Office of the Dean
Thayer Hall
Telephone: (404)-880-8549

The Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work was founded in 1920 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia in 1925. The School was granted membership in the American Association of Schools of Social Work in 1928, and when the accrediting body was succeeded by the Council on Social Work Education in 1952, the School became a chartered member and has maintained its accreditation since then. The School of Social Work has an extraordinary heritage that began with Forrester Blanchard Washington, the third Director of the School. He was a visionary African American social worker who led the Atlanta School of Social Work from 1927–1947 and the Atlanta University School of Social Work from 1947–1954. Washington sought to transform social welfare conditions in the South by developing a much-needed educational institution to train African American social workers. Washington’s legacy lives in the continued viability of the School, which celebrated its 100th year in October 2020.

Mission

The mission of the Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work is to prepare social work professionals, practitioners, and leaders with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to address culturally diverse human and social issues locally, nationally, and internationally.

Vision

The School’s vision is to provide relevant social work programs, practice, and research that will empower and sustain social work professionals to serve diverse populations in a variety of settings.

The School prepares professionals who demonstrate a heightened sense of social consciousness to be creative, responsible, and are committed to searching for solutions to problems of poverty, social, economic, and environmental injustices, sexism, racism, and other forms of oppression in society while preserving the heritage of the African American people. A liberal arts foundation provides the basis upon which the program core is shaped, supported, and implemented through its baccalaureate, master, and doctoral degree programs. The School maintains relationships of mutual respect with alumni, affiliated agencies, other local, state, and national agencies, and professional organizations.

The Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CWSE) and is committed to advancing the aims of the profession through education for excellence in social work practice and to the core values of the profession.