Press Release
The School of Social Work at Grambling State University (GSU) has received reaffirmation of accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (CSWE) for the Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs.
Approved for the next eight years, CSWE is the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States. The educational policies and accreditation standards set by the organization define competent preparation for professional social workers.
“The recent accreditation action by CSWE is a validation of the strength of the BSW and MSW programs,” said Dr. Connie Walton, GSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “The Social Work faculty work daily to ensure that students are prepared to be successful in the field. The accreditation review included a comprehensive examination of each program. Social Work faculty and staff are to be commended on their dedication to maintaining first-class programs.”
“Reaffirmation of accreditation is a major milestone and we (the faculty) are very proud of this achievement,” said Jacqueline Garrison, DSW, LCSW and GSU’s Associate Dean of the School of Social Work. “Accreditation by CSWE indicates that the content and quality of our BSW and MSW programs have been evaluated and are aligned with the standards set by the profession. Achieving this gold standard further enables the University and the School of Social Work to advance the mission of extending access to a high-quality education.”
The GSU School of Social Work was created in 1984 under the administration of Dr. Joseph B. Johnson and has been a pioneer in Social Work education for over 37 years. Its mission is to make a difference in the lives of people in the northwest region of the state of Louisiana, and the state of Louisiana at large by providing a creditable and quality social work education to students as a beginning generalist at the undergraduate level, and advanced direct practitioners at the graduate level.
Both the BSW program and the MSW program are designed to provide students with the skills needed to take the next step in their careers as professional practitioners and change agents in social work and human services. When students graduate, they are professionally and competitively prepared to address the needs of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities across the country.
“We aim to be a leader in the academic marketplace for social work training and education in the areas of diversity and child welfare within a rural context, and to provide the knowledge, values, and skills needed to impact racial, gender, social, economic, and geographical oppression in the state of Louisiana,” Garrison said.
Graduating MSW student Emily Todd said the School of Social Work helped her feel prepared to step into the Social work field after transitioning from a different major.
“My professors have not only taught me the essentials; they have also imparted their real-life experiences and exposed me to the processes that I’ve studied,” Todd said. “I have also had the chance to do meaningful research on the subjects that matter most to me and in that, gained the knowledge and confidence to do the work that I most look forward to doing in the field of social work. I’ve already accepted a job as a community social worker in the State of New Hampshire doing work that expands on my internship training/work, as well as other experiences I have had in this program. I feel prepared to ace my master’s level licensure because I have been given every tool that I’ve needed while being in this program.”