We are located near the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in
Southwestern Virginia and nestled in the New River Valley,
the University provides a serene setting for study and
learning and for family-community gatherings. While
numerous distinct cultures and a wide variety of
communities fall within the boundaries of the University's
interests, all believe in the importance and resilience of
the family. The mutual influence between the University and
the families and communities that surround it demands that
University, family, and community collaborate toward their
mutual goals.
The School of Social Work, grounded in the rural, small
city context of Appalachia and Southwestern Virginia,
builds on the strengths of its unique locale as a point of
departure for understanding differences. The School and the
University are committed to enhancing diversity of all
kinds and are particularly interested in reinforcing a
global perspective through the education of its students
who will live, work, and contribute in a multicultural
society.
Mission
Statement
The mission builds from the University's purpose and
mission to provide high quality educational programs at
both the undergraduate and graduate levels of study.
Consistent with the University's central focus, the School
of Social Work seeks to provide the highest quality
professional social work education in a context of
developing the student's moral and intellectual capacities.
The School recognizes that these capacities are realized in
light of two certainties: the importance of family and
community and the recognition that the enhancement of human
potential depends upon a critical understanding of the
multitude of human perspectives.
The mission and work of the School of Social Work at
Radford University is guided by values and beliefs that
filter through our teaching and learning, our scholarship,
and our service. The School is committed to the enhancement
of the quality of life for families and communities in the
region and beyond. We believe that the highest quality
social work education builds on the values and ethics of
the profession, integrating the principles of social and
economic justice - locally, nationally, and globally. We
also believe that a strengths-based perspective provides an
understanding of individual development and behavior across
the life span and of interactions among and between
individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Furthermore, we believe in the need to enhance human
potential through a critical understanding of human
diversity.
Given these values and beliefs, the mission of the School
is to extend the social work knowledge base through
collaboration with our surrounding communities, to provide
leadership in the social services, and to train culturally
adept, competent practitioners at the BSW and MSW levels.
The School collaborates with regional communities by
participating in the life of those communities, stimulating
scholarship, and contributing to the existing knowledge
base. We seek to serve as a catalyst for change in the
region, by enhancing and developing regional systems of
communication through the advancement of emerging
technology.
Goals and Objectives