Overview of the Department

Focusing on individuals, groups, and entire populations from a strengths-based, solution-focused approach, the profession of social work pursues social justice and personal empowerment by drawing on human strength and individual faith experiences. The Social Work Department of Andrews University offers you the tools you’ll need to make an impact.

Whether you want to work in the inner city, in the classroom, or around the world, Andrews University will prepare you with an education based on excellence, action, and Christian compassion. We will prepare you with knowledge, values, and decision-making skills that may be used in a variety of settings and situations.

Our department mission summarizes and energizes our efforts in the field of social work: Preparing individuals for excellence during a lifetime of professional service and Christian compassion in action. Rather than simply meeting minimal standards, we strive for excellence. We emphasize a lifetime learning partnership that will take you where you want to go. At Andrews the Christian perspective in social work comes to life. You’ll develop practical skills for making a difference in the lives of hurting people and within broken communities. Here you will prepare to excel professionally while making friends for life.

Department Mission Statement

The Andrews University Department of Social Work, through excellence in teaching, research, and service, prepares students to be effective, knowledgeable, and qualified for practice in the twenty-first century. Graduates will enhance individual and community well-being, celebrate difference, and promote social and economic justice for vulnerable populations. As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian institution, we build and disseminate knowledge, values, and skills that positively impact the local and global communities; affirm faith by integrating Christian compassion in action within generalist social work practice; and change the world through enhancing the quality of life for all people by upholding the traditions, values, and ethics of the social work profession.

Department Motto

The motto of Andrews University Department of Social Work is "Preparing individuals for excellence during a lifetime of professional service and Christian compassion in action."

Departmental Statement of Philosophy

We, the faculty and students of the Andrews University Social Work Department, strive to be a community joined together in excellence, compassion and a desire to serve others. While each student is not required to hold the following beliefs, our department strives to affirm the following philosophy in classroom, field and interpersonal interactions:
We rejoice
   • In a personal, loving God who cares about all persons and gives us 
     freedom of choice;
   • In our capacity to be loving, joyful, spiritual human beings who were 
     made in God's image;
   • In our ability to live in healthy relationships with God and our fellow
     human beings;
   • In the privilege of interacting in communities where we can
     demonstrate God's mercy, love and healing;
   • In the transformational power of the Gospel to renew us in the image of
     God.

We affirm
   • That God loves all people, regardless of race, ethnicity,
     age, class, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, religious
     belief, health status, ability, choice or action;
   • The life and example of Jesus, who modeled a life of compassionate
     service to others and sought to end institutional and social oppression
     and improve the lives of others in the here and now;
   • That all people possess strengths and are resilient and capable of
     love, respect and self-determination;
   • The values of self-determination, individual worth and dignity and the 
     importance of life.
We lament
   • The institutional and social pain which humans inflict on one another,
     whether rooted in power, religious intolerance or secular philosophy;
   • The injustice and violence which pervade our communities and our
     world;
   • The fear and selfishness expressed in racism, sexism, anti-Semitism,
     and homophobia which separate us from one another;
   • The exploitation of the earth and its poor for economic gain;
   • The ways in which those with power attempt to impose their beliefs and
     will on the powerless, whether because of religious or secular dogma,
     ignorance, ideology or personal gain;
   • The ways we fail to demonstrate consistently God's message of peace,
     hope, impartial justice, holistic healing, and unconditional love for all
     communities and all others.
We urge
   • Faculty to model compassion, Christian servant leadership, excellence
     in teaching, community service and research;
   • Staff to offer service and support in ways that empower students,
     faculty, and stakeholders to achieve the mission of the department;
   • Students to carry forward the department's mission with
     professionalism, compassion, and dedication to preserve and heal all
     God's creation.
   • The entire social work department to demonstrate a commitment to
     excellence in practice, the mediation of understanding, and life-long
     learning.

Department Goals

  • Prepare competent, ethical, Christian social workers who are committed
    to integrating their faith with their social work practice to deliver
    evidence-based, effective interventions to diverse client systems of
    various sizes, including clients in international settings.
  • Prepare students who are committed to utilizing research-informed
    professional knowledge, values and skills to strengthen policy and
    practice effectiveness that will support and/or enhance the social and
    economic well-being of clients.
  • Prepare students to apply effective critical thinking skills for problem-
    solving and promotion of social justice and human rights within a world
    of global diversity, difference, and oppressive forces that impact
    marginalized populations.
  • Prepare students to identify and apply the content, context, and
    breadth of the human development and behavior experience within
    practice.

Department Competencies & Practice Behaviors

Bachelor of Social Work and Masters of Social Work - Foundation Year
The Bachelor of Social (BSW) year goals and the Masters of Social Work (MSW) Foundation Year Goals reflect the content as outlined in the Educational Policy and Accrediation Standards. They demonstrate the inclusion of all BSW & MSW EPAS competencies and practice behaviors of social work and are consistent with the Departmental mission. The goals provide that prior to the completion of the BSW or Foundation year, students will demonstrate the following:

Foundation Competencies and Practice Behaviors

The BSW curriculum centers on preparing students for entry level professional practice or admission to an MSW or other graduate program. While the foundation-year curriculum centers on preparing students for generalist practice, input from the practice community and consultants has been helpful in framing, refining and adapting a solid theoretical generalist definition for developing foundation curricular objectives.
Generalist social workers assess clients' (individuals, families, groups, organizations and/or communities) environments and decide which levels of which systems should be the focus of intervention. Social workers utilize broad-based liberal arts knowledge of the human biological, psychological, social, political and economic systems and, as change agents, choose from a repertoire of techniques and skills.

