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Bachelor of Social Work graduates help those coping with difficult challenges.

When life gets overwhelming, we can benefit from professional help in tackling our challenges. Professionals in the social work field offer insight and coping skills based on their many years of training and experience. If you’re one of the kindhearted folks who love to offer a listening ear or sage advice, SA���ʴ�ý’s University’s undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work is a great place to start.

Recently, the school’s Bachelor of Social Work program received an estate gift from alum Daniel LaFond. This money will provide support for social work students via scholarships, internship stipends and other benefits so they can learn, grow and give back through their chosen profession.

SA���ʴ�ý’s Bachelor of Social Work trains skilled, ethical, evidence-based practitioners

The SA���ʴ�ý’s Bachelor of Social Work program – like the Benedictine backbone of the University itself – is rooted in service, compassion and discipline. With an emphasis on social justice and cultural competence, professors work to create thoughtful, knowledgeable and visionary community leaders.

Designed to meet each student where they are, the BSW curriculum blends faith, reason, service and community. Students also maintain a focus on Core Competencies, which blend ethical and professional behavior; human rights and environmental justice; research; policy; engagement; and real-world experience.

Students have direct access to both faculty and program directors as well as the opportunity to engage in advocacy, activism and volunteering on-campus and with local government organizations. To date, Bachelor of Social Work grads have a more than 85% graduate school acceptance rate. Alumni have gone on to study and practice nationwide.

SA���ʴ�ý’s classwork, hands-on experience and accreditation build strong practitioners

SA���ʴ�ý’s Social Work education programs are accredited by the (CSWE). Students who pursue a master’s in social work at accredited institutions qualify for Advanced Standing status, typically completing the coursework in 10 to 12 months, instead of the traditional two years.

Career paths for grads include community centers, home health organizations and public welfare, children’s services or federal government agencies.

Enrolled students can study broadly or focus on working with crime victims, trauma studies or substance use disorders. Generalized classwork is offered in interviewing and assessment, research methods and statistics, human behavior in the social environment, lifespan development and modern society and culture.

Generous alumni estate gift will benefit social work students for years to come

Dr. Katya Shkurkin is a professor and the Bachelor of Social Work program director. She has more than 45 years of experience in the field and spent three decades teaching in both social work and psychology. Shkurkin says that this alumni gift will make a tremendous difference throughout the program.

“Daniel LaFond was such a great example of a life well lived in the service of others and the broad opportunities one has with a degree in social work,” says Shkurkin. “He had a magnificent career. As a social worker he focused on service to the poor, unrepresented, marginalized, disenfranchised, forgotten and abused. He saw the changes that can happen in someone’s life with just a bit of help, as well as the life-saving safety nets that are needed when a family goes into crises.”

As an educator, says Shkurkin, LaFond’s influence went exponentially further and created a large ripple effect of educating social work professionals. “He was a man who walked and lived his values and was a role model for others to do the same,” she says. “We are thrilled to receive this continuation of his support of the education of social work professionals. We are proud to train excellent BSW students and hope to start an MSW program in our future. These scholarships will assist in the accessibility of a social work education at a time of growing need for trained professionals. Thank you, LaFond family!”

Hardworking SA���ʴ�ý’s Social Work graduates impact communities nationwide

The school’s Interim Vice President of Institutional Advancement John Grossman agrees. “We are truly humbled by this generosity,” he says. “With this gift, we can expand what’s possible for our social work students, opening doors to richer learning experiences, innovative training and transformative opportunities, supporting the program’s mission of shaping future social workers who will stand with the vulnerable and uplift entire communities. The impact of this gift will be felt far beyond our campus.”

So far, school and program leaders are earmarking some of the funds for scholarships and others to provide stipends for students working unpaid internships.

To learn more about SA���ʴ�ý’s Bachelor of Social Work program, you can request information online or by calling 360-688-2657. Take the next step today to become tomorrow’s helping hand.