Appointment of Dean of School of Social Work

July 28, 2005

Members of the Rutgers Community:

It is my pleasure to announce that Richard L. Edwards, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has accepted appointment as dean of the Rutgers School of Social Work, effective August 1, 2005.

Dr. Edwards comes to Rutgers with a wealth of experience in the field of social work. From 1992 to 2000 he served as dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work, where he implemented a Ph.D. program, led development of certificate programs in nonprofit leadership and aging, and achieved a substantial increase in annual external funding for research, training, and technical assistance.  From 2000 to 2001 he was interim provost at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Previously, he was dean of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and acting dean and associate dean of the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York at Albany. 

Dr. Edwards is former president of the National Association of Social Workers and was editor-in-chief for the 19th edition of the Encyclopedia of Social Work.  He has consulted widely in the United States and internationally, including the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Richard Edwards earned his B.A. in sociology from Augustana College in Illinois, his M.A. from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration, and his Ph.D. from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY-Albany.

I am delighted to welcome Richard to Rutgers at a time when our graduates in the field of social work are playing an increasingly critical role in addressing the serious issues affecting families and children in our state. His distinguished career as a teacher, scholar, and administrator as well as his strong record of advocacy, position him to be an outstanding leader and proponent of our school.

Richard Edwards brings expertise, energy, and ideas to his duties as the new leader of our School of Social Work. He was selected from a pool of excellent candidates, and I thank the members of the search committee, chaired by Professor Ellen Idler, for their efforts. I hope you will join me in welcoming Richard to Rutgers.

For more information on his appointment, please view the press release at http://urwebsrv.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=4641.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey