2 minute read
My Dear Community
MARIANNE R.M. YOSHIOKA, M.S.W., MBA, PH.D.
Like all of you, SSW is adjusting to the effects of this global pandemic. As social workers, we are focused on the impact of COVID-19 on under-resourced communities, as educators we are faced with the challenge of moving our program to alternate modes of instruction for summer 2020 and as human beings we are all struggling to adjust.
This pandemic has highlighted our sociocultural, political and economic disparities in new and painful ways. So many in our SSW community are finding innovative methods to bring aid to those most in need while also voicing the urgency for greater justice. I am so grateful for our alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends who continue to band together and generate not only inspiring visions, but also incredible actions.
Care and concern for the safety of our students and the community has been at the forefront of every difficult decision we’ve made over the last months. As calls for social distancing moved to mandates for sheltering in place, we quickly recalled students from their field placements around the country. We have since taken up the task of how to deliver a top educational experience through alternate modes of instruction. This is no small feat and our faculty are being characteristically thoughtful in how they will (re)create meaningful learning experiences. As so much of our program centers around the vibrant, supportive community created each summer, we are focusing on the ways we can create an equally supportive community remotely.
Like our programs, this issue of InDepth is only available online. I think you will find that while we have had to find flexibility in our methods of delivery, we have not compromised the high quality for which we are known. In this issue we pay homage to former Dean Howard Parad who himself represents excellence in clinical practice education. We also examine our long-standing commitment to teaching a strong foundation of psychodynamic theories as part of an excellent clinical social work education. And finally, this issue highlights faculty and alumni on the cutting-edge of healing the painful stigmas endured by HIV-positive clients.
As a community we have so much to be proud of. While each of you manages your daily concern for yourself and your loved ones, you are finding myriad ways to support not only our students but also each other. We’ve seen it through donations to our newly created emergency fund for students, through webinars to teach best practices in telehealth and in countless other unseen, but equally significant, ways. I remain certain as we continue navigating these unprecedented challenges that even from a distance, our SSW community will thrive. ◆
