The Vice Dean serves as a key strategic partner to the Dean and members of the leadership team. The Vice Dean works with school leadership, faculty, and staff to realize the CSSW’s strategies, goals and objectives reflected in its mission. The Office of the Vice Dean oversees programs and offices related to academic and faculty affairs, and spearheads innovative academic and educational initiatives for CSSW. The Office is charged with curricular development and oversight, including staffing courses with instructors in the online and residential programs. The office also provides pedagogical and classroom management support. The Vice Dean also manages and oversees faculty-related matters including appointments, reviews, promotion, and serving on Faculty Search Committees as ex-officio member.

The Associate Dean for Research (ADR) oversees programs and offices that support the ground-breaking research of our faculty and Center-based scholar affiliates. She directs the Office of Sponsored Projects, which is charged with administering all external grants proposal submission and providing post-award administrative support. The Associate Dean for Research addresses research staff-related matters including overseeing mandatory reviews, promotion reviews of Associate Research Scientists, and drafting appointment letters for new research staff. Of critical importance to the future of our school, the ADR is responsible for the junior faculty mentoring program which pairs junior faculty with one or two senior faculty to serve as formal mentors, includes a seed grant program, and directs faculty to available School and University resources.

The Office of the Dean manages and coordinates the administration of CSSW and the implementation of its strategic directions. It generates new initiatives as appropriate, is responsible for the financial management of the School, supports the work of committees such as the Committee on Academic Appointments and the Search Committee, produces School reports, oversees units that report directly to the Dean, works with the central administration, and represents the School externally. The following offices report directly to the Dean: Doctoral Education; Research & Academic Affairs; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Outreach; Strategic Initiatives; Development & External Affairs; and Administration, Finance & Planning.

The Senior Associate Dean for Administration, Finance and Planning (SADAFP) serves as the chief financial and administrative officer of the School and is responsible for financial planning and operations, human resources, computing and instructional technology, facilities management and administrative planning. Under the direction of the SADAFP, the Office of Administration, Finance and Planning facilitates the procurement, hiring, space and other needs of the faculty and staff of the School of Social Work, and oversees the activities of the Office of Computing and Instructional Technology. The office works closely with the CSSW Office of Sponsored Projects in the management of externally funded activities. It serves as liaison to various University offices, including: Office of Budget & Management, Controller, Provost Office, Treasury, Internal Audit, Procurement, Human Resources, General Counsel and Facilities.

The Assistant Dean for Student Services leads the Offices of Career Services and Leadership Management, Student Life, and Student Services. The Career Services arm guides students and alumni toward successful career outcomes by providing resources, support, and connections to opportunities and networks that enhance their educational and professional experience. The Office of Student Life plans and oversees all aspects of student life, including but not limited to: managing our three student orientations each academic year; training peer mentors; and overseeing 25+ student groups and the Student Union. The team also plans and executes the school-wide graduation ceremony and advises and guides students in producing the school’s affinity graduations. Student Services manages student enrollment and all matters related to registration each term. The team administers program requirements and academic policies, conducts degree certifications, facilitates disability accommodations, assigns classrooms, manages student records and licensing paperwork, and provides market research around student enrollment and course data to other student support offices.

The Office of Advising provides an integrated model to support students in the MSW program. Each student is assigned an advisor as their ‘point person’ who approaches the student’s education from a holistic perspective considering academics, Practicum Learning, and life issues that may impact the student’s performance. Advisors ensure that students have the information, support, guidance, and resources they need to weigh appropriate academic choices and make timely decisions throughout their course of study.

The Associate Dean for Communication Strategy, Development and Alumni Affairs is responsible for engaging alumni and friends who share the School’s vision; promoting the visibility of the School through strategic communications; expanding connections with key stakeholders; managing existing and new fundraising initiatives, with a particular focus on scholarship support; identifying new partners and supporters dedicated to social and racial justice; leading impactful cross-disciplinary teams, initiatives, and projects; and, serving as liaison to the University’s development and alumni relations efforts.

The Doctoral Office at the Columbia School of Social Work is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the Doctoral (PhD) Program in recruitment and admissions, as well as curriculum planning and management. A key function of the Doctoral Office is to monitor and support student progress on meeting doctoral program milestones (e.g., comprehensive examinations, dissertation) and successful preparation for the job market. The Doctoral Office also conducts continuous evaluation of Doctoral Program data to identify priority areas in student recruitment, enrollment, retention, and outcomes.

he Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education serves as the director of the MSW Program, overseeing CSSW education in collaboration with the Dean, Vice Dean, and other senior leadership to ensure compliance with professional education accreditation standards, and to facilitate an inclusive learning environment for a diverse School community. Chairs the School’s Curriculum Committee and provides oversight of the Office of Practicum Learning, the Writing Center, The Office of Professional Excellence, and the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation.

