Wayne State University School of Social Work

Wayne State University School of Social Work

Established	1936
Parent institution	Wayne State University
Location	Detroit , Michigan , United States
Website	socialwork.wayne.edu

Wayne State University School of Social Work is the graduate school for social work of Wayne State University.

History

The school's history dates to an undergraduate courses in social work that was begun at Detroit City College in the 1920s.[1] In 1931, the school's social work curriculum was formalized to include case work.[2] In 1936, Wayne University established a School of Public Affairs and Social Work.[3] The school's founding was approved the university's Board of Governors in 1935.[4] The school's early curriculum included courses in assessments, governmental correspondence, municipal sanitation, personnel administration, abnormal psychology, government accounting, and municipal law.[5]

In 1950, the public affairs program was moved to a new Department of Public Administration within the College of Liberal Arts, and the current School of Social Work emerged as a stand-alone school focused on social work.[3][1]

The school was initially housed at the Williams House, where Gov. G. Mennen Williams was born. The Williams House was demolished in 1956.[6]

In 1971, the school's black students and faculty requested a separate program for black students. The faculty approved the request, triggering protests from a white faculty member who argued that the separate program "amounts to the use of public money for segregated facilities."[7]

Wayne State University has maintained accreditation from the Accreditation Commission of Social Work Education since 1975.[8]

In March 1981, the School celebrated the golden jubilee of social work education at Wayne State.[2]

In 1990, the School of Social Work purchased the Thompson Home for Old Ladies, a landmark building located at the corner of Cass and Hancock in Detroit. The Italio-Victorian building, completed in 1884, was renovated by the school and has housed the school for more than 20 years.[9][10] The Thompson House was slated to be converted into student housing in 2016.[11]

Rankings and reputation

In 2024, the school was ranked 36th out of 319 for social work by the U.S. News & World Report.[12]

See also

List of social work schools

References

1. Wayne State University, 1965-1966; Profiles: A Report for the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. 1966. pp. ii and 209.
2. Henry V. Bohm, Paul J. Pentecost, ed. (2000). Reminiscences of Wayne: Memoirs of Some Faculty and Staff Members of Wayne State University. Wayne State University Press. p. 286.
3. "Wayne State University Has Long, Rich History". The Holland Evening Sentinel. May 15, 1968. p. 34.
4. Wayne State University Official Proceedings Board of Governors Vol. 8 1963-1964. 1964. p. 1071.
5. "Variety Bills". Chicago Tribune. November 21, 1937. p. 7-3 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Evelyn Aschenbrenner (2009). A History of Wayne State University in Photographs. Wayne State University Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-8143-3282-5.
7. "WSU Teacher Protests Separatism". Detroit Free Press. June 3, 1971. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
8. Wayne State University Official Proceedings Board of Governors Vol. 19 1974-1975. p. 2574.
9. "History of School of the School of Social Work". Wayne State University. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
10. Michele V. Ronnick, Marlise Beaudoen (2005). Detroit and Rome: Building on the Past. The Regents of the University of Michigan. pp. 100–101. ISBN 0-933691-09-2.
11. "Wayne State revives neighborhood, piece by piece". The Detroit News. March 7, 2016.
12. "Best Social Work Programs". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved March 23, 2018.

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