IU School of Social Work is headquartered on the IUPUI campus with locations on 8 IU Campuses. The school also has the Department of Labor Studies
Our graduates have realized their dream of earning their degree. Indiana University School of Social Work is proud of your accomplishments and, though we cannot gather in person, we can join together online to share this moment. Congratulations, graduates!
A Message from the IUPUI Program Directors
MSW Class of 2020! You all are the first cohort I’ve been with from beginning to end since I started full-time as lecturer. You’ll always hold a special place in my memory for that…and for a million other reasons. You’re so fiercely passionate and incredibly talented. I’m so grateful you chose social work to be the recipient of the gifts that are your passion and talent. My hopes for you, going into the field, are for you to remain diligent in your passion, critical in your approach, and gracious in your humanity. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on me, on this school, and the field of social work. Congratulations. You so deserve.
It has truly been a privilege to work with the graduating MSW class of 2020. Your intelligence, commitment, passion, and capacity have been evident from the start and you leave with these qualities enhanced, prepared with skills and knowledge to enter the social work profession. I would encourage you to be confident in the belief that what you have gained in this graduate experience will consistently and significantly make a difference in people’s lives. Although you will no doubt be confronted at times with what you don’t know, humility in this acknowledgement and the willingness to continuously develop will also create exceptional opportunities. Understandably, the cancellation of the graduation ceremony this year makes the moment bittersweet. Graduation is a rite of passage, a formal statement of accomplishment suggesting both finality and new beginnings. My hope is that despite the loss of experience, you will wholeheartedly celebrate your outstanding achievement, embrace your professional role as a social worker, and welcome the countless possibilities for the future. I am grateful for each one of you and wish you much success in this new life journey. Congratulations!
Now maybe more so than ever, we are witnessing the incredible power of community! People working collectively to share resources, to support one another, to ensure we are not just surviving but thriving. It is more obvious than ever before that the stewards of this community, the cultivators, connectors, the organizers are social workers. Our unique position in society is one to be nurtured - it is not for the faint of heart but takes a deep commitment to sacrificing one's own comfort to advocate for greater equity. This means speaking up even when you doubt your own voice, it means thinking strategically even when you doubt your own ideas, it means using your power to uplift those historically excluded from policy and practice decisions. Because of this, you have chosen a journey that will not always be easy, but it will always matter. Your choice to impact and fight for people you have never even met is what we need now. And you are courageously taking the next step of your journey! You have the tools you need, now is time for action. Remember self care is self liberation. Solidarity will get us through - we are not meant to walk this journey alone. *We are unstoppable, another world is possible!*
I’m so proud of our MSW graduates, I know how hard you all worked and how much you supported each other. We built a supportive network for your future careers. As I mentioned many times, we’re not about competition, we’re about collaboration! You have the knowledge, skills, and values! You have a solid professional network and you are prepared to make data-informed decisions! I can’t wait to see the wonderful things you’ll do!
I wish to express my pride and joy at the excellent accomplishments of our graduating students in the MSW program. You have made so many very proud. Your dedication, passion and perseverance have lead the way. I know you will be excellent professionals and practitioners with clients as you serve in neighborhoods and communities that are local, national as well as global. I wish you many years of great achievement as a Social Worker and the fortitude to face the challenges that lie ahead. I hope you always see IUSSW as a home base and continue to be a part of our great school by participating with our Alumni Association. Congratulations on receiving your MSW degree. Well deserved!
I think one of the most important things to think about as you launch your MSW career is getting good supervision in your first job. I did not have great supervision right out of school and my boundaries and clinical judgment suffered as a result. When I got into another job with a great supervisor, I was really able to grow professionally and do much better self-care. The difference was huge and it put me on a much better path. Your first year out of school sets up your MSW career trajectory, so it is important to find a supervisor who really invests in you and isn’t just about making sure you meet your productivity. If you don’t have a social work supervisor, network and find someone who would be willing to provide some supervision to you, even if you have to pay them something. It’s worth it to invest in yourself as this is YOUR MSW career, the one for which you have worked so hard. There is a lot at stake. Best wishes, class of 2020!
Congratulations to all the IUSSW graduates of 2020. I would encourage you to look at your entire journey toward getting your Bachelor , Master or Ph.D degree in Social work, not just the last few stressful weeks. It is still a great accomplishment, even though there will not be a graduation ceremony. There will always be challenges in life, be flexible and solution focused. Lastly, to paraphrase from the serenity prayer, accept the things you cannot change, have courage to change the things you can, and wisdom to know the difference.
It has been an honor to work with those of you who choose Mental health and addictions. I cannot tell you how proud of each of you I am – this was not how you planned to end your MSW education – and what a ride it has been – but each and every one of you have risen to the challenge and have provided much needed services to hundreds of clients – taken care of yourselves, managed your families and the additional stress of covid - and made it to graduation! You have been my rock each and every day as I too navigate the future of retirement – amidst this new world we live in – thank you all for making me proud!
