Social Work Program

Welcome to the State University of New York at Fredonia's Social Work Program

The SUNY Fredonia Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation.

Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.  An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the Board of Accreditation has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.  

Social Work Program Mission Statement

The mission of The State University of New York at Fredonia Bachelor of Science in Social Work program is to enact the mission of the university and home department, the Department of Sociocultural and Justice Sciences. Through committed, quality teaching-learning activities, the program educates, challenges, and inspires students to be connected, creative, responsible, global citizens and generalist social work professionals who will advance and promote a socially and economically just world.

Program Goals

SUNY Fredonia's Social Work program seeks to:

1. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare generalist social workers who value the principles of service and importance of human relationships in their efforts to maintain and improve the social functioning of individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and society.

2. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare generalist social workers who are practitioner-researchers: active, applied social scientists who work to strengthen and improve the well-being of others through their critical and scientific approach and enactment of the generalist planned change process with systems of all sizes.

3. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare generalist social workers who understand and enact the standards and core principles of the NASW Code of Ethics in their interactions, relationships and decision-making.

4. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare generalist social workers who engage in culturally competent social work practice with diverse populations and who fight to eliminate social injustice experienced by oppressed populations.

5. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare well-rounded, liberal arts trained generalist social workers who have mastered the CSWE core competencies, especially the skills and mindset needed in the use of the professional self.

6. The SUNY Fredonia Social Work program seeks to prepare generalist social workers who integrate knowledge, values, and skills for competent entry-level professional practice and/or graduate education.

Anti-Racism Statement of Commitment

The State University of New York at Fredonia Bachelor of Science in Social Work Program affirms its commitment to recognizing and addressing all forms of racism and ethnic oppression. In alignment with our mission, the program is devoted to educating, challenging, and inspiring students to be connected, creative, responsible, global citizens and generalist social work professionals who will advance and promote a racially, socially, and economically just world.

We are committed to understanding racial injustices both within and beyond our program. The program faculty and staff are united in the pursuit to limit racial and ethnic bias and empower our students towards this collective goal.

We acknowledge that anti-racism recognition is a continual process of self-awareness and collective action. The process involves a steadfast focus towards the identification and discussion of issues of race, color, and ethnicity and the impact these issues have on students, faculty, and staff members.

We commit to:

1. Affirming explicitly and in united solidarity our identity as an anti-racist academic program.

2. Exploration and examination of individual and institutional implicit bias and systemic advantage/oppression such that our anti-racism commitment be reflected in the life and culture of the Bachelor of Science in Social Work program through our policies and practices as we continue to learn and act to address racism and ethnic oppression.

3. Development and implementation of strategies and best practices that reduce racism and ethnic oppression within all aspects within and beyond our program.       

Nondiscrimination Policy:

Admission to the major, Advancement, and progression through the curriculum are based upon the published criteria (catalogs, Handbook, Field Manual, course syllabi).  Race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, sex, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, political orientation, veteran status, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, and/or sexual orientation play no role in any program decision. 

If you would like to contact a person to speak to you about Social Work, please call or e-mail Dr. Michael Clarkson-Hendrix, our Social Work Program Director.

• Social Work Program Handbook for Advanced Status Students
• Social Work Advancement Application Packet
• CSWE Social Work Program Assessment Student Learning Outcomes