The generalist practice model includes five elements which are integrated throughout (McMahon, 1994):
   1) An ecological systems perspective
   2) A problem focus
   3) A problem solving process
   4) A multilevel approach
   5) An open selection of theories and interventions

The generalist approach utilizes a problem solving model sometimes called the Generalist Intervention Model (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 1993). Steps included in the model are assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, termination, and follow-up. This model can be adapted to a broad range of psychosocial practice settings. The ecological and social systems perspective provides a framework for integrating the generalist practice model across the nine content areas of the CPS. The generalist problem-solving method is the most universally held perspective among social work practitioners. While this method is the primary intervention method mastered in the bachelors level and foundation year course work, students are also exposed to a variety of other theories and interventions. In keeping with the mission and bias of our program, students are expected to incorporate a strengths-based perspective. The knowledge-base of the generalist practice model reflects systems theory, a person-in-environment perspective and knowledge of an individual's behavior within his/her social environment. Students are guided by professional values and ethics that they have related to societal and personal values. They are not specialists in any one method or theoretical approach but maintain a level of knowledge and competence transferable to a variety of settings and situations. Core among these are social justice and human rights.

By the time a student graduates with his/her BSW degree or enters his/her foundation year (MSW) practicum, he/she should be able to demonstrate broad-based, beginning level knowledge, values, ethical decision making skills, and competence in using the generalist intervention model. Students are placed in agencies in which they are able to demonstrate generalist knowledge, values, and skills in a variety of situations and with a variety of client populations.

Advanced Competencies and Practice Behaviors

 Our Advanced Practice supports both micro and macro practice interventions. Both direct and indirect practice is tied to the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In light of the contemporary managed-care practice challenges, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been heavily applied to clinical practice.

Department Faculty & Staff

Department Communication

The Social Work department does the majority of its outside communication through the Andrews e-mail system. The student is responsible to receive messages sent by the social work department. All students must have an Andrews e-mail account which is obtained through ITS (Information Technology Services).  Once you have an Andrews’s account, messages can be forwarded from your AU (Andrews University) account into an account of your choice. This can be done by going to http://www.andrews.edu/students/technology/index.html. Click on "Computing User Services." Log in. Under heading of password / mail forwarding, click mail forwarding management (it knows your Andrews account) click other and type in your “other” E mail address. 

It is recommended that each student check their E-mail account throughout the week and before classes on Monday for the most up-to-date information. All students are responsible for information sent through the Andrews e-mail system.

If you are having problems with your e-mail account contact ITS (Information Technology Services) at ext. 3455.

Departmental General Operational Policies

• Mail Folders for all BSW & MSW students are located in the file cabinet at end of the hall.

• The office manager’s computer is not for student use. Limited computer use is possible in the GA Research lab (usage rules apply; see below).

• A limited number of computers are available in the GA Research Lab.  On Mondays, when most Graduate Assistants are not working, the lab will be available for you to use for quick tasks. When computers are available, students are limited to one half-hour per day.  Students will need to bring their own media to save files, as no saving of info on hard drives is allowed. We encourage students to use the computer labs in Bell Hall and Chan Shun Hall for their regular computer needs. 

• Please allow the Graduate Assistants to do their work by leaving them alone while they are working in the research room. We need to be sure that the Graduate Assistants can get their projects and tasks completed without regular or lengthy interruptions.

• Printing to department printers (including those in the GA research lab) is not available to students. If students wish to print, they should go to a computer lab (located in Bell Hall, Chan Shun Hall, and the Library, at a fee charged directly to student’s account).

• Students may use the copier in the field assistant’s office for small jobs (cost: 10 cents/page).

• A fax machine is available (costs are listed above the machine).

• Students should check their Andrews e-mail account regularly to look for departmental communication. To access your e-mail account, go to https://secure.andrews.edu/squirrelmail/src/login.php.

• Students with children need to find childcare arrangements prior to class time. Since classes meet only once a week it is especially important that you be in attendance. Should a childcare emergency arise, please contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss options. Leaving your children in the department or lounge area during class time is not appropriate childcare.

• If you are unable to reach department personnel by phone, you may leave a message. Please clearly state your name and phone number so that we can get in touch with you.

• At the beginning of the school year, all students should give the office manager updated contact information so that faculty will be able to get in touch with you as needed. Should your address or phone number change, it is your responsibility to inform the department.

• The student lounge will be available every day until 5:00 p.m., except on Mondays, when it will be open later. Please keep this area clean, since you share it with other students. Food may be stored in the refrigerator, but please clearly label your items and remove them by the end of the week. Items left in the refrigerator will be removed Monday morning.

• Please recycle.  Use blue recycle bins for duplicating paper only.