Developments in the Edleson Years

Explore a selection of milestones from Dean Jeffrey Edleson’s tenure as dean of the School of Social Welfare.

HAVILAND HALL EXPANSION

For the first time in its history, the School of Social Welfare is the only occupant of Haviland Hall. In summer 2018, the Epidemiology division of the School of Public Health moved into the Berkeley Way West building, and Berkeley Social Welfare gained access to all 51,000 square feet of Haviland Hall. Their former office suite, 101 Haviland, became Social Welfare’s new Student Services office. Under the old layout, students waited in a hallway and held conversations in offices shared among several advisers. Now students have a comfortable, welcoming waiting area and individual meeting rooms for their conversations with advisers; the new arrangement enhances confidentiality and overall student experience. Additional space was made available for the Latinx Center of Excellence. The LCOE is now located next to the Student Services office, making it easier for students to connect with resources and mentoring.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” — Dean Edleson

Research units that had previously shared space downstairs in the Center for Social Services Research were able to expand into larger, more private spaces upstairs. In December, the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) moved into the former CSSR space and other Haviland Hall offices, bringing all of the programs run under the auspices of the School of Social Welfare under one roof. For the School of Social Welfare to be the only program in Haviland Hall is an important milestone, but the real accomplishment is the increased opportunity for student support and collaboration made possible by these changes. Our next challenge? Bringing Haviland Hall fully into the 21st century.

BERKELEY CONNECT

With the motto of “You Belong Here,” Berkeley Connect was launched in 2014 with the goal of combining the intellectual strength of UC Berkeley with the supportive community of a small liberal arts college. Graduate students mentor undergraduates, both one-on-one and in small groups, under the direction of a senior faculty member.

Berkeley Connect makes a big campus feel small, and gives students an opportunity to take risks exploring new ideas about social solutions to society’s most vexing problems – all in the company of friends.” — Professor Jill Duerr Berrick, Faculty Director

One of 10 participating departments on campus, the School of Social Welfare’s Berkeley Connect program is rated by students as the best on campus. Approximately 100 students per year participate in Berkeley Connect through Social Welfare, an impressive number given that 160 undergrads are majoring in Social Welfare at any given time. (The program is open to all undergraduates, but the small-group discussions focus on themes that are specific to organizing departments.)

One reason for this success? Social Welfare’s Berkeley Connect program is generously supported thanks to endowed funding from the family foundation of Catherine Hutto Gordon (BASW ‘73).

While any undergraduate at a large university can benefit from building connections with peers and mentors, that experience can be particularly valuable for transfers and first-generation students as they navigate complex and sometimes impersonal campus systems. As Berkeley Connect expands across campus, Social Welfare’s program will no doubt continue to be a model.

LATINX CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Established in 2017 with grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Latinx Center of Excellence aims to address the shortage of Latinx students in mental health and to promote success among Latinx social work students through enhanced training and educational opportunities in behavioral health.

For Latinx students committed to serving their community, the LCOE provides financial support, undergraduate through postdoctoral pipeline mentoring, a Mexico summer immersion opportunity, and community building within the School of Social Welfare.” — Professor Kurt Organista

The LCOE has connected dozens of students with mentors. Undergraduates are paired with Latinx MSW students who can share their experiences and can provide support and encouragement for reaching academic goals. MSW students, meanwhile, are matched with alumni and local professionals for career advice and perspectives. The LCOE also provides writing and resource support to students.

In just two years, the LCOE has provided over $450,000 in stipends to 60 MSW students, including 20 participants in the summer “Sin Fronteras” program in Oaxaca. By helping recipients graduate with a lower debt burden, the stipends have the potential to open up broader career possibilities within Latinx-serving organizations. The LCOE has also enabled new options for field placements with Latinx-serving agencies, and more new partnerships are anticipated as the LCOE’s reputation grows in the Bay Area. Of course, the need for culturally competent social workers goes well beyond the Latinx community. Based on the success of the LCOE, a similar effort is under way to increase enrollment among African-American students. The model for this program is still under development; look for more details in future magazine issues!

FLEXMSW

Berkeley Social Welfare is excited to announce a new MSW degree program option: the FlexMSW, designed for audiences not previously reached through our traditional MSW program. Beginning in Fall 2020, entering students will be able to choose between a traditional two-year MSW, a three-year Extended MSW, and a one-year Advanced Standing MSW for students who have received a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an accredited program.

The three-year Extended Program option gives more flexibility to students are not able to participate in our traditional, full-time MSW professional degree program due to employment, family caregiving, or other obligations.

This new program aims to address a critical and growing shortage of professional social workers, in California and nationwide, by expanding the size of our graduate student population and making our programs more accessible to working professionals. Almost all schools of social work in the U.S. offer both a one-year advanced standing plan and a part-time MSW degree plan in addition to offering a traditional two-year MSW. The new FlexMSW will bring Berkeley Social Welfare’s programs into alignment with peers nationwide.

The one-year Advanced Standing MSW degree program will enroll qualified students who have received a baccalaureate professional degree in social work (BSW) degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Pursuing the MSW degree with Advanced Standing status allows students with accredited BSW degrees to bypass the foundational components of the MSW curriculum (given their prior exposure to social work foundational content in BSW programs), and enter the second year of the program directly. This reduces the units required for degree completion, allowing students to finish in two semesters and a summer.

Students can enroll on a part-time basis and complete the required foundational, specialized, and field education components over a longer period of time. Students in all three tracks benefit from the faculty, curriculum, and network of field placements that have helped make Berkeley Social Welfare one of the top-ranked MSW programs in the nation.

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