A New Season

Dear CSSW Community,

I hope you are all keeping well despite the frigid cold and unexpected temperatures around the country. As the arctic weather that has enveloped New York City finally releases its grip (and its terrible consequences for the unhoused), I have been thinking a great deal about seasons – seasons pertaining to weather, to work, and to life in general. Inevitably, seasons change. I've been giving a lot of thought to the seasons of deanship. I have concluded that my time as dean of the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) should come to a close. I have notified the University of my plans to step down as dean on August 31, 2026, when I will rejoin the faculty at CSSW. 

This role has been the honor of my career. I first began as dean in the fall of 2019, right before the COVID pandemic struck and took a horrific toll on NYC (and our own community) in the spring of 2020. From that point forward, we have together weathered many challenges to our School and its work. I am proud of my colleagues who have not wavered in their dedication to CSSW despite significant headwinds.

Though I'd never planned on becoming a dean, I was drawn to this role because of the outstanding work being undertaken by my colleagues among the faculty, staff, alumni, and students. I was humbled by the opportunity to harness my commitment to maximizing human health and well-being alongside social work researchers and practitioners who address some of the thorniest challenges we face as a society. They – you – do so with unflinching courage, fervor, and commitment to our shared mission to create a society in which all can thrive. I’ve worked assiduously with my colleagues to ensure that nothing about our core commitments to our educational and research activities – all designed to promote equity, opportunity, and justice – have changed. We are continuing to do the work and make a difference. That is to your lasting credit.

I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together over the past seven years. I am especially pleased with the new hires we have bought to CSSW, including some exceptional faculty and Council of Deans members: Ana Abraído-Lanza, Riana Elyse Anderson, Nkemka Anyiwo, Rob Eschmann, Victoria Frye, Warren Graham, Linara Davidson Greenidge, Natasha Johnson, Brenda Jones Harden, Charles Lea, Danielle Officer, and Nicole Vartanian; as well as the promotion, recruitment, and retention of so many other outstanding community members. With these colleagues, the academic, research, and administrative leadership of our School has been deeply strengthened by the breadth and diversity of expertise they have woven into the fabric of our community.  In the process, we have built upon previous strengths while simultaneously ensuring that CSSW has a seat at the table across the University; this means that social work principles and values are amplified like never before with colleagues at every level, exerting influence on decision-making, vision, and direction. The core values of social work (most notably the dignity and worth of every person and the importance of human relationships) are now imbued through so many of our collective efforts, and continue to inspire me every day.

I have been delighted to engage with our students in many venues, especially as the primary instructor for the “Intro to Stats for Social Work” course, which I’ve taught every semester – fall, spring, and summer – since September of 2020. As I share with each cohort, data is a tool for social justice. It is clear to social work professionals that the policies we implement can alleviate or exacerbate suffering; careful research can point to the best policies to uplift all. Data paired with story-telling combine as a powerfully compelling means of persuasion to ensure that our policies align with justice and equity. 

As many of us realize, there is no perfect time to take on a new role, and no perfect time to step away. You have to trust what your head and your heart are trying to tell you. Given all we have accomplished, new University leadership, and some significant changes in my personal life, I have decided that this is the right moment. Decisions like this are very hard and I’ve taken a great deal of time over it, but it’s the right one for me – and, in my opinion, the right one for this community. With President Jennifer Mnookin arriving in July, and with the accomplishments and resilience that you all have demonstrated over the past several years, CSSW is poised for even greater impact, visibility, excellence, and community-building. A search for the new dean of CSSW will begin immediately. I know our next leader will be able to build on the solid foundation we have co-created with integrity, vigor, and humility.

I am brimming with gratitude for my colleagues and for your support over the years. In August, I will leave this role as I entered it: a dedicated, imperfect, and hopeful human, now with an even greater capacity to grow and learn given my experiences as dean. I take heart when I see you take care of one another, and I have every faith you will ensure that the oldest school of social work in this country remains as dynamic and impactful as ever. Borrowing from the amazing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I look forward to what is to come as you continue, each in your own unique way, to exert your beautiful energy to bend the arc of humanity towards justice. 

In community, 

Melissa Begg, ScD
Dean and Professor