As social workers, we operate in a society shaped by power imbalances that affect everyone.

These inequities – rooted in age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic location, health, ability, race, sexual identity, and income – link personal troubles to broader structures of oppression. We believe social workers must be actively involved in understanding and transforming these injustices, and in supporting people and communities to maximize control over their own lives.

Social work has long focused on the connection between private troubles and public issues, and remains committed to advancing social justice. We prepare students to practice across diverse social and community service settings and to reflect critically on their work as both professionals and citizens.

Through our research and community engagement, we address tensions within contemporary social programs and, in a rapidly changing world, strive to understand and challenge evolving forms of social inequality.