The Office of the Associate Dean of Faculty Development monitors the recruitment, screening, training and supervision of adjunct faculty and supports the professional development of faculty across all ranks through a variety of programs and initiatives. These include new faculty orientations; workshops on writing, grading, managing difficult conversations; the connection of new faculty with more experienced faculty for mentorship; community building events; and more. This office is also responsible for course scheduling, responding to grade appeals, the oversight of our course convening structure and facilitating dialogue between students and faculty and ensuring consistency in curricula, academic policies, and procedures across campuses. Supporting faculty includes focusing attention on the challenges and opportunities of teaching in diverse classrooms, and the delivery of a curriculum that is rooted in principles of social justice and anti-oppressive social work practice.

A fundamental component in social work education is fieldwork. The primary purpose of Practicum Learning is to provide practice opportunities that integrate course work theories and concepts; competencies and practice behaviors; and assignments afforded at the agency. The intersection of these key factors will provide students opportunities for development that are measurable and will promote the implementation of evidence-based practice in their work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

The Associate Dean of Enrollment Management oversees all functions of the Office of Admissions and the Office of Financial Aid. Admissions operations include strategic marketing and recruitment, best practices for inquiry and prospect management including outreach, communications and specialized events, and effective and timely application processing and review. The Office of Financial Aid is dedicated to providing a full suite of services to entering students and enrolled students that include financial aid packaging, financial aid and budget management counseling, loan processing, scholarships and appeals. Efforts are dedicated to helping provide access, support retention and lessen loan burden.

The Senior Associate Dean for DEI, Enrollment and Community Engagement oversees the Office of DEI, serves on the Dean’s Leadership Team as well as various school-based committees – e.g., Admissions and Financial Aid, Curriculum and Practicum Learning Policy – and also represents the School on various university-wide committees and working groups, including the Inclusion and Belonging Task Force, Diversity Officers Network, and Inclusive Public Safety Working Group. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion oversees and develops school-wide programming and services that include: facilitating affinity group-based supportive spaces; conducting or hosting workshops and trainings related to navigating difficult dialogues in the classroom, implicit bias, and addressing/navigating identity and positionality, among others; organizing school-wide heritage panels and celebrations; providing mediation services to faculty and students; offering consultative services to faculty and students, including on syllabi development and classroom projects; and supporting and advising the Professional Development and Self-Awareness team and its programming.

CSSW’s Online Campus administrative team runs the School’s award-winning Online Campus, which offers the only fully online social work master’s degree in the Ivy League and among the top 3 U.S. schools of social work. They focus on offering innovative, inclusive online courses, by providing foundational and ongoing online faculty development; recruiting and managing a team of highly skilled and discipline-specific course technical support; conducting quality assurance reviews of all online course sites; providing tech orientations to prepare online students for success; continuously improving operational processes and support for developing new courses and refreshing existing ones; and collaborating with other leaders in the field to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning for online and social work education.

Led by the Associate Dean of Computing and Instructional Technology, staff in Office of Computing and Instructional Technology (OCIT) use their extensive experience and expertise to provide computing and instructional technology support to faculty, researchers, administrators and students. This team provisions, manages, and supports all OCIT managed desktops, laptops, as well as printing and unified communication services. They provide guidance and recommendations for technology solutions, provide assistance with institutional purchase, deploy equipment and technology, and ensure adherence to data security and privacy regulations. The members of the office also manage and provide a wide-range of IT related resources and tools (e.g., Qualtrics, Turnitin, Columbia Pro Zoom Account, STATA Se, etc.) necessary for staff and students alike. In addition to the management of computing, data and communication services, the OCIT team maintains and supports all Audio Visual infrastructure for classrooms, conference rooms, specialized rooms, student computer labs and printers. The team also maintains and provides ongoing support for the School’s residential onsite and online courses as well as virtual meetings, workshops, trainings, webinars, special events and Help Desk assistance to all faculty, administrators, researchers, and students.

The Dean’s Office staff members, the Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant, and Administrative Assistant to the Dean, provide administrative support to the Dean as she carries out her responsibilities for the management and coordination of the administration of CSSW, the implementation of strategic directions, and new initiatives. This team coordinates meetings and selected school-wide events, maintains the Dean’s calendar of internal and external commitments, prepares and organizes meeting materials, and prepares correspondence and reports. The Dean’s Office team also provides support to the Faculty and Council of Deans meetings and several CSSW committees.

The Office of Practicum Learning supports Columbia MSW students in achieving competence in social work practice. The Practicum Learning team fulfills this curricular responsibility by cultivating internal and external relationships. We work closely with students, faculty, CSSW administrators, and Social Work professionals at various agency settings that provide an array of social services to diverse populations. The Practicum Learning team develops curricula, manages registration, and conducts sections of the Seminar in Practicum Learning (SIFI) course, which is offered twice each year to prepare and support partner colleagues in their justice-based field instruction. An annual, final-year practicum placement event is hosted for 400+ students and includes direct information from faculty, community partners, and students. The Office of Practicum Learning collaborates with other social work institutions, faculty, and community partners on initiatives, projects, and programming to provide students with additional learning opportunities to support the communities they serve. We provide students with opportunities to receive supervised practical experience while applying their theoretical learning.