At its meeting on December 12, 2006, the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America approved the following revised Mission Statement for the university:

As the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the country with the approval of the Holy See, The Catholic University of America is committed to being a comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higher learning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed on by the Church. Dedicated to advancing the dialogue between faith and reason, The Catholic University of America seeks to discover and impart the truth through excellence in teaching and research, all in service to the Church, the nation and the world (CUA Website).

This mission is further articulated through two documents that are important for understanding the historic mission of The Catholic University of America, as presented below.

The Catholic University of America is a community of scholars, both faculty and students, set apart to discover, preserve, and impart the truth in all its forms, with particular reference to the needs and opportunities of the nation. As a university, it is essentially a free and autonomous center of study and an agency servicing the needs of human society. It welcomes the collaboration of all scholars of good will who, through the process of study and reflection, contribute to these aims in an atmosphere of academic competence where freedom is fostered and where the only constraint upon truth is truth itself.

As a Catholic university, it desires to cultivate and impart an understanding of the Christian faith within the context of all forms of human inquiry and values. It seeks to ensure, in an institutional manner, the proper intellectual and academic witness to Christian inspiration in individuals and in the community, and to provide a place for continuing reflection, in the light of Christian faith, upon the growing treasure of human knowledge.

As a member of the American academic community, it accepts the standards and procedures of American institutions and seeks to achieve distinction within the academic world. Faithful to the Christian message as it come through the Church and faithful to its own national traditions, The Catholic University of America has unique responsibilities to be of service to Christian thought and education in the Catholic community as well as to serve the nation and the world (CUA, 2006a, p. 17).

The Catholic University of America was founded in the name of the Catholic Church in the United States by Pope Leo XIII and the bishops of this country as a national institution of learning. Given its origins and the historic role of its ecclesiastical faculties, this university has a responsibility to the Church in the United States that is special to it: it is called to be an intellectual center of highest quality, where the relation between revealed truth and human truth can be examined in depth and with authority. It seeks, moreover, to do this in the light of the American experience. It is for this reason that from its inception the university has enjoyed a unique relationship with the Holy See and the entire Catholic community.

Established as a center for graduate study, The Catholic University of America has evolved into a modern American university, committed not only to graduate, but also to undergraduate and professional education and to the cultivation of the arts. At every level, the university is dedicated to the advancement of learning and particularly to the development of knowledge in the light of Christian revelation, convinced that faith is consistent with reason and that theology and other religious studies themselves profit from the broader context of critical inquiry, experimentation, and reflection.

The university aims at achieving and maintaining in higher education a leading place among Catholic and other privately endowed research-oriented institutions of comparable size, purpose, and tradition. In particular, it seeks to maintain a position of special excellence in the fields of theology, philosophy, and canon law.

The Catholic University of America gives primacy to scholarship and scientific research and to the training of future scholars through its graduate programs, not only in order to advance scientific work, but because it recognizes that undergraduate and professional education of high quality also demands the presence of a faculty that combines teaching and professional activity with fundamental scholarship.

The university seeks the advancement of knowledge within a context of liberal studies, a context which reflects both its concern for the whole person and the distinctive wisdom to which it is heir as a Catholic institution. This dimension of learning is reflected particularly in its undergraduate programs where religious studies and philosophy are regarded as integral to curricula that include requirements in the arts and humanities, language and literature, and the natural and social sciences. Through its professional programs, the university seeks to educate men and women who can represent their respective professions with distinction and who are formed by the learning and values inherent in its academic and Catholic traditions.

In selecting disciplines or fields of specialization to be supported at an advanced level of study and research, the university accords priority to religious and philosophical studies and to those programs which advance the Catholic tradition of humanistic learning and which serves the contemporary and future needs of society and the Church. In supporting particular programs the university takes into account the present and potential quality of programs, making an effort to maintain present academic strengths, especially when these are not represented elsewhere.

