Social Work (SWR)

454 David M. French Hall
(810) 762-3390
Fax: (810) 237-6541
www.umflint.edu/socialwork

Interim Chair: Dr. Sapna Thwaite

Administrative Assistant Intermediate: Jean Liwak

Community and Field Liaison:

Field Instruction Director: Kasie White

BSW Academic Advisor: Todd Womack

BSW Academic & Professional Mentoring Coordinator: Laura Macias

Substance Abuse Program Coordinator: Ryan Ashley

Associate Professors: Sapna Thwaite; Assistant Professors: Sheryl Groden, Woojong Kim, Julie Ma; Part-time Faculty: Ryan Ashley, Amy Collings, Nancy Grigg, Bernadette Hilliker, Mark Jagos, Laura Macias, Laverne McCombs, Melvin McDowell, Henry Tidwell, Kasie White, Todd Womack

Department Mission

The mission of the University of Michigan-Flint BSW program is to promote community well-being. Our generalist program is guided by: a culture of inclusivity; a commitment to ongoing critical reflections that positively transform our roles and relationships with diverse communities, and excellence informed by diverse voices addressing suffering and injustices so that all humans are treated with dignity and respect. Our program prepares students to recognize and effectively intervene in structures of injustices that are reproduced in everyday lives. Through dynamic education experiences, our program ignites student’s capacity for advancing social, economic and environmental justice while recognizing the interconnectedness of social issues locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

BSW Program Goals

Engage students in critical discussions that advance critical thinking about current events affecting the well being and relationships within communities.
Develop excellent, well-rounded academic writing, professional level communication skills, and an unwavering commitment to ethical practice.
Prepare students to recognize and effectively intervene at personal, interpersonal, structural, institutional levels and cultural values that reproduce injustices in everyday lives.
Catalyze students’ passions to fuel engaged citizenry, creativity and lifelong learning.
Promote social and economic well-being by engaging leadership, policy and community practice which ameliorates social problems.
Prepare generalist social workers that dynamically respond to demographic, economic, and sociopolitical contexts affecting human rights, social and economic justice locally, nationally and globally.

Accreditation

The Social Work Program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (C.S.W.E.), 1725 Duke Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314-3457, (703) 683-8080. Please refer to Social Work Department Website for CSWE Outcomes.

Assessment

The Department participates in the University-wide effort to assess its academic programs. Information on assessment plans, including goals, methods and outcomes is available at http://www.umflint.edu/assessment.

Programs in Social Work

Two concentration programs are offered, both leading to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree: the Program in Social Work and the Honors Program in Social Work . In addition, the Social Work Department offers a Bachelor of Science in Substance Use Treatment and Intervention. Four minors are offered including a minor in Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention , which is offered face-to-face and online, with all required courses available online over two consecutive years. A minor in Crisis Intervention and Disaster Response is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A Gerontology/Certificate in Aging offered in collaboration with Public Health and Health Sciences, and a Health Navigation Minor is offered in collaboration with Nursing, Public Health and Health Sciences.