From: William A. Anderson, MSW, PhD, LISW
Chairperson, Department of Social Work
The Social Work department is an outstanding example of what our university does best. Our major builds a professional curriculum on a liberal arts base. Our students integrate service to the community with their academic education. Our graduates become employed in positions of responsibility throughout the Midwest, and our faculty contribute research and service to their university, service region, and professional communities.
The Social Work Program has a defined, progressive, sequential curriculum. We build a strong foundation and structure student progress through a planned program. A firm grounding in liberal arts anchors the major. Social Work students must be able to access information, reason clearly, write persuasively, and speak effectively. The curriculum requirements include content on social work values and ethics, diversity, social and economic justice, populations-at-risk, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, and research. Students complete a pre-professional internship of 150 hours plus a professional practicum experience of 440 hours.
Social Work is a professional major. We have maintained our accredited status by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for preparation of baccalaureate Social Workers since 1974. Graduation from a CSWE-accredited program is a requirement for licensure in Minnesota and many other states. The accrediting body influences the nature, content and structure of our curriculum, while the faculty develop the unique professional learning experiences that help make our alumnae so positively regarded in the practice community.
The Social Work major attracts many students to our campus. We draw students from the Twin Cities and northern Iowa as well as from our southern Minnesota service region. Many students commute long distances to attend our well-known and accredited program. Many of our students are transfer students who come to Minnesota State University, Mankato to complete their degree in Social Work. We also serve a wide range of student age groups from traditional students beginning their search for a career through older non-traditional students who have found their career interest later in life.
We annually serve 200-300 majors, with a target of graduating 50 students each year. Admission to the program is limited to the best 25 applicants each semester, with applications judged on a range of criteria including GPA, volunteer and work experience, teamwork and leadership skills, written and oral communication, and potential for furthering the mission of Social Work.
The academic performance of our students has been recognized through scholarship awards from the department, the university and external supporters. Our students also distinguish themselves through their community service as part of the required academic experiences but also through their extensive volunteer work. The extracurricular service of our students has been recognized through Community Service Awards from local agencies through the Governor's office. Students have been honored for serving on Advisory Boards, developing advocacy organizations, publicizing social needs, raising funds for local agencies and leading community youth groups.
The Social Work Student Organization (Social Work Club) has received a wide range of campus and communities awards for the work on behalf of clients. Individual students were recognized in 1990, 1996, and 2001 as "BSW Student of the Year" by the Minnesota chapter of NASW.
Social Work licensure has increased the demand for graduates with an accredited social work degree, as well as the specific demand for graduates of our program. Students from Minnesota State University, Mankato have an extremely high rate of passage on the national licensure exam, as well as on the state civil service exam.
The Social Work program has an exemplary record in placing graduates in professional employment. In the Mankato area alone, our graduates have directed and staffed the battered women's shelter and the homeless shelter. Alumnae are employed at hospitals, nursing homes, county social services, community action programs, and many other types of programs. We also have alumnae employed in social agencies across the United States, and in the Bahamas, Singapore, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Our alumnae have also been successful in graduate programs. MSW programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, and California have recently graduated alumnae of our program. Other alumnae have pursued degrees in law or have pursued graduate education here at Minnesota State University, Mankato in fields such as corrections, human services planning and administration, and counseling and student personnel.
Graduates have been honored for their contributions to the profession. One alumna was chosen as "Teacher of the Year" by her school district in recognition of her outstanding work as a school social worker. Another graduate was recognized by the ARC as an outstanding advocate for persons with developmental disabilities. Another graduate was named "Gerontologist of the Year" in Minnesota. In 1996, an alumna was named "Social Worker of the Year" for the state of West Virginia.
Graduates remain involved with the program. Alumnae refer students, notify the program of job openings, and support scholarships with donations. Some alumnae serve as practicum or internship supervisors and others are active on the Community Advisory Board of the Social Work Department.
Social Work faculty are dedicated to teaching. Faculty evaluations confirm that faculty are achieving excellence in the classroom and are also highly rated as advisors. Social Work faculty serve as mentors to students as they complete their Senior Paper projects. Faculty also are expected to represent the profession in the classroom; each faculty member is an experienced social worker, representing a wide range of practice settings including public social services, child welfare, corrections, mental health, and medical, school, and geriatric social work.
Our faculty are active in professional and community organizations from local agencies through national organizations. Faculty have served on the board of the national licensure organization ASWB as well as the state licensure boards in two states. Faculty have been very involved in practice organizations such as NASW and MSSA as well as academic organizations such as MCSWE, BPD, and CSWE.
Faculty publications have appeared in The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, International Social Work, Journal of Social Service Research, Social Work, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, Community Mental Health Journal, New Technology in Human Services, Journal of Social Work Education, and many others. Faculty have presented research findings at conferences throughout the United States and internationally at meetings in England, Finland, and Kuwait.
Community service is also a priority for faculty. Faculty have served the county departments of human services throughout the region as members of advisory boards and task forces. Faculty have also served on advisory boards for regional treatment centers, school districts, community action agencies, battered women's shelters, the area agency on aging. Faculty members have been instrumental in the development of the local food shelf and the local homeless shelter.
Faculty members have recently focused on internationalizing the curriculum. In addition to a new elective on Global Human Needs, faculty have current connections with professional and service organizations in the United Kingdom, Finland, Holland and Japan. In recent years, students have completed service learning or academic work in Guatemala, Finland, and Bristol, England.
The Social Work program is a model for quality indicators chosen by Minnesota State University. Over 75 percent of the major is upper division courses. The teaching techniques recommended in recent critical thinking workshops have been staples of social work instruction for years. Faculty are experts in educational technology and the use of the internet. All courses include an emphasis on using a multicultural perspective. Students learn research skills as well as strong skills in verbal and written presentation. Students graduate with a distinguished resume of practice experiences.
The program has high academic standards. Students must have at least a 2.8 GPA to be admitted to and continue in the program. Each student completes a capstone experience that demonstrates that they have integrated their learning experiences and can apply the curriculum to Social Work practice. Graduates of the program score well above the national average on the licensure exam and perform well on the state merit exam. Graduates have a very high job placement and report strong satisfaction with both their employment and the education that prepared them for their work. Alumnae identify positively with the program and often remain active in their association with Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Department.
The Social Work Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato is a center of excellence. The program serves its students, the university, and the community. The program is dedicated to preparing students for a lifetime of professional service.
