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UVI Board of Trustees Approves MA in Social Work, Bachelor in Fine Arts & MOUs with TAMCC, SALCC & the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

In the regular session of its quarterly meeting on June 22, in the Administration and Conference Center Building on the St. Thomas Campus, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new Master of Arts in Social Work (MSW) degree Program and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) Program. Both degrees will be administered in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) under the leadership of Dr. Kimarie Engerman, who serves as dean of CLASS. 

“There is quite a need for trained social workers,” said Trustee Yvonne Thraen, who presented the Academic, Research and Student Affairs’ Committee recommendation to the Board. “The MSW program at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) will follow guidelines established by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which accredits social work programs nationally. In addition to providing a robust curriculum that supports the generalist social work practitioner, the MSW at UVI will be designed to provide the student with an in-depth knowledge of trauma-informed practices. This is critical to working with populations who have been exposed to intergenerational trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and as the result of experiencing natural disasters. Moreover, all of the coursework and field experiences will include an explicit focus on the social institutions and needs of people belonging to the Caribbean diaspora.

“The University of the Virgin Islands feels that we can no longer depend on importing social workers into the territory, especially for those that are the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Camille McKayle, UVI provost. “We want to train from a Caribbean cultural perspective.”

More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link.