“Never has our world needed more educated, principled and resourceful leaders who can anticipate emerging challenges and lead social work innovation at the local, national and global levels.” –MARILYN FLYNN, DEAN USC SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” —JANE ADDAMS, FOUNDER OF THE SETTLEMENT HOUSE MOVEMENT OF THE 1880S, WHO INFLUENCED USC’S COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE.
SHAPING THE 21ST CENTURY
USC Social Work at the Forefront
The USC School of Social Work is a trailblazer, seizing opportunities to advance the profession through innovative social work education and scholarship that set the pace for the highest standards of practice, policymaking and research that will shape the 21st century. Now the nation’s largest and fastest growing school of social work — educating students in nearly every state by way of its highly regarded on-campus and online academic programs — the USC School of Social Work is celebrated for its rigorous career preparation and scientific contributions. The school’s reach and impact are global. Universities, organizations and governments from around the world look here for expertise in social work education, clinical practice, research and program innovation. The same vision and pioneering spirit that helped the school shape the field of social work is today propelling an ambitious $75 million fundraising initiative. The purpose is to address ever-increasing societal needs, advance scientific accomplishments and meet unprecedented student demand for advanced social work education. Part of the $6 billion Campaign for the University of Southern California, the USC Social Work Initiative will ensure support for the best students, highly accomplished faculty, cutting-edge discovery and improved social work practice around the world. school of firsts • First top-ranked Master of Social Work degree offered nationally • First to offer MSW with specialized concentrations
• First to endow a center for scientific social work research • First large-scale military social work program
• First to use evidence-based practice training in internships • First national field education placement network • First to develop the model of policy practice
SHAPING THE 21ST CENTURY
Lives, Communities and Organizations
Just as medical research leads to vaccines and treatments that save untold numbers from illness and death, social workers use research to identify existing and emerging societal needs, and develop new strategies and practices to meet these needs. Social work research has led to significant innovations that have greatly improved our world. It was social workers who pioneered unemployment relief, child labor restrictions and numerous other programs designed to help lift families out of poverty. Today, social workers remain on the front line addressing society’s problems and developing 21st century solutions. They form the backbone of social services for children and families, the homeless, the elderly, veterans and those affected by mental illness. Social workers lead charities and nonprofit organizations; they are essential members of multidisciplinary scientific research communities; they formulate and implement social and governmental policies. They also support individuals in all stages of life in a vast spectrum of settings, including schools, hospitals and health clinics, juvenile justice and child protection agencies, homeless centers, think tanks, and government and community-based organizations. To understand the impact social workers have on society, imagine a
world without them. Who would protect the severely abused child, find her loving foster or adoptive parents, or help support parents in providing better care? Who would stand on the road in a war-torn country, waiting for a convoy to arrive, consoling soldiers traumatized by what they have lost or witnessed? Who would give families of the sick and dying the critical resources, hope and understanding to manage these crises with grace and strength? Who would find shelter for the homeless, comfort and counsel abused women, or help the disabled and elderly achieve greater independence and self-confidence? Who would give voice to the helpless, advocate for the disenfranchised, and help communities address problems of disaster, violence and loss? Social work is work — hard work — sometimes with the most challenging of human and societal problems. It is also among the most rewarding and meaningful careers. With your support, the USC School of Social Work will cultivate the talents and passion of emerging practitioners and leaders in social services; advance the understanding of social issues through research; and promote innovations in practice, policy and management. Join us as we shape a better world.
