This spring, NYU Shanghai and NYU’s Silver School of Social Work are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Shanghai and New York. On March 28, a special event was held to commemorate this milestone, which was hosted by the NYU Alumni Club in Shanghai with NYU Shanghai and NYU Silver.
Addressing the MSW community, NYU Silver Dean Michael A. Lindsey expressed his pride. “You remind me of why we offer this program: your dedication to your chosen careers, your commitment to bettering the lives of others, and your willingness to learn and practice your skills in very diverse environments ... Since our original cohort of seven MSW students, the program has made an outsized impact on the global social work community.”
Jointly established by NYU Shanghai and NYU’s Silver School of Social Work in 2015, the MSW program offers students of all nationalities the opportunity to experience an innovative global social work education. The program features a generalist practice curriculum in Shanghai followed by a specialized clinical social work curriculum in New York City. The extended immersion in both cities allows students to critically reflect on the cultural, social, and economic similarities and differences between these two environments, enriching their learning and strengthening their capacity for culturally appropriate practice.
Over the past ten years, the MSW program has attracted a diverse student body and now has a closely connected alumni network of over 100 graduates. It has developed partnerships with multiple medical centers, NGOs, and schools as fieldwork bases, including Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, and Fudan International School. The MSW program also contributes academically to the field by hosting annual symposiums and workshops covering a wide range of social issues, such as healthy aging and children’s health.
MSW Program Coordinator Xu Qingwen, who has been with the program since its inception, said she has enjoyed keeping in touch with program alumni over the years. “It’s always a great pleasure working with so many talented students and seeing them make meaningful changes in the world,” she said.