Our Mission

The mission of the Longwood University undergraduate Social Work Program is:

• to prepare practitioners who have a foundation in social work knowledge, theory and research through a strong liberal arts based education
• to prepare competent and effective generalist practitioners who become citizen leaders in their respective communities,while representing and empowering oppressed individuals, groups, and communities to improve the quality of life
• to reduce the inequalities in society through the use of social justice strategies and effective practice
• to contribute to the knowledge base of practice, research, and theory regarding the needs of diverse populations served by professional social workers.

Goals

• Provide strong liberal arts based education that incorporates coursework from the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and mathematics and computer sciences.
• Provide guided field instruction experiences that promote the delivery of effective services to diverse populations.
• Provide social work curricula that build on the knowledge and skills acquired in the liberal arts education and that focuses on research, knowledge, theories and skills that develop effective generalists' social work practitioners.
• Encourage understanding and respect for the person-in-environment conceptualization, diversity, inequalities and changing needs of a complex society and use this information to address social injustices.
• Support faculty and student research and knowledge building to ensure excellence in learning and teaching.