Mission & Goals

Departmental Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Social Work at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is to promote human well-being and advance social justice through teaching, research, service, and field education. We prepare competent and effective generalist and advanced generalist social workers who are leaders both in expanding the profession's knowledge base and in developing socially just service delivery systems. Our graduates are committed to pursuing culturally responsive practice with an emphasis on working with American Indians as well as working in underserved communities including rural and medically underserved communities. The education we provide is based on the knowledge, values, and skills of social work and is grounded in the profession's history, purposes, and philosophy.

Goals

In order to prepare generalist and advanced generalist practitioners who are grounded in the values and ethics of the social work profession, the Department of Social Work at UMD developed the following six goals:

  1. To prepare generalist and advanced generalist social workers who are committed to actively pursuing culturally responsive, ethically informed practice and social justice.
  2. To conduct research that contributes to the social work knowledge base and promotes effective, evidence-informed social work practice.
  3. To promote learning and community service through engagement with diverse communities on the local, regional, national, and international levels.
  4. To promote American Indian family and community preservation as part of a larger effort to achieve social justice through teaching, research, service, and field education.
  5. To prepare generalist and advanced generalist social workers for effective practice with American Indians, especially in underserved communities.
  6. To promote best practices in generalist and advanced generalist practice (i.e. child welfare, community/organizations, mental health) through teaching, research, service, interdisciplinary training, and field education.