BCSSW dean honored

Boston College School of Social Work Dean Gautam Yadama was awarded an honorary Doctor of Social Science degree from the National University of Mongolia (NUM) in recognition of his dedicated service and outstanding contributions to social policy and the development and growth of social work in Mongolia.

Since 2001, Yadama has collaborated with organizations and universities in Mongolia, playing a role in helping build professional and educational initiatives in the country. The development of the social work profession, education, and practice is an outcome of his work with NUM and key partners such as Save the Children U.K., World Vision, UNICEF, and the Center for Social Work Excellence in Mongolia.

Yadama received the degree earlier this fall at the Open Mind Mongolia 2025 International Conference, hosted by the Department of Sociology and Social Work in the NUM School of Arts and Sciences. The event focused on understanding poverty and environmental dynamics, and interventions to address the attendant social, economic, environmental, and health outcomes.

He was among the speakers at a conference-opening plenary session and presented the talk, “Dynamic Complexity of Technology and Society: Field Observation.”

“My collaboration with Mongolian academics, practitioners, and communities over the past 25 years highlights the meaningful role that American universities play in the development of other societies,” said Yadama in a recent statement.