Join us in making sure future Jayhawk Social Workers receive the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience they need to help people and transform lives.
Join us in making sure future Jayhawk Social Workers receive the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience they need to help people and transform lives.
The KU School of Social Welfare prepares students to transform lives and combat humanity’s most challenging problems. Social workers are everywhere. They assist struggling parents who need to find childcare and teens living on their own with no permanent home. They help young adults battling substance abuse and older adults dealing with memory loss. No matter where they are, social workers are dedicating their lives to helping people.
Guided by the Strengths Perspective, KU Social Welfare tackles problems with positivity by focusing on strengths, resources and opportunities. The school teaches evidence-based, practical approaches and advances the science of social work through scholarship and research. Our students begin this work before graduation, as they learn to serve individuals, families, groups, organizations and whole communities with integrity and competence.
Graduates from the KU School of Social Welfare are change-makers sought after for their capabilities, character and kindness. They go out into our communities and develop human potential, promote individual well-being and bring about a more just society. Jayhawk Social Workers are building a better world for all of us.
There is a need for more social workers in Kansas, particularly in rural areas. By supporting our desire to offer more student scholarships, you can make a KU Social Welfare education affordable for more compassionate problem-solvers and grow the field. Partnering with us to provide resources for exceptional faculty and capture the school’s intellectual legacy also will help us ensure our society can meet the challenges ahead.
Now is the time to make a transformative gift to the KU School of Social Welfare to address the following priorities:
School of Social Welfare graduates serve our communities and answer the call to make our world a better place. Social work salaries are often modest, and social welfare graduates have comparatively high student loan debt and a long repayment period. In recent years, 75% of our bachelor of social work graduates and 80% of our master of social work graduates have taken out student loans. Scholarships allow our graduates to pursue their passion to create social change, without having to worry about excessive financial burdens.
Social work students complete a required internship as part of their degree. While some students are paid for practicum placements by agency stipends or other funds, many are not. It is not uncommon for our students to commute 30 miles for their practicum, and the cost of items such as fuel, car repairs and childcare has the potential to become a barrier to completing this degree requirement. Funds for this effort will provide scholarships and stipends to support students while they gain real-world experience that is a vital piece of their social work education.
KU is known for its impressive legacy in the field of social welfare, including the development of the Strengths-based approach in the mid-1980s. The school is recognized as a leader in the field and receives dozens of calls each year from experts worldwide, but it does not currently have a professorship to grow the Strengths legacy. Through an endowed professorship, we will be able to recruit and retain expert faculty who will reshape and enrich the way we approach the Strengths Perspective, impacting thousands of future Jayhawk Social Workers and raising the stature of our school and university.
Stay Up to Date on the Campaign
While we strive for perfection, typos happen. Please report them.
1891 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS 66047 | PO Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044 | 785•832•7400 | 800•444•4201
