Colleagues,
Last week, many of us attended the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in Atlanta. This year’s meeting was an important one in that we discussed and strategized with respect to the current state of social work education, changes that new legislation in a growing number of states brings, practicum education, advances in AI, and a whole host of other matters near and dear to each of us who do this important work that changes lives for the better.
I returned home with much gratitude for our University and School, for each of you, and for the opportunities and resources we enjoy. We are in an enviable position among our peers. We are well-positioned to lead as we advance our School’s mission to “provide national leadership to promote social and economic justice, alleviate critical social problems, and enhance human well-being.”
We also had a memorable reception Friday night that set the bar high for the years to come.
If you were able to attend CSWE, thank you. It’s important for our faculty especially to be present at this meeting and to represent our school. If you were not able to attend this year, I urge you to do so next year, and if you need financial support to do so, please let me know.
I want to recognize the significant planning and complicated logistical work around the reception and exhibit space that several of our colleagues led and executed with distinction: J.D. Moore, Rebecca Haden, Dante Vargas, Rogelio Bautista, Marian Mahaffey, Monica Urso, Sarah Swords, Erin Cantrell-Martinez, Lorena Sanchez, Isaiah Jones, Mia Vinton, Esther Rocha, and Kamar Nassor.
I’m grateful for all of you.
Allan Cole
Dean
Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professor in Social Work
Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Courtesy Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dell Medical School
The University of Texas at Austin