On behalf of our faculty and staff in the School of Social Work, I would like to extend a warm and special welcome to all of our new and returning students as we begin the Fall 2018 semester. We have students across all levels joining us this academic year (BA students in Social Work and Gerontology, MSW, MSW/MPH, MSW/JD students, and PhD students in our joint doctoral program with UCSD in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use).
As the new Director of the School of Social Work, feelings of excitement and anxiousness are crisscrossing in my mind. Emeritus Professor, Dr. Melinda Hohman, our former Director, in her many years of service to SDSU, the School of Social Work, and to the community, has many accomplishments and is leaving me with some big shoes to fill. I would like to recognize her work and devotion to our School, especially because she has put our School in high gear in three areas: student engagement, faculty engagement, and community engagement. At the same time, I would like to recognize some of our faculty, who recently retired, for their excellent contributions in scholarly work, research, and service to our School, the University, and the Community: retired Lecturer and Undergraduate Field Education Director, Ms. Kim Archuletta and those who joined the rank of Emeritus status, Drs. Melinda Hohman, Susan Woodruff, and Thomas Packard.
As we are heading into Fall 2018 (and a new academic year), our School’s priority will be to continue our excellence in education and research among both students and faculty. While celebrating our past work, now would be the perfect time for us to rebuild our School. In particular, I would like to encourage all of our students, faculty, and staff to set your minds and hearts on “success” in each and every aspect of your work. Such success should be attained based on fundamental principles of diversity and inclusion. Our profession and field of research and practice should serve as a beacon of our society and for those individuals suffering in the shadows. I would like to invite all of us to engage in constructive and productive dialog on how we can, not only succeed in everything that we do, but also thrive.
I hope all of you will have a successful and wonderful semester!
Jong Won Min, Ph.D., MSW
Director
School of Social Work
