The Warner Pacific College Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work degree (BSSW) has been granted accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This is an exciting and important step for the Social Work Program, which achieved candidacy status in August 2014 under the direction of Dr. Stephanie Mace, Professor Debra Penkin, and Pamela Harrington.
Although optional, CSWE accreditation is a widely respected “stamp of approval” that communicates to students and future employers that the program meets the rigorous standards, policies, procedures, and behaviors outlined by the CSWE. Warner Pacific is one of only 6 accredited baccalaureate programs in the state of Oregon.
“The Warner Pacific College administration and faculty are very thankful and proud of all partners that have contributed to the accomplishment of the accreditation of the Social Work Program, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, field agency staff, and volunteer advisory members,” said Dr. Stephanie Mace, Assistant Professor and Director of Social Work at Warner Pacific. “It is an honor to receive CSWE accreditation and marks a great milestone in the growth and development of our program. We celebrate this exciting time and are looking forward to the opportunities it will provide our students, graduates, and the community we serve.”
The CSWE accreditation will allow Warner Pacific to:
- Continue to build the strong reputation of the College in excellence of programming
- Be positioned to competitively and nationally attract students who are interested in social work as a major and are looking for an accredited program
- Potentially participate in federally-funded programs such as the Title IV-E Child Welfare initiative and other grants
- Increase internship opportunities
- Develop opportunities for collaboration with other CSWE-accredited programs
Warner Pacific offers a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work (BSSW). The social work curriculum is intentionally designed to build upon the liberal arts core and multi-disciplinary foundational courses, providing students with a strong framework for generalist social work practice or graduate studies.