Social Work

Chairperson: Carol Brownstein-Evans, PhD; BSW Program Director: Leanne Wood Charlesworth, PhD; MSW Co-Program Director: Carol Brownstein-Evans, PhD; Professors: Brownstein-Evans, PhD, David, MSW, and Metzger, PhD, Watkins, PhD, and Wood Charlesworth, PhD; Assistant Professor: Polmanteer, PhD; Assistant Visiting Professor: Cooper-Molinero, PhD; Clinical Associate Professor: Sharp, MSW; Clinical Assistant Professor: Mark Primus, MSW

Mission Statement
The mission of Nazareth College’s baccalaureate social work program is to educate ethical, competent social workers prepared for generalist practice. The BSW program prepares students to engage in strengths-based practice, advance human rights as well as social, economic, and environmental justice, and respect diversity.

Goals
The Nazareth College BSW program:

Prepares ethical, strengths-based generalist practitioners capable of competent practice with diverse populations and committed to advancing human rights as well as social, economic and environmental justice.
Provides a supportive environment that facilitates learning among a diverse student body and emphasizes knowledge development to improve the effectiveness of social work practice, programs and policies.
Develops qualified candidates for graduate education and generalist practitioners dedicated to life-long learning.

Accreditation
The baccalaureate program in social work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This accrediting body ensures that all baccalaureate and graduate-level social work programs are of a high quality and that they graduate competent professionals. Graduating from a CSWE-accredited baccalaureate program enables students to apply for both entry-level professional social work positions and for advanced standing in graduate programs of Social Work.

The Department of Social Work also offers a CSWE-accredited MSW degree program in collaboration with the College at Brockport, SUNY.

Both Nazareth College programs are registered also with the Division of Professional Education New York State Education Department.

Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) Program
The Nazareth College Department of Social Work offers a CASAC program (approved as a New York State OASAS Certified Education and Training Provider). The curriculum develops knowledge and skills relevant to this field of practice.

General Information
The B.S. degree in social work requires extensive supervised field experience. The social work faculty partner with Rochester-area health and human service agencies to acquaint students with the diverse opportunities existing in the social work field.

Students are required to receive at least a ‘C’ grade in all required SWK courses and maintain a 2.3 overall average in SWK, in order to continue in the major.