Bill Text: VA HR348 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the School of Social Work at Radford University.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House (HR348ER) [HR348 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR348-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the School of Social Work at Radford University has provided exceptional education to address the need for professional social workers in the region and beyond; and
WHEREAS, the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Radford University was only the third MSW program to be developed in the Commonwealth in 1994 and the only one on the western side of the state, employing a curriculum that was focused on meeting the needs of rural, small town Appalachia; and
WHEREAS, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Radford University has been consistently accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) since 1976, and the MSW program has been consistently accredited by CSWE since 1996; and
WHEREAS, Radford University's School of Social Work was officially established in 1996, and the school joined the newly formed Waldron College of Health and Human Services in 2000 after being housed in the College of Education and Human Development; and
WHEREAS, the School of Social Work is the only school in Waldron College, enrolling 250 to 300 students each year, including students pursuing minors, pre-social work majors, and BSW and MSW degrees; and
WHEREAS, the School of Social Work's students provide over 45,000 hours of professional practice to community agencies in the region through their supervised practicums each year; and
WHEREAS, the School of Social Work's faculty are outstanding, diverse, and committed to the profession, with a wide range of expertise in the areas of child welfare, military families, older adults, mental health, women's health, entrepreneurship, social welfare policy, community action, social justice, research, and clinical practice; and
WHEREAS, upon graduation, students of the School of Social Work become eligible for mental health credentials and social work licensure in all states; and
WHEREAS, in the last 30 years, the School of Social Work has graduated more than 2,500 professionally prepared social workers to contribute to the well-being of those in our communities and around the country; and
WHEREAS, the BSW program option at the Roanoke Higher Education Center (RHEC) officially began in 2000, after existing as a part-time program option at Virginia Western Community College for several years for an easy transition from an associate degree to a BSW degree; and
WHEREAS, after a successful MSW program option was offered at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon from 1997 to 2012, a part-time MSW option was offered at the Roanoke Higher Education Center from 2005 to 2024; that part-time option has now transitioned to an online program and was approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in November 2023; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the School of Social Work at Radford University hereby be commended for its legacy of service; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the School of Social Work at Radford University as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for its contributions to the Commonwealth.