“The USC Social Work Initiative is an unprecedented opportunity to become part of something that we cannot accomplish on our own. The moment has come to step forward to support the passionate, dedicated men and women who devote their lives to our families, friends and communities through their service, leadership, teaching or research.” —J. SCOTT WATT, BOARD OF COUNCILORS CHAIR
T H E U S C S O C I A L W O R K I N I T I AT I V E
Investment in Distinction and Diversity of Students
Scholarships ensure that no able student is denied the opportunity of learning and achieving distinction in the USC School of Social Work because of financial circumstances. A significantly increased scholarship endowment will enable the school to provide more substantial support, and to more students. Additional merit-based scholarships will help the school continue to attract students with exceptional potential to advance the field of social work through service, policy and research. Scholarships earmarked for diversity will create new opportunities for talented students from a wider range of backgrounds, enriching the academic community with broad world views and life experiences. And scholarships focused on particular fields of study will ensure attention to the breadth of need in our communities, and to emerging areas of practice and policy. Today, nearly 90 percent of those who apply to the USC School of Social Work require significant financial assistance. The school’s average scholarship meets only 7 percent of the cost of attendance for full-time students, forcing many students to take on long-term debt, causing them to delay their education or preventing others from attending at all. Yet a graduate degree is a must for clinical work, licensure or certification, and career advancement in this profession. At no time in history has scholarship aid been more essential for our future as a society and to the individuals who will constitute its professional workforce of social workers. stunning realities reflect the need to provide greater support for our scholars:
• Most have to take student loans, graduating with debt averaging $92,000.
• More than 80 percent of USC social work students depend on the Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loan, but changing rules for federal loans will make fewer eligible.
• Military education benefits are shrinking — in particular, the G.I. Bill awards for veterans attending private institutions have been reduced by more than 50 percent, putting an extraordinary burden on the school’s large veteran student population.
• Students in the nationwide web-based Virtual Academic Center — the school’s online MSW program — are unable to take advantage of key funding sources available to those who attend classes on one of the school’s campuses in California.
T H E U S C S O C I A L W O R K I N I T I AT I V E
Investment in Faculty and Academic Leadership
The USC School of Social Work has built an unmatched reputation for identifying pressing needs in society and for developing innovative programs to address those needs. These programs are led by a distinguished faculty who are called upon for their expertise locally, nationally and internationally.
greater impact and a central position in shaping the field of social work in the 21st century. However, great leaders are a prerequisite, and it is essential to recognize such outstanding scholars and practitioners through honored appointments to endowed chairs, professorships and directorships.
Emerging nations around the world are just beginning to introduce the social work degree and to build modern social service institutions. Those countries often look to the USC School of Social Work to provide models for these critical developments. Similarly, established social work schools and professional programs frequently seek to partner with the school in state-ofthe-art research and teaching programs. Because of its size, the outreach of its programs and the entrepreneurial spirit so notable at USC, the school has unique opportunities for even
Faculty of the USC School of Social Work are equally devoted to their work as educators, mentors and role models. Retaining these extraordinary faculty and attracting additional visionary professors will ensure the school maintains its leadership position, provides an education second to none to new generations of social work practitioners and policymakers, and develops new evidence-based advances that strengthen the profession and the service it provides to individuals, communities, governments and organizations.
T H E U S C S O C I A L W O R K I N I T I AT I V E
Investment in Applied Science, Research and Innovation
Science combined with compassion and optimism is one of society’s highest achievements. The USC School of Social Work is extraordinary in its dedication to the science of social work, believing that great research institutions are the most innovative environments for ensuring the social work profession meets the needs of society in the 21st century. Social work research is focused almost entirely on the question of implementation — which services are most effective, which services can be offered most efficiently, and how communities and organizations can best be organized and supported to meet social needs. The school’s research generates fresh ideas, new solutions, and important refinements of existing practices, and technological innovations that prepare students and professionals. The USC School of Social Work has led the academic social work community in drawing broadly from other disciplines as a way of spurring the search for new ideas. It is particularly distinguished for work in areas including mental health and resilience of veterans and military families, school violence, social media and virtual reality interventions with homeless youth, foster care and child maltreatment, substance abuse, and successful aging. Public agencies — including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development — have long relied upon the USC School of Social Work for its research expertise. While the school is unquestionably a leader in transformative research for the field and consistently ranks among the top five social work research institutes, according to the National Science Foundation, much work remains to be done. Philanthropic funding for the USC Social Work Initiative will expand the groundbreaking work being conducted at the school and provide seed funding for new exploration. It also will extend the impact of this work through wider dissemination of findings, additional interdisciplinary collaborations here and around the world, and enhance training for the next generation of researchers in sophisticated methodologies that span quantitative, qualitative and disciplinary approaches. The result will be the acceleration of scientific understanding and applications that affect real world problems and needs.
