Maine Perspective Front Page
School of Social Work to Mark Two Anniversaries
UMaine's School of Social Work is preparing to celebrate two anniversaries this summer. It has been 20 years since the undergraduate degree program was first accredited and 10 years since the first MSW students were admitted to the graduate program.
Classes in social work and social welfare have been available at UMaine since the 1950s. The classes were first taught by members of the Sociology Department. In 1972, the social work major was developed.
The BASW program was granted initial accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in 1979 and has been fully accredited ever since.
The two-year graduate program leading to a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree was approved by the Board of Trustees in 1987; the school was fully accredited as a two-year Graduate of Social Work Program by CSWE in 1991, re-accredited in 1995.
To celebrate the anniversaries, the School will hold a Symposium and Reception June 2 at the Black Bear Inn. An awards presentation and address will be held 4-5:30 p.m., followed by a social hour. A dinner reception will be at 6:30 p.m.
The keynote address will be given by King Davis, Visiting Libra Professor in the College of Business, Public Policy and Health. Davis has been a professor of public mental health policy and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work since 1984. He is a former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services.