The University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, formerly known as the School of Social Service Administration (SSA) from 1920 to 2021, is the school of
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
.
History
The school was founded in 1903 by minister and social work educator
Graham Taylor as the Social Science Center for Practical Training in Philanthropic and Social Work. By 1920, through the efforts of founding mothers
Edith Abbott,
Grace Abbott and
Sophonisba Breckinridge, along with other notable trustees such as social worker
Jane Addams
Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...
and philanthropist
Julius Rosenwald
Julius Rosenwald (August 12, 1862 – January 6, 1932) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as a part-owner and leader of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and for establishing the Rosenwald Fund, which donated millions i ...
, the school merged with the University of Chicago as one of its
graduate school
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...
s. It became known from that point forward as the School of Social Service Administration. The campus building the school occupies was designed by famed modernist architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect, academic, and interior designer. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. He is regarded as one of the pionee ...
.
On January 27, 2021, the university announced that the School of Social Service Administration was renamed the "Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice", following a $75 million gift from
James Crown and Paula Crown.
Rankings and reputation
The SSA is ranked third by ''
US News
''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...
'' as of January 2025.
See also
*
Social Service Review
''Social Service Review'' is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press that publishes original research on social issues, social welfare policy, and social work practice. The Journal was established in 1927, making it the ol ...
*
List of social work schools
This is a list of notable social work schools offering a degree program in social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, ...
References
External links
*
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Universities and colleges established in 1920
School of Social Service Administration
Schools of social work in the United States
1920 establishments in Illinois
Academic and educational organizations in Chicago