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Mission Statement

Vision: Leadership for social and economic justice.

The mission of the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri is to develop and disseminate knowledge that promotes leadership for social and economic justice through educational programs, scholarship, and service activities of faculty, administration, staff, and students. This focus is in the tradition of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) that recognized the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace. The MU School of Social Work's commitment to social and economic justice goes beyond the boundaries of nation states recognizing a global inter-dependence among all peoples of the world.

In a world of sufficient resources, social and economic justice mandates minimal standards of economic and political equity. This means that no human being should die of hunger; be without access to adequate health care, be without safe and affordable housing or adequate clothing; lack access to employment; or be denied equal opportunity for education. Additionally, all human beings should be protected against violence in any form and discrimination on any basis, including but not limited to age, culture, class, ethnicity, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation. Social workers have a professional, ethical, and moral obligation to use their skills and knowledge to challenge social inequities. Social workers must be leaders in establishing just and caring communities wherein all members possess basic economic, social, and psychological goods.

The MU School of Social Work teaches students to understand and evaluate the gaps between current conditions and a more just and caring society. While the University of Missouri's land grant mission and the School's commitment is to publicly funded and administered entities as a means of addressing the needs of poor and oppressed populations, the MU School of Social Work also recognizes the growing importance of the private sector in this regard. To this end, the School educates both BSW and MSW social work practitioners to facilitate change by empowering individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. In addition, the School prepares PhD social workers to establish teaching, research, and professional practices that are grounded in the principles of social and economic justice.

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