Class of 2020 – I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of all of you! Graduation is a huge accomplishment under any circumstances. You have persevered under incredibly difficult circumstances. Many of you are dealing with stresses about which we don’t even know. Your willingness to see this through is inspirational. You are entering this career in a time where you will be desperately needed. I know you will use the skills you have learned here to make a difference. I am excited to watch you work with individuals dealing with the incredible stresses of these times, but also to watch you work to change the systems which have made these times even harder. The social justice imperative of social work is needed in this moment. You will be part of making the systems better. Congratulations. While we may not be able to celebrate you in person, know we still celebrating you!
Congratulations! Welcome to our profession!
Congratulations, and welcome to the profession! We are grateful to have you join us in our mission to serve communities locally, nationally and abroad. As you enter the field, remember to keep service and social justice at the forefront of all of your efforts!
You have accomplished a significant achievement. Your education and expertise can certainly improve the lives of others. This unprecedented time in history amplifies the need for social workers. Thank you for your willingness to make the world a better place. Remember to take care of yourself as you support and advocate for others. Congratulations!
Congratulations, IUSSW Class of 2020!!! Completing your undergraduate or graduate education in the middle of a pandemic is quite remarkable. On top of finishing an undergraduate or graduate degree, some of you have received honors or awards, been inducted into Phi Alpha, competed for scholarships, finished dual degrees, or completed additional challenges like the inaugural Community Behavioral Health Academy. Many of you have earned your degree while working full-time, caring for children or other family members, or overcoming other personal stressors, barriers, or obstacles. You have much to celebrate right now! The perseverance you have demonstrated by completing your degree will help take you far in life and in your career. I hope all of you retain your humility, empathy, critical thinking, passion for social justice, and dedication to the individuals, families, and communities you will serve throughout your career. Don’t forget that together, you are a force to be reckoned with and can change the world-- one person, organization, or system at a time. I can’t wait to see what all of you do. Congratulations!
Hello to all our IUSSW 2020 Graduates! I wanted to take just a moment to send a BIG CONGRATS to each of you as you reach this important milestone — completing your degree. For those of you that I had the good fortune of learning with in our classroom — I could not be more proud that we shared even just a bit of your journey with one another! To each and every one of you, I hope you feel uniquely celebrated in the midst of this incredibly challenging time. I wish for you a life and career filled with love, power, growth, and service — may we cultivate these things within us and all around us.
Congratulations Graduates! While this milestone will go down in the books for more reasons than one, I challenge you as you enter the profession and blaze your path to always remember it takes bravery to challenge adversity. Your resiliency in accomplishing your goal despite our current unique circumstances illustrate what a force you will be as you venture into the social work field. You deserve this, you earned this, and I am so excited that I am able to celebrate you!
Class of 2020- The fact that we cannot honor your success in person grieves me, but please do not doubt for a moment how proud I and my colleagues are of you. Do not allow this situation to diminish your accomplishment. Your social work journey is not ending at graduation, but beginning. You have each fought so hard to be here. You have taken the unexpected that life has thrown at you and flexibly did the best you could with it, all with the goal of making this world a better place. This is what social workers always do. Congratulations colleagues. Please stay in touch
Special Congratulations to you all. While you did not get the chance to participate in traditional graduation ceremony, you guys actually need to be congratulated and celebrated on multiple fronts. The resiliency and tenacity with which you ended your last semester in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that you have come to a successful end of a degree program make your graduation very unique and special. Therefore, despite the absence of a formal tradition, know that your accomplishments at this time are recognized and celebrated in many ways. We are very proud of you and are confident that you have acquired knowledge, wisdom, and skills to function to contribute to improving the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in the state of Indiana and beyond. Congratulations and all the best!!!
While we are not able to engage in our traditional graduation celebration, we at IUSSW continue to lift up the legacy you are building, a legacy that will shape the rest of your life, the lives you touch, and the trajectory of your family's direction for future generations. This season of celebration, while it looks different, is still yours to embrace. Your imprint on the IUSSW community remains, as we honor your commitment to co-creating a better world amid the complexity of our present times. "As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears." ~Rumi. Congratulations, and all the best to you!
Congratulations to the 2020 School of Social Work graduating class! I am so sorry we can't be there in person to applaud you, but know that I am clapping loudly. I couldn't be happier that you are all heading out into the professional world during this unprecedented time when we have an opportunity to reconstruct society. You are the future and I couldn't be more thrilled for the new social workers representing us!
IU School of Social Work is headquartered on the IUPUI campus with locations on 8 IU Campuses. The school also has the Department of Labor Studies
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PartnershipsOffice of Education AssessmentThe Office of Education Assessment is responsible for the evaluation of student learning outcomes at the BSW and MSW level for the Indiana School of Social Work.
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