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and Social Justice
The Diversity Committee guides the implementation of an intervention
plan for increasing the cultural competence of the School of Social
Work, including recruitment and retention of faculty and students
who will contribute to the diversity of the School. Cultural competence
can best be understood as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes
and policies that enable a system, agency, or professional to
function effectively across cultural difference (Cross, 1988).
In this context, cultural difference (also called diversity) includes,
but is not limited to, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation,
disability, and socio-economic class. As Cross (1989) notes, "systems,
agencies, or professionals do not start out being culturally competent.
Like other types of competence, cultural competence is developed
over time through training, experience, guidance, and self-evaluation.
The School implemented an organization-wide intervention in 1996
that has dramatically increased its capacity to develop the knowledge,
skills and experiences required for culturally competent practice.
Outcomes of the initiative include monthly faculty diversity training,
increased practicum opportunities for students with diverse populations,
and substantial curriculum revision to more adequately prepare
students for practice with diverse populations. In addition, partnerships
have developed with a wide range of individuals and organizations
throughout Iowa and other states in the Midwest, as well as partnerships
in Mexico, Guatemala, San Bernardino. and Philadelphia. These
partnerships have increased our cultural competence as a School
and enriched our educational programs so that our students will
be better prepared to work in a diverse world.
As a result of these efforts, the School was honored with the
UI Catalyst Award (that recognizes the outstanding work of individuals
and departments engaged in strengthening diversity within the
UI community.) The School’s faculty and staff are grateful
for the support received from within the University and for the
opportunities to collaborate with individuals and organizations
around the State and in other countries. These efforts are part
of the profession of social work's broader mission to promote
social justice. There is much work to do.
The immersion learning programs at the School of Social Work
are designed to complement classroom didactic learning by putting
students into intensive learning experiences where they encounter
people who live in dramatically different environments, who come
from very different cultures, and in some cases, who speak a different
language. Applying social work knowledge, skills, and values in
these intensive immersion experiences can produce rapid learning.
Students often feel that a lot of things “open up”
for them when they go through an immersion learning experience.
The immersion learning experiences enrich the education of students
and faculty, help them to become more culturally competent, and
prepare students for practice in a diverse, multicultural, and
global world. The School currently sponsors trips to Mexico, El
Salvador, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union in Philadelphia
and the Central City Lutheran Mission in San Bernardino, CA.
As a student
in the School of Social Work more that a decade and a half ago,
I first learned the meaning of genuine critical thinking about
our world. I also learned to value many points of view and ways
of being in the world. When I came back to the school as a teacher
five years ago, I found these values still firmly built into the
foundation of the School. This is one of the reasons I wanted
to help facilitate immersion experiences for current students.
There seems to be no more powerful way to broaden your world view
than to go and be part of another culture. It's exciting as a
student and teacher to be on the cutting edge of learning through
experience."
I love being
at Iowa because of the school's commitment to good teaching, good
research, diversity, and the promotion of social justice."
