Awards

IU Historical Marker - 2020

About Origins of the School of Social Work

Indiana University dedicated a historical marker in 2020 about the creation of the origins of the School of Social Work. The marker text follows:

In 1911, Indiana University established a Social Service Department, one of the first of its kind in America. Attached to the School of Medicine in Indianapolis, it was designed to provide clinical experiences for students interested in the emerging field of social work. By 1921, the department offered a baccalaureate degree, with three years of coursework in Bloomington and a final year in Indianapolis; a master’s degree program began in 1931, in Indianapolis. In 1944, the program was reorganized into the Division of Social Service and grew rapidly following World War II, culminating in the creation of the Graduate School of Social Service in 1966. In 1977, it was renamed the School of Social Work, and moved to the new Education/Social Work Building in 1982 at IUPUI after a decade in Cavanaugh Hall. A doctoral program was initiated in 1994. IN 2007, the IU Division of Labor Studies merged with the school, which has branches at nearly all IU campuses.