By: James Fagan, Staff Photographer
The University of Southern Maine’s School of Social work started in 1972. And has been host to students from around the world since then. The mission statement of the University of Southern Maine’s School of Social Work is as follows, “The University of Southern Maine’s School of Social Work is committed to educating culturally competent social work practitioners for multi-level, strengths-based practice that values social justice, in order to enhance the well-being of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.”
During the 2017-2018 school year the School of Social Work is hosting a series of convocation events based around the theme of “Race and Participatory Democracy” These events have ranged from bringing public speakers into our community to co-hosting film screenings. This series of events has begged us to inspect the various communities we are a part of with a close eye, ranging from the high structures of our Federal Government, all the way to our tight community here at USM. Convocation events will continue to be hosted by the University of Southern Maine throughout the Spring semester.
Several convocation events of the Fall semester included “Life as a Muslim Girl in Maine: a Panel Discussion,” which featured a traveling photo exhibit created by a group of Muslim women trying to stop the use of Islam as a way to discriminate against women, “Every Big Dream Starts Somewhere,” a presentation by Walgreens Chief Diversity officer, Steve Pemberton, about his life in foster-care, and “Racial Equity, Nonprofit Programming and Implicit Bias,” a lecture by Laura Ligouri, founder and executive director of Mindbridge, about implicit bias and how the brain leads us to certain conclusions about the world around us. These events have spread a message in our community saying that we will stand in solidarity with one another, no matter our background, no matter our differences, we will stand together.
Though our School of Social Work has seen students from many diverse backgrounds, the fact remains that only seventeen percent of all Undergrad Social Work major students are male. While that makes sense, as Social Work is often seen as a female dominated field, Seventeen percent is a far lower number than could be desired in such a necessary field as Social Work. Though it’s true that the level of male Social Work students may seem low, it leaves room for growth, and with new students from diverse backgrounds coming to the University of Southern Maine all the time, that number probably will grow.
To earn a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Southern Maine one requirement is that all students take three intermediate level classes in fields like Sociology, Psychology, and Women’s Studies courses, among others. This helps to ensure that students in this field have a broad view of different issues surrounding not only issues they may face in the field, but also how they can help solve those issues when they face them.
During the final year of the Social Work program students are expected to do field work with social work agencies in the area. By the end of the school year each student is expected to have worked at least 480 hours in the field. This helps to put everything the students learned into practice, further inspiring students to continue to work hard to better the lives of others around them.
The Social Work program at the University of Southern Maine was recently re-accredited for another four year period by the Council on Social Work Education. In order to be accredited Social Work students must meet certain specific competencies. Some of these competencies include “Applying Critical Thinking,” “Applying Ethical Principles” and even “Identifying as a Professional Social Worker.” The University of Southern Maine’s last Social Work accreditation process took place in 2014, and this year’s accreditation will last until 2021.
Overall the University of Southern Maine’s Social Work program is one that provides many students with inspiration to help others around them and better any community they may be part of. The Social Work program offers many students skills they will use in the field every day, including skills involving ethics, critical thinking, experience with diversity, and experience in fields like Sociology and Psychology, which are all crucial to be able to work in the field.