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School of Social Policy and Practice

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Coordinates: 39°57′09″N 75°11′51″W / 39.95247°N 75.19753°W / 39.95247; -75.19753
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School of Social Policy and Practice
Arms of the University of Pennsylvania
MottoLeges sine moribus vanae
TypePrivate social work school
Established1908 (1908)
Parent institution
University of Pennsylvania
DeanSara S. Bachman
Address
Caster Building, 3701 Locust Walk
,
Philadelphia
,
PA
,
19104
,
USA

39°57′09″N 75°11′51″W / 39.95247°N 75.19753°W / 39.95247; -75.19753
CampusUrban
Websitesp2.upenn.edu Edit this at Wikidata

The School of Social Policy and Practice (abbreviated as UPenn SP2) is the graduate school for social work at the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia.

Founded in 1908,[1] the school specializes in research, education, and policy development in relation to both social and economic issues.[2][3] The school offers degrees in a variety of subfields of social policy and social work, in addition to several dual degree programs and sub-matriculation programs.[4][5][6]

History

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The school began in 1908 when a “Course of Training in Child Helping” was developed under the direction of the Children’s Bureau of Philadelphia. Carl Kelsey was a consulting director in the 1908-09 academic year, and his colleague, James P. Lichtenberger, had full control in 1909-10. At the time, Kelsey and Lichtenberger were the only Sociology faculty members at the University. They co-taught the two-year, core course, “Theory of Sociology,” as well as “American Race Problems,” “Social Debtor Classes,” “Standards of Living,” and “Sociological Field Work."[7]

In 1914, the school changed its name to the Pennsylvania School for Social Service.[8] In 1918, Virginia P. Robinson was named Supervisor of Field Work and, within a year, Associate Director of the school. Over the next thirty-five years, Robinson twice served as acting head of the school. In 1919, Kenneth L.M. Pray joined the school's faculty and became the school’s first full time Director in 1922, and later became Dean in 1935. Jessie Taft also joined the faculty in 1919. Taft was an educational theorist and practitioner in psychiatric social work who was then Director of the Mental Hygiene Clinic at the Seybert Institution. Working closely with the world-renowned psychiatrist Otto Rank, she developed the “functional school” of social work, the philosophy which guided the school for fifty years.[9]

In 1933, the school was renamed the Pennsylvania School of Social Work, and in 1935 the Trustees approved the formal affiliation of the school with the University. In 2005, the school changed its name to the school of Social Policy and Practice to reflect the inclusion of graduate programs in policy, leadership, and philanthropy, as well as expanded joint degree programs in public health, bioethics, government administration, and criminology.[10]

Notable alumni

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Notable faculty

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  • Peter Frumkin, Mindy and Andrew Heyer Chair in Social Policy
  • Richard James Gelles, Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence
  • Jessie Taft, educational theorist, professor, and practitioner of psychiatric social work

Research centers

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  • Center for High Impact Philanthropy
  • Center for Mental Health & Aging (CMHA)
  • Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS)
  • The Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center on Family Violence
  • Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research
  • National Center on Homelessness among Veterans (NCHAV)[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Timeline of University History". www.archives.upenn.edu. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "SP2 Vision".
  3. ^ "SP2 School of Social Policy & Practice". Graduate Guide. 10 August 2018.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ "SP2 Programs".
  5. ^ "Peterson's National Guide University of Pennsylvania SP2". Petersons.
  6. ^ "About the Programs | School of Social Policy & Practice". www.sp2.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  7. ^ "A Centennial History of the School of Social Policy & Practice". repository.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  8. ^ "A Centennial History of the School of Social Policy & Practice". repository.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  9. ^ "A Centennial History of the School of Social Policy & Practice". repository.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  10. ^ "A Centennial History of the School of Social Policy & Practice". repository.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  11. ^ "SP2 Centers". School of Social Policy & Practice.
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