Social work receives eight-year accreditation, highest possible
Professor Dianne Rush Woods headed the social work accreditation team. (Photo: Diane Daniel)
- August 20, 2010
Cal State East Bay’s Master’s Degree in Social Work has been reaccredited for eight years – the longest time possible – by the Council of Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education.
“It was the best rating that we could possible receive. Our team of faculty and staff worked very hard on this process”, said Dianne Rush Woods, chair and associate professor of the Department of Social Work, who had prepared her department to expect the more typical four-year or six-year approval.
Statewide, 16 California State University campuses offer social work, but in the Bay Area only the University of California, Berkeley, and Cal State East Bay offer stand-alone master’s programs.
The CSUEB program, which opened in the 2003-04 academic year, educates social workers who in their roles as practitioners and advocates work in increasingly complex, culturally and racially diverse communities.
Students are charged with responding to societal problems, such as poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, family instability, mental illness, child endangerment and urban renewal. They are trained for autonomous practice with diverse populations of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
The accreditation ensures a quality education for the 70 to 135 students who graduate annually, and for the scores of persons they serve in professional positions primarily in the East Bay, according to Woods.
Preparation for the accreditation spanned two years and entailed a rigorous self-study of every aspect of the MSW program, including an honest review of strengths and challenges, standards, and an action plan for improvement, Woods explained.
In the ensuing eight years, the evaluation will convert from core objectives to core competencies.
Woods credits a large team of individuals for making the process a success, including Gale Young, interim associate dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, who walked the committee through the accreditation process; Phu Phan, assessment chair and MSW associate professor; Terry Jones, professor, and Sarah Taylor, lecturer, for revision and review; and Cindy Anderson, Title IV-E coordinator, for review and final preparation. All faculty and staff actively engaged in the preparation of the 1,500 page, six-volume document submitted to the council on accreditation.
As of June, the Social Work program at Cal State East Bay is one of 201 accredited social work programs in the U.S.