Silver School of Social Work is the
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
school of
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
.
History
1960–2006
NYU offered its first social work courses in 1934. A 10-year, $420,000 commitment by the Lavanburg Corner House helped establish a Department of Social Work in the Graduate School of Public Administration and Social Service in 1953. NYU’s
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social work ...
degree program received initial accreditation from the
Council on Social Work Education
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association in the United States representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1 ...
in 1955.
In 1960, the University established an independent Graduate School of Social Work. In 1973, the school added an undergraduate program and removed the word "graduate" from its name.
In 1980, the school launched a Doctor of Social Welfare program and in 1987, the
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration ...
authorized the school to grant the PhD degree.
In the early 1990s, the School of Social Work’s building at 3 Washington Square North was joined with 1 and 2 Washington Square North to become the school’s new home. Famed American artist
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes.
Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...
lived and painted on the fourth floor of 3 Washington Square North from 1913–1967. The school has preserved Hopper’s studio much as it was in his lifetime.
Work on the combined buildings was completed in 1994 and the building was dedicated on September 19, 1994. The school had recently been renamed the "Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work" in honor of Dean Shirley M. Ehrenkranz who died on August 25, 1994.
In 2003, the school launched a Division of Lifelong Learning and Professional Development, to coordinate continuing education programs. The Division is now known as the Office of Global and Lifelong Learning.
2006–Present
The school was renamed the Silver School of Social Work in honor of NYU Alumni Constance and Martin Silver who pledged $50 million to the School of Social Work in 2007. At the time, it was the largest known donation to a school of social work in the history of the United States. The gift also established the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at the school.
In fall 2015, NYU Silver and
NYU Shanghai
New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai; legal name registered as Shanghai New York University) is a joint-venture university in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It was established in 2012 under a partnership between East China Normal University and N ...
jointly launched an MSW Program at Shanghai and New York. That same year, the School launched a DSW Program in Clinical Social Work.
In June 2021, Constance and Martin Silver gave a new $16 million gift to help NYU Silver and the McSilver Institute leverage data science and Artificial Intelligence for social work's aims. In addition to funding the creation of a Center on Data Science and Social Equity and an endowed professorship in data science and prevention at the school, the gift funded the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Hub at the McSilver Institute.
In Fall 2023, NYU Silver launched a School Social Work Training Academy for MSW students.
In May 2024, NYU Silver and
NYU Abu Dhabi
New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD, ) is a degree-granting portal campus of New York University, established as a private liberal arts college in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Together with the main sites in New York and Shanghai, the por ...
’s Office of Executive Education entered a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Family Care Authority to launch a case management professional development program.
Research facilities
The school is home to several research centers and institutes, including the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity, Center for Health and Aging Innovation and the Center on Violence and Recovery. In 2006, the school launched the Zelda Foster Studies Program in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, which encompasses a range of initiatives designed to develop and mentor palliative and end-of-life care (PELC) social work leaders at all stages of their careers. It is named after the social worker most closely associated with the modern-day palliative care movement,
Zelda Foster, who taught in the school's Post-Masters Certificate Program in PELC from its inception in until months before her death in July 2006.
Main campus
The school's main facilities are located in NYU's Washington Square campus in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
. The school's educational, extracurricular, and social hub is housed in three historic townhouses bordering
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. The park is operated by the New York City Department o ...
.
Satellite campuses
NYU Silver's MSW program is also available on the campuses of
St. Thomas Aquinas College
St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) is a private college in Sparkill, New York. The college is named after the medieval philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. It was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, whose headquarters are in th ...
in
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state' ...
; and
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...
in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...
. In addition, the school offers a two-year MSW program at Shanghai and New York, in which students do their first year of coursework and practicum learning at
NYU Shanghai
New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai; legal name registered as Shanghai New York University) is a joint-venture university in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It was established in 2012 under a partnership between East China Normal University and N ...
and the second at the Washington Square Campus.
Rankings and reputation
In 2024 the school's MSW program was ranked 12th nationally by U.S. News and World Report.
Notable Faculty and Alumni
Kate Donnally who served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, earned her MSW from the school in 2008.
Mathylde Frontus
Mathylde Frontus (born December 1, 1977) is an American politician. A Democrat, Frontus represented the 46th district in the New York State Assembly. Her district includes portions of southern Brooklyn, including Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Bay ...
, former New York State Assembly member and community organizer, earned her BS from NYU Silver in 1998 and her MSW from the school in 1999.
Linda G. Mills
Linda G. Mills (born October 30, 1957) is an American social worker and academic administrator who has been serving as the List of presidents of New York University, 17th president of New York University since July 2023.
Education
Mills rece ...
, NYU’s 17th President of NYU, on NYU Silver’s faculty since 1999.
James Jaccard, psychologist and social work researcher, Professor Emeritus.
Michael A. Lindsey, mental health researcher and academic, NYU Silver’s Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor Social Work, on NYU Silver’s faculty since 2014
Jerome C. Wakefield, social work professor and philosopher of psychiatry, on NYU Silver’s faculty since 2003.
Deborah K. Padgett, social work professor known for her expertise in homelessness, mental health services and qualitative and mixed methods research, on NYU Silver’s faculty since 1988.
Vincent Schiraldi, juvenile justice policy reformer and Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services, earned his MSW from the school in 1983.
Darcy Sterling
Darcy Sterling (born Darcy Smith, September 16, 1969) is an American clinical social worker, relationship expert and television personality. She co-owns the New York City-based group practice Alternatives Counseling. Sterling is the host and relat ...
, a relationship expert who was host of the E! reality television series ''
Famously Single
''Famously Single'' is an American reality television series that premiered on June 14, 2016, on the E! network. The series follows eight single celebrities who all move in together and try to solve their romantic problems.
Production
The s ...
,'' earned her PhD in 2006.
See also
List of social work schools
This is a list of notable social work schools offering a degree program in social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:New York University School Of Social Work
School of Social Work
Schools of social work in the United States
Universities and colleges established in 1960
Universities and colleges in Rockland County, New York
1960 establishments in New York City