The university recognizes that its distinctive character ultimately depends on the intellectual and moral quality of its members, To create an environment that is intellectually stimulating and characterized by the generosity and mutual support required for collegial life and personal growth, the university seeks men and women who are not only professionally competent but who can contribute to its Catholic, moral, and cultural milieu. The university seeks to preserve its tradition of collegial governance, fostering a climate within which all members of the university community have sufficient opportunities to influence deliberation and choice.

Though a research and teaching institution, the university recognizes that it is part of a larger community to which it has certain obligations consistent with its character. Its presence in the nation’s capital and its unique relationship with the Catholic Church in America provide it with opportunities for influencing the resolution of the crucial issues of our time. In providing information and criteria by which public policy is shaped and measured, the university seeks to be of special service to the nation. Similarly, it seeks to be of service to the Church, not only through the preparation of clergy and other leaders for specific roles in the Church, but through factual investigations and discussions of principles which influence policy. Thus, in dialogue and cooperation with contemporary society, The Catholic University of America sees itself as faithful to the challenge proposed by the Second Vatican Council for institutions of higher learning, namely, to put forth every effort so that “the Christian mind may achieve...a public, persistent, and universal presence in the whole enterprise of advancing higher culture.” (Gravissimum educationis, n. 10) (CUA, 2006a, pp. 17-18).

The National Catholic School of Social Service traces its roots to November 25, 1918, when a National Catholic Service School for Women first opened its doors to relieve the tragedies of war. Founded shortly after the end of World War I, the original school trained women for social work with American military personnel and their families. The school's mission soon broadened when it became the National Catholic School of Social service, a two-year graduate school intended to staff growing diocesan social service programs under the auspices of the National Council of Catholic Women and under the direction of the National Catholic Welfare Council

In 1919, a two-year graduate school was formed and named the National Catholic School of Social Service. NCSSS functioned as an autonomous educational institution during its formative years, until 1923, when the school became affiliated with The Catholic University of America, and its graduates henceforth received the Master of Social Work Degree from the University. In 1934, CUA developed its own program for priests, religious, and lay persons. Immediately there began an exchange of faculty and students, and in 1947, the two schools merged and have continued as the National Catholic School of Social Service of The Catholic University of America. Education toward the master’s degree was the primary mission of NCSSS at its inception, but additional degree programs have been subsequently established. The doctoral program, established in 1934, 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.

The Mission Statement of the National Catholic School of Social Service, adopted unanimously by the full Faculty during the Fall Faculty Retreat in 2005, is stated as follows:

Derived from the mission of The Catholic University of America, the needs of people, and the goals and values of the social work profession, the mission of the National Catholic School of Social Service is to prepare generalist and advanced practitioners, scholars, and educators whose work is grounded in the social justice and charity foundation of Catholic intellectual tradition and Judeo-Christian values, as well as in the tradition of a modern university which welcomes all forms of human inquiry and values. In keeping with the teachings and values of the Roman Catholic Church, NCSSS embraces as its special responsibility the education of social workers who promote the dignity of all people as bio-psycho-social-spiritual beings, and who serve the Catholic community, the neighboring community, and beyond. (CUA, 2006a, p.17).

This mission statement is consistent with the articulated mission of The Catholic University of America and its Statement of Aims and Statement of Goals in several ways. The emphasis on preparing generalist and advanced practitioners, scholars, and educators whose work is grounded in the social justice and charity foundation of Catholic intellectual tradition and Judeo-Christian values as well as in the tradition of a modern university which welcomes all forms of human inquiry and values supports the University’s mission to “discover and impart the truth through excellence in teaching and research.” This focus is also further linked to the University’s Statement of Aims, which identifies the university as “a free and autonomous center of study” that strives to create an “atmosphere of academic competence where freedom is fostered and where the only constraint upon truth is truth itself.” This is also consistent with the University’s Statement of Goals, which identifies the University’s commitment “not only to graduate, but also to undergraduate and professional education” and “accords priority to…those programs which advance the Catholic tradition of humanistic learning and which serve the contemporary and future needs of society.”

