Student Handbook - Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences ...

FOREWORDThe purpose of this handbook is to provide students and faculty with information concerning theMSSA program of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences for the period indicated. Itshould not be construed as the basis of an offer or a contract between the University and anypresent or prospective student or faculty. The University has the right to amend, add, or deleteany information herein, including any course of study, program, or regulation of the MandelSchool of Applied Social Sciences or of the University. Announcements of such changes aremade on a routine basis.MESSAGE FROM THE DEANI want to congratulate you on being accepted and welcome you to the Mandel School of Applied SocialSciences. But, in a way, we also congratulate ourselves because just as we chose you, you chose us fromamong a great many options for studying social work. We’ll continue to work hard to justify theconfidence you showed in the Mandel School.In spring 2008, the faculty of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences reaffirmed its missionstatement, and I think as the newest member of the MSASS community, it’s important to share with youwhat it says:MSASS provides and integrates professional social work education,research and service, to promote social justice and empowerment in communitiesthrough social work practice locally, nationally and internationally.This mission is driven by a statement of our vision for the school, which is to prepare social workpractitioners to imagine, build, and realize sustainable and healthy communities that are available to allindividuals and families. While we look for faculty and staff who can help us fulfill this mission that leadsto building sustainable communities, it’s also what we look for in our students. We believe we’ve foundthat in you.We are often delighted – but no longer surprised – with the wonderful use many of our students make oftheir time here and the time after they leave. Our students engage deeply in their coursework, fieldplacements, and activities outside of school, including volunteer work with political and socialorganizations. Your social work education can prepare you for a great many opportunities, even avenuesunimagined before arriving here, and the faculty and staff of MSASS are committed to helping yourealize your potential. If you keep an open mind, we’ll keep an open door for you.What we hope you’ll find here at MSASS, in addition to a high-quality education, is a real community ofpeople who care about one another and care about the world around them. We gather often – for lectures,symposia, meetings, celebrations – and often these gatherings include breaking bread together (well,sometimes it’s cake, which is even better). We nurture and encourage each other. Our faculty memberslearn from their students, and each enriches the others’ lives in many, many ways.It is this strong community, which you will always be part of even after your time here is over, that willhelp you on your path to building and sustaining other communities. We look forward to our timetogether and to discovering where it will take us.Grover C. Gilmore, Ph.D.Dean and Professorhttp://msass.case.edu/downloads/academic/Student_Handbook.pdf Page 1