Dear SDSU School of Social Work Community,
Welcome to the Fall semester of 2020! We hope that all of you had a restful, healthy, safe, and wonderful summer! Though we begin our new academic year in a very different manner, we are so excited to see our new incoming students (in undergraduate Social Work and Gerontology programs, MSW graduate, and Joint Doctoral Programs) joining our School, and also our returning students coming back safe and healthy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our Spring semester of 2020 made our educational program look so different from our normal campus life. As it still ravages the nation and globe, we start our new academic year in the SDSU Flex plan.
Added to the challenges of the pandemic is increased attention and call to fight against systematic and chronic racism in the wake of Mr. George Floyd. Our nation has witnessed so much pain and outcries against acts of brutality and insensitivity. Our School prepared and issued the Statement on Social Justice in June 2020 to take part in the movement to reduce and end racism and proposed specific actions. One by one, our School is now taking such steps throughout this academic year.
Despite the changing fluid environment and context, our School remains committed to educating and nurturing our Social Work and Gerontology students so that the quality of their educational experiences will not be compromised, rather, their competencies for social work practice can be enhanced. Faculty and staff will work to ensure that our students will engage in their learning, in a safe and stimulating environment on the foundation of social justice, inclusion, and diversity to acquire knowledge, skills, and values necessary for social work practitioners.
I truly believe that we will learn many invaluable lessons throughout this academic year and achieve all of our personal, professional, and organizational goals when we practice great communication, understanding, patience, and care for each other. As a group of educators, practitioners, and students dedicated to advancing the well-being of the vulnerable population, when we come together, we can turn this challenge into more meaningful and powerful opportunities for all of us!
I wish you all the best and blessings in this new academic year! Please always stay healthy and safe!
Jong Won Min, Ph.D., MSW
Director
School of Social Work
