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National Catholic School of Social Service

Faculty

Jo Ann R. Regan, Ph.D. Dean; Associate Professor
Frederick L. Ahearn Jr., Ph.D. Ordinary Professor, Emeritus
Laura Daughtery, Ph.D. Associate Professor; Chair, Baccalaureate Program
Peter J. Delany, Ph.D. Research Associate Professor
Eileen Dombo, Ph.D Associate Professor; Chair, Doctoral Program
Michaela Z. Farber, Ph.D. Ordinary Professor
Melissa D. Grady, Ph.D. Ordinary Professor
Ryan Hanlon, Ph.D. Adjunct Assistant Professor
Jennifer L. Keast Charles, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Eun Koh, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Michael Massey, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Lynn Milgram Mayer, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Randall O'Toole, MSW Clinical Assistant Professor
Christine Sabatino, Ph.D. Ordinary Professor, Emerita
Roslynn Scott-Adams, Ph.D. Clinical Assistant Professor; Chair, MSW Program
Joseph Shields, Ph.D. Ordinary Professor, Emeritus
Elizabeth M. Timberlake, Ph.D. Professor Emerita
Aileen Worrell, MSW, MBA Director of Admissions & Financial Aid; Business Manager
Brooks Zitzmann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

 

History

In 1918 the National Catholic Welfare Conference, seeking to enhance the education of relief and rehabilitation workers in Catholic social service agencies, established a service school. Graduates of the school proved to be valued employees in the burgeoning diocesan social service programs in the United States and abroad. This convinced the American bishops to call upon the National Council of Catholic Women to develop the program into a professional school of social work for women. In 1919, they formed the two-year graduate school and named it the National Catholic School of Social Service, NCSSS.

NCSSS functioned as an autonomous educational institution during its formative years, but in 1923 its independent status changed. In that year it became affiliated with The Catholic University of America, and its graduates henceforth received their master's degrees in social work from the university. In the same year, NCSSS was admitted to the organization later known as the American Association of Schools of Social Work.

The Catholic University of America, in response to requests by the diocesan director of Catholic Charities for the social work education of priests, religious and laymen, decided to establish an additional school of social work in 1934. Because NCSSS limited its enrollment to women, the new Catholic University School of Social Work was a professional school for male social workers. This school became affiliated with the American Association of Schools of Social Work in 1937.

Almost immediately the two schools began exchanging faculty, students, courses and resources, and by 1939 there was an academic fusion. In 1947 the schools were formally merged as the National Catholic School of Social Service of The Catholic University of America.

Education toward the master's degree, M.S.W., was the primary mission of NCSSS at its inception, but additional degree programs have been subsequently established. The doctoral program was established in 1934 and is the third oldest in the world. Through the university's School of Arts and Sciences, an undergraduate degree program in social work was established in 1969.

NCSSS began awarding the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree in 2010. Beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year, all undergraduate Social Work majors have matriculated for the Bachelor of Social Work degree in the National Catholic School of Social Service instead of the School of Arts and Sciences.

In 2014, NCSSS launched its online M.S.W. program with a clinical concentration. Students from across the US and in countries around the world complete all coursework online. The field education practica are completed in the student’s home community. The program is ranked in the top ten of all online M.S.W. programs and is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Mission

Derived from the mission of The Catholic University of America and that of the social work profession, the mission of the National Catholic School of Social Service is to educate students from diverse faiths and cultures who in their professional endeavors will embody the values of social justice, service, and scholarship. This mission is grounded in the justice and charity foundation of Catholic social teachings and the tradition of a modern university that welcomes all forms of human inquiry.

Goals

In support of its mission, NCSSS has established the following goals:

  1. To advance knowledge, values, and competencies through the development, application, and dissemination of theory and research relevant to the social work profession.
  2. To serve and empower vulnerable, oppressed, and impoverished people and communities.
  3. To promote social and economic justice and individual and societal well- being in the context of The Catholic University of America, the social work profession, and the needs of the local, national, and global communities.

Organization

NCSSS achieves its goals primarily through its three major programs as well as a variety of additional activities and publication of a scholarly journal. The major programs are the PhD program, the MSW program, and the BSW program. Additional activities include the work of several research and training centers, non-degree enrollment programs, summer and part-time programs and continuing education programs. The school actively participates in the publication of the scholarly journal, Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought.

The National Catholic School of Social Service is one of the professional schools of The Catholic University of America. As such it is governed by its own faculty and dean, under the jurisdiction of the university's president, Board of Trustees and Academic Senate. The school recommends students in its graduate programs for BSW, MSW, and PhD degrees directly to the Academic Senate and the university president. The BSW and MSW programs are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The PhD program is accredited through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education's accreditation of the university.

Center for the Advancement of Children, Youth and Families

The Center for the Advancement of Children, Youth, and Families seeks to improve the quality of life, safety, and well-being of children and their families by conducting research, training practitioners and administrators, and translating research to practice. Grounded in social justice, the center's mission is to facilitate multidisciplinary exploration of trends, issues, values, and challenges associated with delivering best practices and culturally competent social work to children and their families.

Center for the Promotion of Health and Mental Health Well-Being

The mission of the center is to develop and conduct research studies that focus on promoting the physical and mental health of individuals, organizations, communities, and society. The primary objective of the center is to generate and disseminate knowledge that informs social work practice, enhances the delivery of social services, and influences state and national policy in the health/mental health fields. In addition, the center sponsors educational seminars and workshops on health and mental health issues.

Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought

In addition to its educational programs and community service, the National Catholic School of Social Service publishes, with Taylor & Francis Publisher, a scholarly journal, Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought. This journal is committed to exploring topics pertaining to diverse sectarian and nonsectarian approaches to religion and spirituality related to social work and the helping professions. The journal also publishes philosophical and theoretical papers that deal with professional ethics and innovations in professional paradigms, world views, conceptual frameworks, and the philosophy of social work.