Cultural humility, anti-oppressive practice, and social justice are values central to the profession of social work and our school. We seek to enhance human well-being and promote human rights as well as social and economic justice to achieve an equitable, healthy, and productive society. To do so requires understanding and dismantling personal biases (unconscious and conscious) and systemic injustices within our society and school. The Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work prioritizes diversity and inclusion work in all areas.
[This isn’t the school’s mission or vision but does include part of it.]
Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The school is in the process of creating a Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the content and direction of which is being informed by students, faculty, and staff. The objective is to scrutinize current efforts and provide a road map for ongoing and new efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The goal is to have a strategic plan that can be discussed by our community and stakeholders on an ongoing basis, so that we can coordinate short- and long-term efforts to ensure that each member of our community can contribute ideas and actions to meet our current and future diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. By having a strategic plan, we can also hold ourselves accountable to making change and assessing the outcomes.
Click on the link for more details and a current draft.
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Committee on Diversity
This committee works to develop and maintain an environment that will attract, nurture, and support diversity within the school, with particular attention to diversity and inclusion among students. Central goals of the committee include 1.) improving school climate by increasing opportunities to build community, and 2.) training students, staff, faculty, and community in ways that include leveraging diversity and intersectionality to improve course content, and create safe space and supportive learning environments. The committee includes faculty, staff, and students.
Contact co-chairs of the committee for more information:
History and Demographics of the School
[TO BE ADDED]
Supporting Black Lives
The summer of 2020 was one of uprising and awakening.
The killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed and so many more people is due to persisting racism sustained by white supremacy culture, demonstrating the historical and present racism specifically targeting Black people in our country.
In response, many of us are marched and in the street, affirmed that Black Lives Matter, demanded the end to the police violence and killing of Black people.
The school held several events and discussions that continue. Please check out:
Supporting Black Lives.
Events and Trainings
Every year the school hosts a number of events and trainings, such as the Social Workers Confronting Racial Injustice Conference, trainings for faculty on topics such as diversity, inclusion, racial injustice, and having difficult conversations in the classroom, and for agency supervisors focusing on cultural humility and strengthening supervisory relationships with students.
Events
[Questions for this one:
- Just SSW events?
- Which to include which not?
- We’re going to try to have one spot for all events on website. I think we’ll be able to categorize them as “equity” but that is TBD.]
Resources
Report bias or hate
UW-Madison campus climate
UW-Madison Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA)
National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics
Scholarships
Many of the 44+ scholarships offered to students provide financial assistance to historically underrepresented student groups. In addition, we are often able to offer Advanced Opportunity Fellowships for underrepresented graduate students in partnership with the Graduate School and College of Letters & Science.
Community read
In 2018, we started our first annual School of Social Work Community Read. Each year the book is selected with a focus on social justice and systemic oppression. It is voted on by students, staff and faculty, and integrated within activities throughout the year.
