Social Work in Academia

Social work has long attempted to gain public recognition and support as a profession and as a “legitimate” university program. Although efforts to improve the image of social work as a profession have been moderately successful, attempts to solve the problems within the university setting are yielding less than satisfactory results. This article carefully considers the dual roles of social work within the university as both an academic discipline and as a profession. Eight criteria are identified that clearly differentiate professional disciplines from academic disciplines. These criteria are presented in an attempt to help identify the problems with which social work educators struggle. Five guiding principles—(1) cooperation, (2) identity, (3) education, (4) leadership, and (5) fact-finding—are offered for consideration as strategies and solutions for developing a plan of action.