Strategic Directions 2019–2024

Improving the Lives People Live

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.

Our Vision

BCSSW endeavors to improve vulnerable lives through pioneering social work education, research, scholarship, and practice at home and in the world.

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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.”
Gautam N. Yadama, Professor and Dean of Boston College School of Social Work

Five-year Goals

In the next five years, BCSSW will commit knowledge and resources to:

  • Prepare social work students and practitioners to be innovative and effective in responding to challenges and opportunities in a diverse and ever-changing world;
  • Create vibrant exchanges, identify social problems and emerging trends, and stimulate translational research and scholarship that informs practice interventions; and
  • Generate a deeper understanding of, and robust solutions to, complex social problems.
Solution-Focused Therapy workshop designed for Latinx communities

Our Path Forward

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:

  1. Social Work Education
  2. Equity, Justice, and Inclusion
  3. Interventions with Diverse Populations
  4. Global Social Work Practice
  5. Innovations in Practice and Research
CBSD workshop in Rwanda

Our Strategic Areas

Equity, Justice, and Inclusion

We will expand our 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:

  • Conduct an assessment of BCSSW’s implicit and explicit curricula with regard to equity, justice, and inclusion
  • Create trainings and events for the BCSSW community
  • Increase the investment in the Latinx Leadership Initiative
  • Create certificate programs in leadership for diversity and inclusion in organizations
  • Design and implement studies about equity, justice, and inclusion to understand the experiences of inclusion/marginalization of underrepresented groups at the workplace and the steps that organizations are taking to address issues related to equity, justice, and inclusion

LEARN ABOUT OUR PROGRESS

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Kenneth V. Hardy Leads Workshop Series on Race for BCSSW Faculty, Staff, and Students

In March, BCSSW hosted a series of five workshops for students, faculty, and staff to facilitate conversations on race, led by acclaimed clinician, author, and trainer Kenneth V. Hardy, PhD.
Samuel Bradley, Jr., an assistant professor, teaches his students how to help their employers cultivate diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

BCSSW is working to infuse equity, justice, and inclusion into learning, teaching, and scholarship

The Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee wants to tackle inequalities that contribute to unfair outcomes in the classroom, better prepare students to work with diverse populations around the world, and create a culture steeped in mutual respect and lifelong learning.
People protest at a Black Lives Matter rally

‘Our values force us to not conduct business as usual, but to shine a spotlight on injustices’

Students and faculty in the School of Social Work have reshaped classes and reimagined assignments to address anti-black racism in the wake of the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.

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Acclaimed community health expert Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett presents 2019 Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture

In April, BCSSW hosted the 13th annual lecture, featuring a presentation by Dr. Boynton-Jarrett titled “An Ounce of Prevention: Building Communities of Opportunity to Mitigate Structural Inequities and Childhood Adversities.”
Rocío Calvo

Calvo elected President of Association of Latina/o Social Work Educators

Associate Professor Rocío Calvo, founding director of the Latinx Leadership Initiative, was elected president of the Association of Latina/o Social Work Educators (ALLSWE) at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, in November.
BCSSW Associate Professor Susan Tohn

Tohn to Pilot Solution-Focused Therapy Workshops in Spanish

Associate Professor Susan Tohn and Boston College School of Social Work alumna Suelen Yancor, MSW ’05, will be offering a free two-day training on Solution-Focused Therapy techniques with a focus on Spanish language interventions, a project designed to help practitioners understand some of the unique cultural competencies associated with best serving Latinx populations.

Interventions with Diverse Populations

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:

  • Continue and expand family-strengthening interventions with diverse populations
  • Lay the groundwork for new interventions, including clinical and behavioral interventions for diverse populations
  • Create resources for diverse populations, such as solution-focused therapy videos in Spanish for Latinx communities
  • Create a database for the systematic review of evidence-based clinical interventions
  • Hire faculty and post-doctoral fellows with expertise in clinical and behavioral interventions with diverse populations

LEARN ABOUT OUR PROGRESS

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Family and community central to recovery among Sierra Leone's former child soldiers

Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt, and colleagues, publish an unprecedented 15-year, four-wave study of children involved in Sierra Leone’s civil war, investigating the associations of war and post-conflict factors with mental health among the former child soldiers.
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BCSSW alumni improve Latinx lives in East Boston

Six alumni from BCSSW’s Latinx Leadership Initiative are putting their skills to work at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, one of the largest community health centers in the country.

