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50 Years of BSW Education

The School of Social Work is proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the accreditation of our Bachelor of Social Work Program

How We Got Here Tell Us Your Story! Meet Our Alumni News & Media

From Our Director

Female with short dark hair wears glasses, circle earrings, a blue blazer with a WVU pin.

Dear WVU School of Social Work Community, 

The School of Social Work is proud to share that 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Council on Social Work Education accreditation of our BSW Program. Originally accredited by CSWE in 1974, the BSW Program is the heartbeat of social work education at WVU. The program has produced more than 5,000 graduates who have filled a broad range of social work positions across West Virginia and beyond. 

The School of Social Work is proud of our strong and distinguished heritage in BSW education. We honor the students who have graduated from the program as well as the faculty who have taught in the program throughout the years. Your achievements and contributions matter. 

Congratulations to all of you on our 50th anniversary of BSW accreditation. 

Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer. Let’s go!

Deana F. Morrow signature

From Our Director

Female with short dark hair wears glasses, circle earrings, a blue blazer with a WVU pin.

Dear WVU School of Social Work Community, 

The School of Social Work is proud to share that 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Council on Social Work Education accreditation of our BSW Program. Originally accredited by CSWE in 1974, the BSW Program is the heartbeat of social work education at WVU. The program has produced more than 5,000 graduates who have filled a broad range of social work positions across West Virginia and beyond. 

The School of Social Work is proud of our strong and distinguished heritage in BSW education. We honor the students who have graduated from the program as well as the faculty who have taught in the program throughout the years. Your achievements and contributions matter. 

Congratulations to all of you on our 50th anniversary of BSW accreditation. 

Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer. Let’s go!

Deana F. Morrow signature

How We Got Here

The History of our BSW

1930s black and white photo of WVU students studying in the library

1938

WVU begins offering social work classes at the undergraduate level, called “pre-professional social work,” offering courses in compliance with membership in the American Association of Social Workers.

1944

The Department of Social Work is authorized to offer “Upper Division” curricula as a major leading to a B.S. Degree with a focus on preparing juniors and seniors to enter graduate social work education.

First black WVU graduate; male with a pencil and notebook interviewing a white male

1954

Thomas Fulton, head of Social Work Department, is interviewed for the Daily Anatheum by Jack Hodge, the first black WVU graduate (Journalism, 1954). Photo courtesy of West Virginia History OnView

Partial photo of Allen Hall as taken from the 1970's catalog

1974

B.S. degree with a major in social work becomes accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and is one of the first programs accredited nationwide! The curricular focus shifts to entry-level professional practice at the baccalaureate level.

1978

Degree type changes from Bachelor of Science (B.S.) to Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.).

2002

The first offering of 2+2 articulation agreements between the BSW program and community colleges, where students could earn an Associate’s Degree in 2 years and matriculate into the BSW program and earn their Bachelor’s Degree in just 2 more years.

Play Higher popup sign on a table with two students wearing virtual reality headsets

2022

A newly developed virtual reality simulation called Play Higher is offered to middle and high school students to teach them about social work and behavioral health.

Large group of social work students pose for a photo in the capitol building of Charleston, WV

2024

50th Anniversary of program accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Tell Us
Your Story

Calling all BSW Alumni! Tell us about your achievements and challenges, your thoughts and observations — let us know what you're doing and how the WVU Social Work program helped you get there.

Share Your Alumni Story 
Graduation cap that reads Be the Change you wish to see in in the World, BSW


Meet Our Alumni

  • Professional photo of a female with long wavy hair sitting on a couch.

    Carly Costello

    Class of 2013 (MSW) / Owner and Therapist at the Counseling Nook

    I am so glad I chose the route of social work! During grad school I felt empowered and just knew it was the right degree for me. My professors and peers in the social work program were inspiring and supportive. My mom was a therapist (LPC) and she encouraged me to pursue a MSW if I wanted to be a therapist because she said a Master's in Social Work was "more marketable"... I opened my own practice in September 2022 and have another therapist working with me now that went to grad school with me, Stephanie Majetich. My biggest tip for students now is to take advantage of all the resources you have being a student at WVU! Oh... and if you haven't been to therapy, GO, while you're still on your parents insurance or you can take advantage of resources for students. Take your LGSW exam as soon as possible while you're still in student mode, it definitely gets harder as time passes. You don't have to have it all figured out in school, learning continues beyond graduation. Your supervisor for licensure can be the most impactful mentor so choose wisely.