The NCSSS Mission Statement also makes clear that the School embraces as its special responsibility the education of social workers who promote the dignity of all people as bio-psycho-social-spiritual beings, and who serve the Catholic community, the neighboring community, and beyond. The prominence of this commitment is clearly consistent with the focus of the University’s Mission Statement on “service to the Church, the nation and the world.” This is further articulated through the University’s Statement of Aims, which calls for attention to “the needs and opportunities of the nation” and the University’s Statement of Goals, which specifies its “concern for the whole person” and its “resolution [to address] the crucial issues of our time.”

NCSSS’s Mission Statement is also congruent with the purposes of professional social work and professional social work education as articulated by the Educational Policy (EP) of the Council on Social Work Education. Table 1 illustrates the NCSSS Mission Statement and its consistency with CSWE policy statements regarding the profession (EP 1.0) and social work education (EP 1.1). The following section of this report, on “The Goals of the National School of Social Service,” shows in greater detail how the NCSSS has put this mission into action.

Correspondence between NCSSS Mission Statement, Purposes of the Social Work Profession, and Purposes of Social Work Education

NCSSS Mission Statement

Purposes of the Social Work Profession (EP 1.0)

Purposes of Social Work Education (EP 1.1)

Derived from the mission of the Catholic University of America, the needs of people, and the goals and values of the social work profession, the mission of the NCSSS is to prepare generalist and advanced practitioners, scholars, and educators whose work is grounded in the social justice and charity foundation of Catholic intellectual tradition and Judeo-Christian values, as well as in the tradition of a modern university that welcomes all forms of inquiry and values. In keeping with the teachings and values of the Roman Catholic Church, NCSSS embraces as its special responsibility the education of social workers who promote the dignity of all people as bio-psycho-social-spiritual beings, and who serve the Catholic community, the neighboring community, and beyond.

To enhance human well-being and alleviate poverty, oppression, and other forms of social injustice.

To enhance social functioning and interactions of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by involving them in goals, developing resources, and preventing and alleviating distress.

To formulate and implement social policies, services, and programs that meet basic human needs and support the development of human capacities.

To pursue policies, services, and resources through advocacy and social or political actions that promote social and economic justice.

To develop and use research, knowledge, and skills that advance social work practice.

To develop and apply practice in the context of diverse cultures.

The purposes of social work education are to prepare competent and effective professionals, to develop social work knowledge, and to provide leadership in the development of service delivery systems. Social work education is grounded in the profession’s history, purposes, and philosophy and is based on a body of knowledge, values, and skills. Social work education enables students to integrate the knowledge, values, and skills of the social work profession for competent practice.

Finally, in its commitment to prepare both generalist and advanced practitioners within the goals and values of the profession, the NCSSS Mission is clearly supportive of the delineated levels of practice as identified in Educational Policy 2.0, which states that:

The baccalaureate and master’s level of social work education are anchored in the purposes of the social work profession and promote the knowledge, values, and skills of the profession. Baccalaureate social work education prepares graduates for generalist professional practice. Master’s social work educational programs prepare graduates for advanced professional practice in an area of concentration. The baccalaureate and master’s level of educational preparation are differentiated according to (a) conceptualization and design, (b) content, (c) program objectives, and (d) depth, breadth, and specificity of knowledge and skills. Framework and perspectives for concentration include fields of practice, problem areas, intervention methods, and practice contexts and perspectives. (CSWE, 2003, p. 32).

Detailed discussion of both the baccalaureate and master’s level programs and their compliance with EP 2.0 is provided in the material presented under “Accreditation Standard 2: Curriculum.”