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Thomas Crea Discusses NIH Grant, Current Projects, and New Research Methods

Associate Professor Thomas Crea awarded five-year, $2.6 million NIH grant to conduct a first-of-its-kind study of the long-term health effects of children exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone.
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Connecting Generations of Vietnamese Americans

Professor Thanh Tran, who studies mental health in minority populations, and Sandy Saenbounmy, MSW ’19, share a commitment to the Vietnamese community.
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Dispatches from the Field: Anju Lamichhane

Anju Lamichhane, MSW ’19, discusses her field placement experience with the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA) at the Boston College School of Social Work.
David Takeuchi and Theresa Betancourt

BCSSW Launches Collaborative Grants and Research Initiative

The Boston College School of Social Work and its Research Program on Children and Adversity launched a monthly research group/webinar designed to provide a space for investigators to receive constructive feedback from peers on grant proposals

Global Social Work Practice

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. 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:

  • Establish a Global and Local Sustainable Development Hub at BCSSW to track, train, and impact health and social development at the global level, including facilitating direct interactions between BCSSW’s faculty and students and its global partners
  • Strengthen our collaborations and relationships with Catholic Relief Services, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and UNICEF
  • Hold a Global Migration Conference
  • Continue research at the intersection of energy, environment, and health on rural poor in India in partnership with the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society
  • Develop a mid-career program in global humanitarian practice
  • Adapt, test, and scale evidence-based interventions with children and families facing acute disruptions around the world

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BCSSW, BC Law, and BC Continuing Education host inaugural Global Migration Conference

Leading experts and stakeholders gather to address global migratory trends and the inherent tensions between inclusion and exclusion.
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Boston College School of Social Work and Jesuit Refugee Service Sign Memorandum of Understanding

The two institutions formalize a long-standing collaboration to advance projects and research aimed at improving refugees’ prospects throughout the world.
One current collaborative project between IITB and BCSSW is addressing the 244 million people living in India who lack regular access to electricity.

BCSSW Leads Partnership between Boston College and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Boston College and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore partnerships in research, project development, coursework, and the sharing of knowledge and ideas.

Associate Professor Margaret Lombe

A Conversation with Margaret Lombe

Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program Margaret Lombe, who specializes in international social development, discusses her life, research, and many current endeavors.

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Maestral International and BCSSW Renew Partnership

International child protection consultancy discusses global trends in child protection and how social workers are helping to advance new care models.
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Jesuit Refugee Service and BCSSW: A Longstanding Partnership

Through field placements, faculty research, and alumni employment, BCSSW students, faculty, and alumni have been on the front lines of Jesuit Refugee Service’s campaign to accompany, serve, and advocate on behalf of the displaced around the world.

Innovations in Practice and Research

We will build a platform of innovative practices and approaches to help improve life in diverse and vulnerable communities in Boston and abroad. We will strategically strengthen our capability in novel problem-solving and engage in inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to adapt, test, and scale evidence-based interventions to address pressing complex social problems.

Key initiatives:

  • Build and leverage our expertise and capacity in systems science, implementation science, data science, and design thinking to adapt, test, and scale evidence-based interventions with communities and practice partners
  • Broaden the scope of the Center for Social Innovation and strengthen its focus to address complex social challenges through  innovative problem-solving approaches and interdisciplinary collaborations with practitioners and communities
  • Contribute to and partner with the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society in curricular and research innovations addressing complex social challenges
  • Create response processes that address evolving needs of practitioners and community organizations

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BC Partners with NIH to Utilize Systems Approaches for Environmental Health Solutions

BCSSW, the Boston College Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and the National Institutes of Health convened system scientists and environmental health experts to use innovative approaches for improving environmental health interventions and their implementation.
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Building Capacity in Systems Science

In its mission to solve complex problems, the Boston College School of Social Work is increasing its focus on transdisciplinary research.
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BCSSW GRIT Series Features Acclaimed Implementation Scientist Dr. Gregory Aarons

Recently, the Boston College School of Social Work and its Research Program on Children and Adversity featured acclaimed implementation scientist Gregory A. Aarons, Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, in its monthly Grants & Research Initiative (GRIT) webinar series.
Vision Impact Graph for the School of Social Work

Acknowledgments

BCSSW would like to thank the members of our community who contributed to the development of this strategic plan.

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