Strategic Plan
Background
Diversity of faculty, staff and student body
Describe the intellectual, racial and gender diversity of your faculty, staff and student body. How have these groups evolved over the last decade?
As part of our strategic planning process, faculty and administrators at SSW recently affirmed several core values: social and economic justice, multiculturalism and diversity, and an urban focus. These guide our commitment to produce well-trained social work professionals through the highest quality education, to contribute knowledge through research in an intellectually curious environment, and to maintain a strong relationship with the community essential to our educational and scholarly mission.
Over many years, SSW has maintained a strong focus on diversity within its faculty and student body. Currently with 26 of 27 full time slots filled, the faculty is a moderately diverse group: 8 (31%) are faculty of color (2 African American, 3 Latino/a, 3 Asian/Pacific Islander), 8 (31%) are men, and 4 (15%) self identify as gay or lesbian. One more faculty member will be hired this spring and the search for a new Dean will begin in late spring 2006, offering two additional opportunities to increase diversity. Moderate diversity is also evident among 18 current administrative staff, 4 (22%; 3 African American, 1 Asian) and 12 support staff, 3 (25%; 2 Black, 1 Asian). SSW has one administrative opening and two staff openings, again offering the opportunity to increase diversity.
The Admissions Office of SSW has long sought to admit and retain a diverse student body. Currently we have 16.8% (62 of 368) students of color (20 African American/Black, 20 Latino/Hispanic, 10 Asian, 1 American Indian, 11 other). In the past several years this percentage has ranged from 11 to 18%. With regard to gender, social work is a predominantly female profession in the US and abroad. At SSW, we enrolled 13% male students last year; since 1995 percentages of male MSW students have ranged from 7.5 to 15.3. The gender enrollment rate is consistent with our application percentages.
Describe strategy for enhancing diversity in the decade ahead.
Please see the section on diversity in long-term goals.