In support of its Mission, NCSSS established the following over-arching goals as a foundation for its educational programs. These goals were also adopted unanimously by the full Faculty during the 2005 Fall Faculty Retreat:

1. To advance professional social work knowledge, values, and skills through the development and dissemination of social work research and theory, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and other scholarly activities relevant to the times.

2. To educate students to become ethical social work practitioners and leaders imbued with an understanding of cultural diversity and the intellectual and professional competencies capable of promoting both individual and social change.

3. To educate students to address the basic needs of all people with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of vulnerable, oppressed, and impoverished people and communities.

4. To contribute responsibly to social justice and to promote individual and societal well-being in the context of the Catholic and general communities on the local, national, and global level.

To this end, we offer accredited programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels, as well as continuing education opportunities for the social work community.

AS 1.1: The program has goals derived from its mission. These goals reflect the purposes of Educational Policy, Section 1.1. Program goals are not limited to these purposes.

Derived from the mission of CUA, the mission of NCSSS, and the goals of NCSSS, the Baccalaureate and Master’s Programs have derived specific program level goals. These goals serve to further articulate how the programs support the purposes of social work education and the profession. Both the goals of the Baccalaureate Program and the goals of the Master’s Program have a clear link to the mission of NCSSS. The BA Program and MSW Program Faculty initially developed the program level goals in their respective committees. Goals for each program were then voted on by the full Faculty and were unanimously approved during the Spring semester of 2006.

The Baccalaureate Program seeks to prepare generalist practitioners who have a strong grounding in the liberal arts and in the value and ethical bases of the profession of social work. Program goals serve as the foundation for the development of curriculum objectives for each of the core curriculum content areas (Values and Ethics, Diversity, Populations-at-Risk and Social and Economic Justice, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Social Welfare Policy and Services, Social Work Practice, Research, and Field Education). Program goals are infused throughout the entire curriculum, in lecture and seminar classes, and throughout the field placement experience.

More specifically, the Faculty has derived eight goals from the mission of CUA, the mission of NCSSS, and the overall goals of the School, which are consistent with the purposes of social work education and professional social work. The goals of the Baccalaureate program are as follows:

1. To integrate a broad liberal arts perspective with social work education and field education.

2. To prepare beginning level social workers for generalist social work practice in a variety of settings and with diverse client populations.

3. To develop competent social work practitioners who are steeped in respect for human diversity and in the values and ethics of the social work profession.

4. To provide content that prepares students to become critical consumers of social work research and active participants in research efforts applicable to generalist social work practice.

5. To provide content that enables students to recognize the dynamics of oppression and discrimination on all populations, with a special emphasis on populations-at-risk.

6. To prepare generalist practitioners to use theories of human behavior and theories of human growth and development in order to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

7. To challenge students to develop a deep commitment to the promotion of social and economic justice: the elimination of poverty, discrimination, and oppression in the context of the tradition of Catholic Social Teachings and the mission of The Catholic University of America.

8. To prepare social work practitioners to analyze current social policy; critique federal, state, and local agency social programs; and examine them in the context of American social welfare history and contemporary society.

Reflecting the mission of NCSSS, the Baccalaureate program is designed to prepare social workers for generalist practice with a strong grounding in the liberal arts, social and economic justice, and Catholic Social Teachings. As such, students are required to take courses through the National Catholic School of Social Service on social work content and through either the School of Arts and Science or Metropolitan College for liberal arts content. The core values of the profession of social work, including service, social and economic justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence anchor the program’s goals and inform its entire curriculum.

Baccalaureate students are provided with the foundation necessary for beginning generalist practice. Students are prepared to “serve the Catholic community, the neighboring community, and beyond” by entering professional practice, beginning graduate education, or committing to service at the completion of the program. Advisors help students determine the next phase of their professional development by encouraging them to consider social work values and ethics, social justice, standards of the profession, and Catholic Social Teachings as they make their decisions.

Figure 2 illustrates how the eight goals of the Baccalaureate program correlate with the goals of the NCSSS.