Greetings!
I hope this message finds you WELL.
Needless to say – this has been quite a year. We continue to grapple with the impacts of an ever-evolving pandemic. Humanitarian crises, inflation, and justice issues persist. Indeed, the societal impact of these inimical conditions, and others, cannot be overstated.
Against this backdrop, the College of Social Work (CoSW) has continued to actualize our mission. Despite challenges, I cannot say enough about our outstanding faculty, staff, and alumni. Over the past academic year, these individuals worked tirelessly to provide students with impactful educational and research experiences. I am – and will remain – grateful for their creativity, collegial spirit, and commitment to CoSW.
Though the true impact of the work of our faculty, staff, and students is immeasurable in many ways, these efforts have yielded noteworthy metrics. Compared to the 2020-2021 academic year, student enrollment across the college increased 63%. CoSW continued the pursuit of research excellence, with extramural funding growing 53.4% and our grant proposal award rate climbing to an amazing 76%. Faculty received several national and international awards and recognition for their work and the CoSW Centers and Labs enterprise served over 50,000 individuals via direct program and training services. These achievements, and others, crystalize our enduring commitment to advancing the CoSW mission.
You can read about these, and other pieces of news, in our 2021-2022 Academic Year Wrap-Up.
In the coming academic year, we will continue to examine new ways to work towards a more just society. We recognize that as social problems become increasingly complex and multifarious, so too must our response. We will resolutely adhere to our core principles.
- We will continue to focus on conceptualizing and delivering an accessible, world-class social work education.
- We will continue to actively foster a culture of diversity and expansion.
- We will continue to show appreciation for our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters, specifically, and for social work professionals, more broadly.
- We will continue to conduct and strategically disseminate research aimed at improving the well-being of individuals, groups, and communities.
Without question, adeptly actualizing these priorities will be challenging. We will undoubtedly need your help. I look forward to connecting with you about several exciting announcements and new ways for you to be involved with CoSW.
As always, I welcome your input and offer my support. If there is anything that I can do for you, please email me at Justin.Miller1@uky.edu (with copy to Xana.Plum@uky.edu). Or, you can reach me by phone at (859) 257-5740.
Be well, diligent with your self-care, and always remember: SOCIAL WORK WAS BUILT FOR THIS.
J. Jay Miller
Twitter: @DrJayMiller1
Dean and Dorothy A. Miller Research Professor in Social Work Education, College of Social Work
Acting Director, UK Online
University of Kentucky
