Here we present our vision, our priorities, and our future directions distilled from our strategic planning process, which included an examination of the external environment and trends affecting schools of social work; an internal assessment; and outreach to students, faculty, alumni, staff, University administrators, and leaders in the field.
BCSSW endeavors to improve vulnerable lives through pioneering social work education, research, scholarship, and practice at home and in the world.
Header photo: Mark Katzman
“At BCSSW, we are drawing on the foundations of the profession and others to prepare students for social work practice and research to advance the common good. Our faculty is intentional in training MSW students and doctoral scholars to focus on people facing compound needs. We are innovating in research and practice in collaboration with relevant disciplines and professions, social work practice partners, and communities. These networks leverage the strength of diverse fields and draw on the perspectives of communities who are experiencing the social problems of concern to us in Boston and around the globe.”
In the next five years, BCSSW will commit knowledge and resources to:
BCSSW is pursuing strategies to reimagine social work education and training; to develop partnerships in research and practice; and to draw upon and work across disciplines. Our school will focus on five interrelated and reinforcing strategic areas:
BCSSW will expand its pioneering work to train leaders who develop policies, practices, and interventions that advance equity, justice, and inclusion across the University and in diverse communities. At the school, we will continue to build a caring, respectful, and inclusive community that prospers and flourishes because of diversity.
Key initiatives:
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We will tailor and offer evidence-based clinical and policy interventions to diverse populations. Over time, we will strengthen existing partnerships and develop new alliances with communities, government agencies, NGOs, and for-profit organizations to develop, adapt, and implement evidence-based interventions and to build and disseminate research expertise and knowledge.
Key initiatives:
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We will expand current work in clinical and behavioral interventions in low- and middle-income countries with a particular emphasis on children, youth, and women in conflict and crises. Such conditions are significant causes of global migration and immigration—an area of high priority for BCSSW. We will also deepen our commitment to sustainable development and address the impact of poverty and exclusion on social, health, environmental, and gender inequities.
Key initiatives:
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To help improve life in diverse and vulnerable communities in Boston and around the world, we will build a platform of innovative practices and approaches. We will strategically strengthen our capacity in systems science, implementation science, data science, and design thinking to adapt, test, and scale evidence-based interventions. In addition, we will engage in inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to generate and scale evidence-based interventions, and innovate to address pressing complex social problems.
Key initiatives:
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BCSSW would like to thank the members of our community who contributed to the development of this strategic plan.
Gautam N. Yadama, Dean and Professor, Co-Chair
Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Professor, Associate Dean, Faculty Development and Academic Affairs, Co-Chair
Sveta Emery, Associate Dean, Finance, Research & Administration
Robert Hasson, Doctoral Student
Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Associate Professor
Margaret Lombe, Associate Professor
Ruth McRoy, Donahue and DiFelice Professor of Social Work, Co-Director, RISE3
Kelsey Oakes, MSW Student
Jessica Shaw, Assistant Professor
Ximena Soto, Assistant Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
Susan Tohn, Associate Professor
Thomas Walsh, Professor, Associate Dean and MSW Program Director
Differences, Disparities, and Systems of Oppression
Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Associate Professor, Co-Leader
David Takeuchi, Dorothy Book Scholar, Professor, Associate Dean for Research, Co-Director, RISE3, Co-Leader
Susan Tohn, Associate Professor, Co-Leader
Christina Matz, Associate Professor
Erika Sabbath, Assistant Professor
Teresa Schirmer, Associate Dean, Student Experience
Jessica Shaw, Assistant Professor
Equity, Justice, and Inclusion
Rocío Calvo, Associate Professor, Founding Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative, Co-Leader
Sarah Hood, Assistant Director, Field Education, Co-Leader
Paul Kline, Professor, Co-Leader
Patty Birch, Assistant Director, Field Education
Liz Cinquino, Director, Student Services and Advising
Francois Exilhomme, Assistant Director, Admissions
Teresa Schirmer, Associate Dean, Student Experience
Ximena Soto, Assistant Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
Immigration and Global Migration
Theresa Betancourt, Salem Professor in Global Practice, Director, Research Program on Children and Adversity, Co-Leader
Thomas Crea, Associate Professor, Assistant Dean, Global Programs, Co-Leader
Westy Egmont, Associate Professor, Director, Immigrant Integration Lab, Co-Leader
Saida Abdi, MSW Candidate
Jenna Berent, Refugee Project Program Manager, Research Program on Children and Adversity
Susan Coleman, Assistant Dean, Field Education
Scott Easton, Associate Professor, Chair, Health and Mental Health
Robert Hasson, Doctoral Candidate
Maryanne Loughry, Part-Time Faculty
Dan Young, Associate Director of Administration, Research Program on Children and Adversity
Innovation and Technology
Stephanie Berzin, Associate Professor, Co-Director, Center for Social Innovation, Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program, Co-Leader
Praveen Kumar, Assistant Professor, Co-Leader
Local and Global Sustainable Development
Tiziana Dearing, Professor, Co-Director, Center for Social Innovation, Co-Director, RISE3, Co-Leader
Margaret Lombe, Associate Professor, Co-Leader
Shanta Pandey, Professor, Co-Leader
Stephanie Berzin, Associate Professor, Co-Director, Center for Social Innovation, Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program
Susan Coleman, Assistant Dean, Field Education
Westy Egmont, Associate Professor, Director, Immigrant Integration Lab
Sveta Emery, Associate Dean, Finance, Research & Administration
Vincent Fusaro, Assistant Professor
Praveen Kumar, Assistant Professor
James Lubben, Professor and Louise McMahon Ahearn Chair, Program Director, PhD in Social Welfare, Director, Institute on Aging
Raymond Pillidge, Associate Dean for Enrollment Management
Samantha Teixeira, Assistant Professor
Joan Wallace Benjamin, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Home for Little Wanderers
Thomas Chiles, Professor and Deluca Chair of Biology, Vice Provost for Research & Academic Planning, Boston College
Darla Spence Coffey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Council for Social Work Education
David Quigley, Provost and Dean of Faculties, Boston College
Marylou Sudders, Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Anne Williams-Isom, Chief Executive Officer, Harlem Children’s Zone
Suzanne Liola Matus, Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs
Kelsey Werner, International Project Development Manager
With assistance from Peter Stokes and Chris Slatter of Huron Consulting Group, Inc.
Social Work Education
BCSSW will work to ensure that our curriculum is competitive, relevant, and distinct, and prepares students and practitioners with the tools they need for clinical and macro practice in all communities. We are committed to training students who apply systems thinking to adapt and implement clinical and macro interventions for better lives and social progress.
Key initiatives:
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Learning Through Community Engagement
Eight MSW candidates are engaged in a novel Community-Based Participatory Research course designed and taught by Assistant Professor Samantha Teixeira that provides hands-on experience in the context of an existing community-engaged research partnership.
New Interdisciplinary Course Offered in Partnership with BC’s Carroll School of Management
Students from both schools conducted community-based fieldwork and visited the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) as the culmination of an independent study on social innovation.
R&R and Real Talk
At the first School of Social Work Summit, held at the Walker Center in Newton, MA, students recharge and reflect, while building community, establishing strong connections, and discussing the Jesuit Catholic tradition in the context of Social Work.