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There's remarkable symmetry between the goals of our new Master of Social Work (MSW) program and DePaul's mission. Social engagement and the pursuit of solutions to society's problems are as central to Vincentianism as they are to social work.

The focus of our MSW program is not to train therapists but to prepare leaders in the spirit of Sts. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Vincent and Louise led others in seeking systematic, long-term solutions to poverty and other social problems.

The profession will be enhanced by our first MSW graduating class in June. The nine members of the inaugural graduating class are an impressive lot. Three of the students recently presented papers at professional conferences and another student presented on Social Work Day at the United Nations.

Four of them went on a Study Abroad program in December to Kenya and upon their return, the students held a fund-raiser that collected more than $3,000. One of the students asked his family to send cash donations to the Daughters of Charity, which defrayed the cost of construction of a home for an impoverished family in the rural village of Thigio.

In February, our MSW program was granted candidacy status for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Full accreditation typically takes two academic years and is based on meeting a variety of criteria including strength of the curriculum and the faculty, student professional development, library resources and the success of the program's alumni.

Program Director Tracey Mabrey proudly reports that our 35 MSW students are already producing at levels consistent with more established MSW programs and are meeting benchmarks we didn't expect the program to meet until 10 years into the program.

As is the case with many of our programs, the MSW program has formed a symbiotic relationship with Chicago that produces benefits for the community as well as for our students. They are given the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom by completing 540 contact hours their first year and 580 hours in their second year at social agencies or human service organizations.

Tracey and her growing faculty and staff have done a marvelous job in a very short time to create a graduate program that provides a first-class education while embodying DePaul's high ideals. Our students and our community have been enriched by the MSW program.