The School of Social Work embraces the profession’s commitment to the dignity and worth of all people, with particular attention to those who are vulnerable. We view social and personal problems as resulting from complex interactions between people and the structures of society itself, and we work to address those problems at the level of public policy, community organizations, families, groups, and individuals.
In November 2024, Syracuse University announced that as part of a plan to reshape its human dynamics programs, as of July 2025, the School of Social Work would be housed within the School of Education. This announcement came after four months of assessment and cross disciplinary collaboration by members of the Human Dynamics Task Force, co-chaired by Rachel Razza, Associate Dean for Human Dynamics, and Peter Vanable, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.
This transition allows for closer collaboration between two units that share historical commitments to inclusive pedagogy and practice and reciprocal community partnerships across Central New York. It also positions the University’s education and counseling programs to leverage the School of Social Work’s expertise in online teaching and its dedication to veterans and military-connected families.
School of Social Work
244 White Hall, Second Floor
Syracuse, NY 13244
The mission of the School of Social Work is to prepare competent, compassionate, and socially responsible professionals who address human need and promote social, economic, and environmental justice in a rapidly changing world through the strengthening of services, interventions, and policies.
Our collaborative and interdisciplinary approach fosters learning across disciplines, recognizing the interconnectedness of social issues. Social workers share a fundamental commitment to social and economic justice through practice that increases the wellness of vulnerable people.
Job opportunities for social workers are expected to increase much faster than the national average, making a social work education more valuable than ever.
Social work education prepares graduates to work in a wide range of professional settings, including mental health care, hospitals, schools, child welfare, substance abuse treatment, services for older adults, supportive housing, and federal, state and local government.
Social workers also lead not-for-profit organizations, guide service users through complex health care systems, lead labor and other community organizations, assess the strengths and needs of communities and individuals, engage in social research, serve in public office, facilitate adoption, and provide psychotherapy to individuals, families, and groups.
The School of Social Work Bachelor of Social Work (BSSW) program prepares undergraduates to work at a generalist level across the scope of our field. And our innovative Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program offers two license-eligible tracks of graduate study:
1930s
During the 1930s, Syracuse University students are offered undergraduate courses in social work—taught by executives of local social service agencies—through the Department of Sociology and College of Home Economics.
1945
The University’s adult education unit offers graduate social work courses through a cooperative agreement between Syracuse and the University of Buffalo.
1950
The University begins a first-year social work program with a field placement component, enrolling 50 students served by one full-time professor.
1955
The University inaugurates an independent School of Social Work, initially funded by the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation. Twenty-eight full-time and 40 part-time students matriculate in 1956. The School’s first home—400 Comstock Ave., aka “Crouse House”—is donated by Mrs. Huntington B. Crouse, Class of 1899.
1956
Howard Gundy is named the School’s first Dean.
1957
The School is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the first such school at a New York private institution outside of New York City.
1958
A Ford Foundation grant establishes the Youth Development Center, the nation’s largest university-community venture concerned with the welfare of children and the training of future social workers.
1962
A collaboration among the School of Social Work, Youth Development Center, and School of Education, the Madison Area Project focuses resources on improving the lives and learning of “culturally disadvantaged” students in Syracuse city schools.
1963
The School of Social Work, Youth Development Center, and the Social Work Library move into three buildings at 926 South Crouse Ave.
1964
Social Work becomes the only such school in the nation to run a social services agency. Central Village Services serves 500 low-income families and provides adult job training.
1968
The School establishes an Undergraduate Division in cooperation with the colleges of Liberal Arts and Home Economics, departments of Sociology and Psychology, and the Division for Continuing Education and Manpower Development.
1969
The School receives a grant to develop a Model Cities Program for the Aging.
1972
An accelerated master’s degree program for advanced standing students is created.
1972
The all-University Gerontology Center allows students across the University to pursue a concentration in Aging Studies.
1974
The School moves to Brockway Hall, part of the Brewster, Boland, and Brockway residence halls complex.
1975
The Social Work bachelor’s degree program becomes the first of its kind in New York State to be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
1977
Professor Claire Rudolph receives a grant to develop a Maternal and Child Health Care program.
1980
Social Work students initiate the Social Justice Awards to honor community members. The awards are later named for former faculty member Daniel Rubenstein and his wife Mary Lou, a school social worker.
1988
Students Suzanne Miazga and Kesha Weedon are killed in the Pan Am 103 terrorist attack over Lockerbie, Scotland.
1992
The School receives a five-year grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish interdisciplinary child welfare training.
1994
The School of Social Work moves to Sims Hall.
1994
A gift from Board of Visitors Chair Martin Yenawine and his wife Linda establishes the Yenawine Institute for Corporate/Community Partnerships.
1996
A donation by alumnus G.P. Zurenda G’91 establishes the Zurenda Fund Initiative, to improve knowledge and skills regarding alcohol and drug addiction.
1997
Syracuse’s Zeta Gamma Chapter of Phi Alpha, the national social work honor society, is founded.
1998
Professors Carrie Smith, Nancy Mudrick, and Claire Rudolph receive a grant to evaluate kinship care, in collaboration with Onondaga County, Catholic Charities, and Elmcrest Children’s Center.
1999
The School and Rosamond Gifford Foundation join forces to present the Exchange Forum, with the goal of stimulating social and systemic change in Syracuse.
2000
Professor Eric Kingson implements the first Social Work Legislative Policy Day in Onondaga County, sponsored from 2006 by James Stone G’64.
2000
The University Vision Fund underwrites the E-Racism initiative, a collaboration among the School of Social Work (led by Professor Carrie Smith), School of Education, and the Syracuse City School District.
2001
The School of Social Work and College of Nursing, along with two departments in the College for Human Development, form the multi-disciplinary College of Human Services and Health Professions, with William Pollard as founding Dean and Bruce Lagay as the School of Social Work’s first Director.
2002
A gift from the Alan B. and Barbara Mirken Foundation establishes the annual Alan B. Mirken New York City Social Work Immersion Trip.
2002
The School’s graduate and undergraduate student organizations merge to form Social Workers United.
2003
The School of Social Work—along with the Child and Family Services and Marriage and Family Therapy programs—receive a five-year grant to implement the Promoting Child Welfare project.
2007
The College of Human Services and Health Professions is renamed the College of Human Ecology.
2008
Led by Professor Nancy Mudrick, the School initiates a study abroad program—the RECOS Trinational Seminar—during which students visit human service agencies in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
2011
The College of Human Ecology is renamed the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Social Work alumna Diane Lyden Murphy ’67, G’76, G’78, G’83 is named founding Dean.
2011
The School establishes the University Aging Studies Institute, a partnership between Falk College and the Maxwell School.
2014
The School of Social Work moves to White Hall.
2015
Under Director Carrie Smith, M.S.W. concentrations in Advanced Clinical Practice and Advanced Integrated Practice are offered.
2017
Onondaga County declares April 21, 2017, “Syracuse University School of Social Work Day” to coincide with the School’s 60th anniversary.
2021
Students are admitted into the online Master of Social Work program.
2025
The School of Social Work is integrated into the School of Education, allowing for closer collaboration between two units that share historical commitments to inclusive pedagogy and practice and reciprocal community partnerships across Central New York.
2026
The largest scholarship investment ever made to the School, an anonymous donor gives $1 million to support students through the Genovese Social Work Scholars Program, named for Professor Jennifer Genovese G’83, G’13.