Several articles on the end of ISU’s social work program have included the statement that the faculty of the department of sociology, the host unit for the program, voted unanimously to discontinue the program.

In fact the majority of sociology faculty had earlier voted to support the program and ask for increased resources to assure its re-accreditation.

The clear context of the recent reported vote was whether the department should support a non-accredited program without the resources to apply for accreditation, not whether or not [the] department supported a social work program at ISU.

The vote against supporting a non-accredited program was based on the belief that a non-accredited program could disadvantage our graduates.

Many of us who are members of the sociology department faculty were highly supportive of the social work major, impressed by the quality of its students and are now concerned that a major void will exist because of the lack of an accredited baccalaureate program in central Iowa.

We recognize that the social work program served a significant number of non-traditional students who are not free to transfer to schools with social work programs.

Thus, we are very troubled by ISU’s loss of the program.

Brent Bruton

Robert Schafer

Professors of Sociology