A Welcome Message from the Dean
Welcome to the Crown Family School!
For more than a century, the Crown Family School has brought rigorous scholarship, interdisciplinary thinking, and a deep engagement with practice and policy to some of society’s most complex challenges. That tradition continues today in a community committed not only to understanding social problems, but to developing and testing approaches that can make a meaningful difference.
Our faculty are leading scholars whose research advances knowledge across social work, social policy, and related fields. Just as important, our students bring an extraordinary range of experiences, interests, and perspectives to the School. Together they create an intellectual community in which ideas are challenged, different perspectives are taken seriously, and learning extends well beyond the classroom.
Our graduates carry that experience into an exceptionally wide range of careers. They become practitioners, researchers, policy leaders, and leaders of organizations and communities in Chicago, across the country, and around the world. What connects these different paths is the ability to bring evidence, critical thinking, and sound judgment to difficult problems -- and to translate knowledge into effective practice and policy. It is enormously rewarding to see the many ways our graduates put that preparation to work.
I am proud of the intellectual community we have built. I invite you to explore our programs, meet our faculty and students, and learn more about the many ways the Crown Family School connects rigorous scholarship with practice, policy, and impact. Whether you are considering studying here, interested in our research, or looking for opportunities to engage with the School, I hope you will find something that draws you into our community.
Warmly,
Deborah Gorman-Smith
Chief Strategist for Community Engagement and Partnerships, Dean of Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, Emily Klein Gidwitz Professor