When the University of Alabama School of Social Work was established in 1965, there were fewer than 100 trained social workers in the state. To meet this critical need, the Alabama legislature tasked the School of Social Work with creating educational programs to produce highly skilled, highly versatile social work practitioners. Since then, the school has graduated thousands of licensed social workers who have strengthened communities across Alabama, the nation and the world.
Just as the nation was navigating the civil rights movement and charting a course toward racial equality during the founding of the school, a similar social chasm has revealed grave inequalities and inequities in contemporary society, signaling the need for stronger, more innovative social work research and educational programing.
The School of Social Work has outlined our campaign priorities to meet the challenges of today and the needs of tomorrow. As you review the priorities we have set forth, know that creating an even more innovative and impactful program requires collective effort. This involves you. How can you help the School Social Work transform and progress?
The heart of our Rising Tide Capital Campaign efforts is centered around impacting our students, our communities, our state and our nation. Without question, achieving our goal of raising $6 million will be transformational. It will create a legacy for our school to be a vanguard for social work education, advocacy, research and service. We are excited for the future, and we look forward to celebrating success, change and impact with you.
Dr. Schnavia Smith Hatcher
Dean
