LEAD THE

It was 2013, and Cathryn Potter had just arrived “on the banks of the old Raritan” as the School of Social Work’s newest dean. She was ready to hit the ground running and was impressed with the work that had already been done to make the school a leading institution. “I was coming from the University of Denver, where I was associate provost for research, so it was important to me to be with a program that had a strong emphasis on research,” she recalls. “But I was also drawn to Rutgers because of its highly ranked MSW program, and its commitment to training students to be strong clinical social workers and effective leaders in management, policy, and advocacy.”

In the decade since, Potter has built on the school’s existing reputation as one of the largest and most diverse in the country, to become a leader in teaching, community engagement, student experience, and research. The result has been a significant rise in the school’s US News & World Report ranking, from 26 to 16, over the course of Potter’s tenure as dean.

“This is because of the dedication of our whole team,” she says. “I’ve been fortunate to be the dean of a great group.” As the school prepares to transition to new leadership, here are just some of the advancements Dean Potter is most proud of.

Expanding The Faculty

In the years before Potter’s arrival, the School of Social Work had nearly doubled the size of its MSW class without making many changes to the number of its faculty or staff. “One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of was our focus on faculty and staff hiring,” Potter says. This included a real push for high level researchers, seasoned teachers, and experienced practitioners as professional practice faculty. Most notably, 65 percent of these new hires

This year, Dean Cathryn Potter is stepping down from her post, after leading the School of Social Work through a decade of innovation, growth, and significant change. At the same time, the school welcomes two new senior leaders.