ISU MSW Admissions Process
"The admissions process was straight-forward and easy to navigate. Any questions I had were quickly answered; help was always just an email or phone call away" See the Admissions requirements.Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
Thank you to those who joined us at the 21st Annual Conference on African American Child Well-Being and Family Permanency on Friday, June 7th. Click on the link for info on sponsors and the conference program!Appreciation of diversity
Those who understand the richness that diversity offers and show competence in working with diverse population stand out. This is with respect to race, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious expressions, class, and culture.A strong sense of service to others
Those who volunteered extensively have an advantage over those who have not. This demonstrates a natural; adherence to social work’s number-one core value: Service to other above self-interest.Apply to ISU Bachelors of Social Work Program
"I never felt alone through the process. They clarified deadlines and all information that was required" See the Admissions requirements.
Department News
Jeanne Howard earns Chairman’s Award from African American Advisory CouncilDr. Jeanne Howard from Illinois State's Center for Adoption Studies has earned the Chairman's Award from the Department of Children and Family Services African American Advisory Council. [Read the rest]
Landmark adoption case draws on professor’s expertiseAs Illinois lawmakers consider allowing same sex marriage, an expert on adoption at Illinois State University has a unique perspective on the issue. [Read the rest]
Cynthia Edmonds-Cady achieves tenureThe School of Social Work is proud of Cynthia Edmonds-Cady's recent accomplishment of achieving tenure and promotion. [Read the rest]
Showcase
While African-American children are 15 percent of the population in the state of Illinois, they make up more than 53 percent of the children in the state’s foster care system.
Illinois State University and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) strived to give communities the tools to combat this inequality at a conference that will attract hundreds of social workers, prospective foster parents and first responders from throughout Illinois. The event, Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: 21st Annual Conference on African American Child Well-Being and Family Permanency, was held June 7, at the Bone Student Center.
“The (conference) will provide(d) an opportunity for the community to come together with policy makers, researchers, judges, social work practitioners, and concerned citizens to engage in informed dialogue about the issues facing vulnerable families and children who are at risk of entering the foster care system,” said Doris Houston, associate director of the Center for Adoption Studies at Illinois State.
“There are approximately 5,000 African-American children in the foster care system in Illinois, and more than half of them will remain in foster care for more than three years,” said Jeanne Howard, also co-director of the Center for Adoption Studies at Illinois State. “The goal is to get children back into a stable family environment, whether by strengthening their family ties or getting them adopted into a new family that lasts.”
The conference included multicultural vendors and artists, a foster and adoptive parent recruitment booth and an afternoon cultural presentation.