T H E U S C S O C I A L W O R K I N I T I AT I V E
Fundraising Priorities
The USC Social Work Initiative will raise $75 million, providing the investment necessary to develop highly trained practitioners and visionary leaders who will shape the 21st century.
Investment in Distinction and Diversity of Students
$30 million
Support for student scholars — our future practitioners, innovators and social leaders — is the cornerstone of the initiative. Scholarship resources have not kept pace with the extraordinary increase in the number of talented students from across the nation whose passion for helping others is far greater than their financial resources. Priorities include: Dean’s Leadership Scholars Partial-Tuition Awards Yellow Ribbon Scholarships for Military Veterans and Spouses Internship Stipends PhD Dissertation Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships Emerging Leader Fellowships Investment in Faculty and Academic Leadership
$25 million
Great academic programs begin with outstanding faculty. For the USC School of Social Work to continue to advance the profession through education, innovation and academic leadership, it must increase the investment in its faculty and leadership. Priorities include endowed support for the following: Dean’s Chair Associate Dean of Faculty Associate Dean of Field and Community Practice Associate Dean for Research Advancement Center and Institute Directorships Senior Faculty Professorships Mid-Career Professorships Visiting Professor Fellowships, including Fulbright Chairs Young Scholar Professorships Clinical Faculty Professorships Investment in Applied Science, Research and Innovation
$20 million
Social work applies scientific discoveries to the real world, testing them against the reality of community and organizational life and employing practical wisdom in their use. The school’s research is organized into institutes, centers and research clusters of faculty with allied interests. Priorities include: Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families Center for Asian-Pacific Leadership Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging Research Cluster on Behavioral Health Research Cluster on Child Development and Child Welfare Research Cluster on Homelessness and Housing Stability Research Cluster on Management, Organizations and Policy Transformation Research Cluster on Serious Mental Illness and Recovery Research Cluster on Substance Use and Abuse in the Americas
SHAPING THE 21ST CENTURY
Why Invest in the USC School of Social Work?
solutions to complex problems that can The USC School of Social Work is serve as models across the country and an undisputed leader in social work around the world. education and research. Its faculty and alumni have played key roles in expanding the impact of social workers, Whether addressing the needs of those traumatized by war or homegrown furthering knowledge and innovation violence, tackling the persistence of through evidence-based research, and health disparities, or influencing policy influencing social policy decisions on issues relating to poverty, injustice locally, nationally and globally. or homelessness, social workers lead major institutional change throughToday the school is among the highest out the public, private and nonprofit ranked graduate social work programs in the country, as well as the largest and sectors. They work tirelessly to develop research-based strategies to transform fastest growing. Students increasingly seek to study with the best minds, pur- individual lives as well as our society. suing advances in practice and research Your support will not only help shape that will place them at the leading edge the future of the profession, but also help reshape the world. of their profession and provide them the opportunity to develop creative
“Today’s great universities are called to address global challenges, spark creativity, invent and innovate, connect people, and help improve quality of life. There is a future to be created, and there is a distinctive USC approach to such creation. It is an approach characterized by boldness and a readiness to challenge convention. The time has come to bring the USC approach to bear on the deepest issues of the human condition.” –C. L. MAX NIKIAS, USC PRESIDENT
For more information, contact: USC School of Social Work 213.740.7205 or visit www.usc.edu/socialwork