Seven Years of Leadership: Dean Jeffrey Edleson's Tenure

Seven Years of Leadership

Looking back at Dean Jeffrey Edleson’s tenure

When Jeff Edleson began his tenure as Dean at Berkeley Social Welfare in August 2012, he brought over 30 years of expertise to the role, along with a knowledge of UC Berkeley and Haviland Hall shaped by his years as an undergraduate here. Seven years later as he steps into the role of professor, he leaves the School on a solid footing, poised to meet the demands of a changing field.

Dean Edleson presided over a significant changing of the guard among the faculty due to retirements and prior vacancies. Hiring trends for both Senate and Field faculty demonstrate a commitment to bringing diverse voices and perspectives into Social Welfare classrooms.

Since 2012, the overwhelming majority — over 90% — of Senate faculty and Field faculty hires have been faculty of color (11 of 12) and female (12 of 12). Currently, 57% of Senate faculty members in Social Welfare are female and 29% are from underrepresented groups — a substantial increase under Dean Edleson’s leadership. (Campus averages are 31% and 9%, respectively.) New faculty have also brought a diversity of research interests, and new research centers have been established on risk assessment, reproductive justice, health disparities, and prevention.

Dean Edleson’s tenure has also been characterized by an increase in external funding and faculty grant awards. The average faculty grant award has more than doubled from $327,730 in 2011–12 to $761,376 in 2017–18, and total external funding saw a 42% increase in the same time period.

I am particularly proud of the fact that Provost George Breslauer and I were able to bring Jeff Edleson here to Berkeley from the University of Minnesota in 2012 as the Dean of Social Welfare. Because of his leadership, the School of Social Welfare at Berkeley is well positioned to continue to play its historic leadership role well into the future."

- Chancellor Emeritus Robert Birgeneau

The strength of the School has been reflected in consistently high rankings for the Berkeley Social Welfare. Despite the School’s small size, the MSW program has been ranked third in the nation by US News & World Report for the last four consecutive years. In the first-ever national rankings of undergraduate social work majors, USA Today ranked Berkeley the #1 undergraduate college for social work in the country. Moreover, our Senate faculty continue to be ranked among the top group of scholars in social welfare.

The last seven years have also brought important transformations to Haviland Hall. As of Summer 2018, the School of Social Welfare is the only occupant of Haviland Hall for the first time in its history. (See p. 23.) Dean Edleson and his staff also oversaw other upgrades to Haviland to make it a more functional, welcoming space for students. In 2013, an office and a classroom were transformed into Haviland Commons, a lounge where students can work or just recharge their batteries — literally and figuratively — in a comfortable, welcoming environment. In the same year, a forlorn patch of dirt just north of Haviland Hall became the Nathan Grove, with picnic tables and outdoor seating offering a welcoming spot for students to gather.

Under Dean Edleson’s leadership, the School has made great efforts to expand research opportunities and financial support for doctoral students so that each student receives a commitment of four years of full support to complete their studies. The percentage of doctoral students receiving departmental awards has doubled, from 32% in 2012 to 67% in 2017. Social Welfare is one of the most generous departments on campus for PhD funding, second only to Engineering. This support has been made possible in part by the generosity of Social Welfare donors, many of whom have established endowed funds for student support.

Berkeley Social Welfare has also adapted programs to better support students. The BASW, MSW and PhD curricula have all been renewed in the last six years. Two new graduate certificates were added, one focused on social work with Latinx communities and the other in aging services. Social Welfare’s participation in Berkeley Connect has become a model for the rest of campus. (See p.24.) Thanks to a federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Latinx Center of Excellence was created to promote mental health careers among Latinx students by providing mentoring as well as enhanced training and educational opportunities. (See p.25.) The school is currently looking into funding options for a similar program to increase enrollments and improve student experience among Black students, with the end goal of addressing the shortage of mental-health social workers and scholars working in Black communities.

photo: Jeffrey Edleson, Ellen Ginsburg, and Lew Polsky, 1973

Chancellor Emeritus Robert Birgeneau had similar praise. “One of the pleasures in serving in senior administration is that one is able to attract outstanding leaders to our campus. I am particularly proud of the fact that Provost George Breslauer and I were able to bring Jeff Edleson here to Berkeley from the University of Minnesota in 2012 as the Dean of Social Welfare. This was a propitious time in the history of our outstanding School of Social Welfare because a number of faculty positions were opening up. Here, Jeff has truly excelled, appointing outstanding, diverse faculty to the School. Further, Dean Edleson has acted as a caring mentor for each of our new faculty. Because of his leadership, the School of Social Welfare at Berkeley is well positioned to continue to play its historic leadership role well into the future. Jeff is well known for his affability and accessibility as well as being a forceful advocate for his faculty. This accessibility has extended to the students whom he meets with regularly. Finally, I know from firsthand experience that Jeff has worked particularly well with the Social Welfare donor community. He will be greatly missed.”

What’s next? A sabbatical year, and then a return to Haviland Hall in Fall 2020 to continue as professor in the School of Social Welfare. Forty-five years after he graduated from Berkeley with a BASW in 1974, Edleson leaves an impressive legacy as Dean, and we look forward to his future contributions as a scholar and teacher.

photo: Professor Neil Gilbert, one of Dean Edleson’s mentors as an undergraduate, leads a send-off toast in Edleson’s honor at the Dean’s Circle Dinner on May 10, 2019.