Our Mission and Goals

pillar.

Our Mission

The diverse community of our school is unified by our vision of a better society achieved through the generation and transmission of knowledge, promotion of social justice and service to humanity.

Our Goals

In our teaching, research and service, we strive to:

  • Educate future social workers who will lead the profession regionally, nationally and internationally.
  • Facilitate critical inquiry into and analysis of the causes and consequences of social problems and injustice.
  • Produce innovative, theoretically based and empirically sound means of alleviating and rectifying such problems and injustices through policy and practice.
  • Provide professional leadership in resolving critical social, economic and political challenges.
  • Be responsive and responsible members of our university, regional, national and global communities.
  • Honor the inherent dignity, rights and strengths of all individuals, families and communities.

Our Values Statement

We live our values, which exemplify those of the social work profession and the UB School of Social Work within the context of trauma-informed and human rights perspectives. Our core values are embedded within each of us, and we uphold them in our daily actions toward colleagues, students, ourselves and all others.

Service We are committed to being of service to others in order to improve the quality of life for people locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Respect We nurture and value all people without regard for status by respecting the influence of environment and histories and recognize their needs, unique contributions and progress.
Collaboration We promote collaboration to improve outcomes; we value the diversity and expertise that everyone brings to the process.
Leadership We accept our professional obligation to contribute to leading change that improves individual lives, communities, society and nations.
Human Rights and Social Justice We pursue social and economic justice for diverse, marginalized, oppressed and disenfranchised groups.
Growth We embrace the capacity for growth in ourselves and all others.
Professionalism We demonstrate behavior that reflects our professional values at all times. We uphold ourselves and the social work profession to the highest standards of excellence.
Excellence We strive for excellence in our learning, teaching, research, collaboration, advocacy, and service provision. We honor and celebrate the contribution of all members of the school community.
Responsibility We are fully accountable for both our actions and inactions as social workers. We promote and embrace all aspects of self-care.