Welcome

Committed to empowerment and social justice

You’re looking for more than a paycheck – you want a career that allows you to make a difference in the world. You care deeply about equality and justice. You want to help people.

If this sounds like you, you’ll feel at home in the School of Social Work. Our undergraduate and graduate programs will prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in a variety of public and private settings.

A message from the director, Dr. Freddie L. Avant

It is a great privilege to serve as director and associate dean of the School of Social Work at SFA. Our mission is to prepare competent, effective social workers to respond to the needs of rural communities and to people with rural lifestyles. We are committed to academic excellence and diversity across our various programs, and we are engaged in promoting individual, family and community empowerment through our involvement in a variety of initiatives and programs.

Our faculty members' influence on the profession of social work and the field of social welfare has been historic and continues to be far-reaching and enduring in rural social work. Our students are extraordinarily talented and deeply committed to social welfare issues, and our graduates are exactly the leaders and innovators we need working in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Thank you for your interest in the School of Social Work. If you have any questions about our program, feel free to contact me.

Freddie L. Avant, Ph.D., LMSW-AP, ACSW
Chair, School of Social Work
936.468.5105
favant@sfasu.edu

School mission

The mission of the School of Social Work at Stephen F. Austin State University is to prepare competent and effective professional social workers committed to generalist and advanced generalist practice and able to respond to the needs of rural communities and to the challenges faced by people with rural lifestyles.  The school is committed to providing leadership for the region and globally, particularly in identifying and addressing community needs and issues, including those related to the alleviation of poverty and oppression within the context of rurality, cultural diversity and social and economic justice.  In support of its educational endeavors, the school is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, lifelong learning and community service.