Message from Dean Wong

As I pass the six-month mark as the Dean of PSU's School of Social Work, I'd normally take a moment to pause and reflect on what I've learned since my arrival in Portland last summer, to acknowledge the many wonderful people I've met, and to recognize the extraordinary students and faculty that I've had the privilege to get to know a bit.

If I were to write this message to you just 3 short months ago, I would have been glad to report that the School of Social Work was in fact thriving. The enrollment and research activity has continued to be a strength, and the SSW was able to weather the cuts that PSU has made with relatively minimal impact compared to other colleges/schools. We even saw credible opportunities for growth in our programs and expanded partnerships in the near future.

And while that is of course true and important, the events of the past several weeks instead call for me to give voice to the profound anxiety so many are experiencing in the wake of the unprecedented challenges to institutions of higher education in this country, many of which are intended to threaten the very viability of missions such as ours at the School of Social Work. You’ve heard about them all – from freezes on federally-funded research grants, to threats of “mass deportation” of undocumented students, the ceaseless assault on DEI (which is in our school’s very DNA), to threats to identify and potentially deport international students who have participated in constitutionally protected free speech.

As we navigate these potentially seismic shifts in both our current and future operational conditions, it is important to assure everyone that our first priority is, as always, taking care of our impacted students and assisting the faculty and staff who in turn support them. The utter shock, fear, anger, and feelings of powerlessness many of them may be experiencing in the wake of these cynical attacks is heart-breaking. It only compels us to recommit to our essential role of facilitating their educational journey while helping them feel safe, protected, and deeply valued.

I realize that it can be difficult during this time to find reasons to be grateful. But for me it’s an obvious moment to offer my steadfast appreciation to our faculty, staff and students. Teaching one of the MSW classes as a fill-in for another faculty further affirms my impression that PSU SSW is a school that trains students to be humble clinicians, and offers culturally competent and supportive services in diverse communities. My hope for you – for all of us - is that the challenges we face can also serve as an occasion to reaffirm these fundamental values of equity, inclusion, and care in our communities – values that are now at considerable risk.

We all know that building community is the answer to the kind of division that is confronting us. It is in that spirit of community that I encourage you to stay connected, to remain actively engaged with one another as faculty, staff and students, and to consider it a meaningful act of resistance being a part of a community that is inspired by the values that guide us as social work practitioners and supporters.