Mission Statement

Through teaching, research, and service, the mission of the West Virginia University School of Social Work is to educate students to become generalist social workers at the baccalaureate level, advanced integrated practice social workers at the master’s level, and scholars who excel in research, teaching, and leadership at the doctoral level.

The School of Social Work mission is grounded in the purpose of the social work profession which is to “promote human and community well-being” (Council on Social Work Education[CSWE], 2022 p. 14). We offer undergraduate and graduate programs that are “guided by a person-in-environment framework, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry” (CSWE 2022, p. 14). Our programs promote social,racial, and economic justice and the “creation of conditions that facilitate the realization of human rights; the elimination of poverty; and the enhancement of life for all people, locally and globally” (CSWE, 2022, p. 14).

Our programs are further grounded in the core social work values of service, social justice, the dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, competence,human rights, and scientific inquiry (CSWE, 2022; National Association of Social Workers[NASW], 2021). These values, along with an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective,underpin our programs and frame our “commitment to respect all people and the quest for social,racial, economic, and environmental justice” (CSWE, 2022, p. 14).

Our programs are also contextual—from the Appalachian region where West Virginia University is situated, across the United States, and beyond—with respect to the needs and opportunities of communities and regions where our graduates serve. Contextual relevance is informed by local,regional, global, historical, political, economic, and cultural factors (CSWE, 2022).

We are committed to advancing the profession through “new knowledge, technology, and ideas that may have a bearing on contemporary and future social work education, practice, andresearch” (CSWE, 2022, p. 14).