  • Placeholder for absent headshot. Flying WV with blue background.

    Denise Boudreau

    Class of 1987 (BSW) & 1989 (MSW) / Medical Social Worker

    The BSW program instilled a generalist perspective, providing a foundational understanding essential for advocating for clients. I transferred into the social work program from the WVU School of Nursing. I found that the school of nursing emphasized the negative aspects, while the school of social work focused on the positive. I integrate both approaches in my job, valuing the freedom of choice and encouragement of the good, taught by the school of social work, while recognizing the medical model emphasized by the school of nursing. I prefer the strengths approach while also valuing honesty. During my time, HIV and AIDS were emerging issues. While the school of nursing exposed me to the medical aspects, my later work with individuals affected by HIV and AIDS taught me the compassion I apply daily.

  • Women with short grey hair poses for a headshot. She is wearing a purple blazer.

    Evelyn Tomaszewski

    Class of 1980 (BSW) & Class of 1985 (MSW) / MSW Program Director and Assistant Professor at George Mason University

    My BSW internship at Legal Aid Society connected me to community and interdisciplinary work, and the programs generalist approach prepared me for my first job at a domestic violence shelter where I further developed skills across the micro-mezzo-macro levels of practice. Several years later, I completed the advanced standing MSW program, and the program’s integrated practice approach, with my own interest in community organizing and administration, set the foundation for a career in policy practice, education and advocacy. My time and relationships through both my BSW and MSW led to opportunities with local and federal government agencies and organizations, to be a lobbyist with West Virginia NASW, program director and policy advisor with the National Association of Social Workers national office, and now as MSW Program Director at George Mason University. To today’s student: be creative, build transferable skills across practice areas, follow your passion and adapt to new opportunities, take time to connect with your WVU community (and beyond) to grow your expertise and to build connections. Be the change!

  • Female with long wavy hair wearing sunglasses on her head stands in front of greenery with flowers.

    Lauren Verlinden

    Class of 2021 (BSW) & 2022 (MSW) / Mental Health Therapist for Children and Adolescents

    Now as a therapist for children and adolescents, I have been able to fulfill my biggest dreams because of the education, staff, professors and friends through the School of Social Work at WVU. Not only did the BSW and MSW bring me a career but also life long friends that I now get to watch grow in their own careers and stand by them during on their biggest days. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and people this program and field have brought me! Any tips I would give incoming Social Work students would be to get involved, show compassion to your professors (they are human too), and take the licensure prep course! It really will help!

Read more Alumni Stories

News and Media

WVU School of Social Work celebrates 50th anniversary of BSW accreditation 

Press Release / April 4, 2024

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program in the WVU School of Social Work is celebrating 50 years of accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).  

The BSW program was accredited in 1974 and has remained a cornerstone of social work education at WVU. It was among the first social work education programs in the country to receive CSWE accreditation.  

"We are immensely proud of the legacy and impact of our BSW program over the past 50 years. The accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and students," said Gregory Dunaway, Dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.  

Over the last 50 years, the program has produced more than 5,000 graduates who have made significant contributions in the field across West Virginia and beyond. 

“The School of Social Work is proud of our strong heritage in BSW education. Those of us presently serving in the School of Social Work recognize that we stand on the shoulders of the many social work faculty leaders who came before us. We are working diligently to both preserve and advance the distinguished program they and our graduates built,” said Deana Morrow, Director of the School of Social Work. “The 50th-anniversary celebration is not just a reflection on the past but a commitment to building an even stronger future for social work education at WVU.” 

The School of Social Work is currently developing an online degree program option for the BSW program, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2025. This online program will complement the existing campus-based BSW program, providing greater accessibility and opportunity for students and helping to address a critical need for more social workers in Appalachia.   

In addition to the BSW degree, the School of Social Work also offers a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program and a PhD degree program. Currently serving over 350 students across its three programs, the School plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of social work in West Virginia and beyond.  

Female student in the library looks for a book

“The 50th-anniversary celebration is not just a reflection on the past but a commitment to building an even stronger future for social work education at WVU.”

Deana Morrow, Director of the School of Social Work.