it in better shape than we found it. The UW School of Social Work is at the forefront of changes in social work theory and practice. We lead the way in innovative research and with methodologies that yield real results-transforming lives and communities. To continue its tradition of excellence in teaching, research, and service, the UW School of Social Work must invest in the future and its people. The future is now. Let's meet it together.

Campaign Goal for the School of Social Work: $10 million
For the future, and for the genuine difference we can make in our communities, we are seeking to raise $10 million for the School of Social Work. The funds will support student scholarships & fellowships; professorships; innovative programs, projects, and institutes; and the first endowed chair in the School of Social Work.

Faculty Support

Gifted and inspiring teachers are the secret to any great school. The School of Social Work has been fortunate in attracting outstanding professors to our classrooms, research centers, and institutes. We'd like to build on our good fortune by seeking private gifts to establish:

• Endowed Chair
• Endowed Professorships

Campaign Goal: $2 million
The funds enable professors to undertake new research, travel, hire teaching and research assistants, and publish-all deepening the quality of research and education at the school.

Student Support

A good education is expensive. The high cost of higher education remains a concern for almost every student. Scholarships and fellowships allow us to provide an outstanding education to promising men and women who will take the benefits of what they learn to communities around the state and everywhere they go. To accomplish this, the School seeks support for:

• Undergraduate Scholarships
• Graduate Fellowships

Campaign Goal: $1 million
Scholarships and Fellowships afford students who might not otherwise be able to attend the university the opportunity to learn and grow. We're all better off for it.

Program Support

Our research and community service are often carried out through the school's Institutes of Excellence and through special projects and programs developed to address specific opportunities and needs. The School of Social Work makes a considerable investment of time and resources in community collaborations and in university programs and projects, such as:

• Community Service Learning, which supports paid community-based internships for undergraduates who are exploring social work in the context of local community engagement;
• Partnership for Youth, a collaborative partnership between the school, homeless youth agencies, local businesses and homeless youth to improve the coordination of services for homeless youth in the University District;
• The Spitzer Peace Exchange, a faculty and student exchange program between the School of Social Work and Ben Gurion University, in Israel, established to address the effects of globalization, poverty, migration, and civil and international conflict.

Campaign Goal: $7 million
Each program-and many more like them-are vital and deserving of support.

Annual Support

The world isn't going to become a simpler place any time soon, so social workers will continue to minister to the critical social, health, and community needs of our most vulnerable citizens and to any of us who find ourselves in crisis.

The annual support of our alumni and friends is crucial to the School's success. As the School of Social Work looks ahead, it is committed to making the student experience among the best anywhere. To achieve this, the School is focused on:

• Creating a more dynamic, interdisciplinary experience for its students, staff, and faculty through the Policy and Practice Transformation Initiative. This initiative has the potential to lead the state and the nation in developing culturally competent, evidence-based services for children and families, older adults, and communities of color.
• Training the best and the brightest to become the professional social workers of tomorrow. As we look into the future, many needs of the world's most vulnerable citizens will be met by social workers. The School is committed to generating a workforce capable of addressing our most complex social ills.
• Keeping the doors of higher education open for deserving students by providing strong financial support through scholarships and fellowships. Social work students graduate with one of the highest debt to income ratios in the nation and many leave the field for higher paying jobs. The School is as committed to supporting their educational costs as we are to generating a strong workforce.

Not only will your gift support the College's curricula and resources, but will also directly help students through scholarship funding. Accessibility to all students is a core component of the University of Washington's mission, and providing scholarship support is one of many important ways in which this is actualized. Your support will mean so much to students such as these:

• Virginia Chong, a second-year MSW student, who after graduating hopes to step forward on behalf of racial and ethnic minorities to address organizational change and capacity development in human service agencies, particularly those serving children and families.
• Extended degree MSW student, Pamela Woodroffe, who is preparing to work with individuals and families impacted by interpersonal and war-related violence.
• Amy Astle-Raaen, a second-year MSW student, who is focusing her studies on Multigenerational Policy and Administration and plans to work in the field of aging in order to positively impact the lives of older adults and their caregivers.

Your gift, large or small, can have a profound impact on the lives of students and teachers, rewarding them for their accomplishments and helping them realize their aspirations.

Gifts to the Social Work Development Fund provide critical funds for the School to use where they are most needed. For additional funds to support, click here.

Recognition Levels

The President's Club ($2,000+)
Dean's Club ($500+)

Additional Information

the road to the future

Contact Information

For more information about helping the School of Social Work achieve its campaign goals, please contact:

Kim Isaac
Director of Development
School of Social Work
University of Washington
Box 354900
Seattle, WA 98105-4900
206.616.9504

For more information on the School of Social Work, visit our web site at http://www.ssw.washington.edu/