Woodside Professorship in Economic Justice and Financial Social Work

The University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work (UM SSW) is currently seeking a 12-month, full-time endowed, non-tenured professor at the Clinical Associate or Clinical Professor level. This endowed faculty position is titled, the Woodside Professorship in Economic Justice and Financial Social Work. The Woodside professor of Economic Justice and Financial Social Work will work under the supervision of the Executive Director of The Center for Restorative Change (CRC) and apply theories, knowledge, procedures, methods, and ethics derived from a formal educational program in human services, social work, economics, or a related field. 

Celebrating over 30 years of innovative social work practice in the Baltimore area, the Center for Restorative Change was launched within the UM SSW in 1992 under the original name of the Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS). The CRC’s mission is to advance social justice through mutually transformative community-university partnerships.  The vision of the CRC is that all communities will be equitable and promote well-being, self-determination, and individual and collective power. The CRC provides graduate-level social work students with hands-on experience with critical social issues in an encouraging and creative atmosphere that prepares them to be leaders.

The Woodside professor should have a strong interest in transdisciplinary work and will collaborate with educators, social workers, and public health professionals. We seek an inquisitive, resourceful, analytical individual with an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong commitment to anti-oppression, economic and racial justice. This is a new position providing opportunities for innovative practices that move beyond survival to community economic wealth building and well-being. 

The Woodside professor will lead the Financial Social Work Initiative (FSWI) at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.  Founded in 2008, the FSWI integrates social work research, practice, policy, theory, education, and community partnerships. The FSWI aims to train new and practicing social workers in the field of financial social work, to increase their skillset and efficacy in working with clients in financial distress, and to advocate for greater financial and social stability and social and economic justice for individuals and communities. Through the development of direct service initiatives, educational content, capacity building, and evidence-based practice, the FSWI enhances the unique and longstanding role social workers possess in helping clients and communities stabilize and improve their outcomes and quality of life.

The Woodside professor will also develop a strategic plan to work with community members to identify issues related to economic justice for historically marginalized communities, especially related to entrepreneurship, homeownership, and other forms of wealth creation historically denied communities of color. They must demonstrate an understanding of the history of racialized government and institutional practices that have created the poverty evident in many communities today. Their work is expected to include community organizing and developing community leaders around economic justice. 

The Woodside professor will work to identify and secure external funding, collaborate with other CRC departments, and serve as a member of the CRC’s leadership team. They will mentor junior faculty and staff, postdocs, and graduate students, and network with other academic centers on- and off-campus. Finally, they will interact with government and industry in Maryland and beyond and advocate for and promote the CRC in national and international forums.  The successful applicant will have a recognized track record of dissemination of knowledge, including current publications, securing funding, substantial leadership experience, and a strong interest in economic justice research and practice.  

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions: 

• Oversee the work of the UMB SSW Financial Social Work Initiative (FSWI), including coordinating a coalition of local and national partners, build and sustain a portfolio of field placements for graduate students, develop curriculum and educate practitioners, and coordinate the student financial well-being efforts on UMB’s campus.
• Support CRC programs in developing strategies to address economic justice, including collaborating with community leaders on joint projects.
• Work with community members to identify issues related to economic justice for historically marginalized communities, especially related to entrepreneurship, homeownership, and other forms of wealth creation historically denied communities of color.
• Assist partner organizations in developing strategies for building alliances, partnerships, and coalitions to enhance their power and achieve their goals, including organizational and strategic development work, fundraising, leadership training, and non-partisan electoral work.
• Engage in community organizing, approach legislators and institutions around discriminatory practices related to banking, housing, employment, community development, and related issues.
• Participate in local and national coalitions and organizing efforts to address issues of economic justice.
• Disseminate knowledge related to economic justice and financial social work, including research, policy analysis, papers, op-eds, articles, reports, and presentations.
• Identify and secure external funding to sustain and expand FSWI and economic justice programs.
• Teach social work students and practitioners about economic justice and financial social work.
• Recruit, train and supervise project faculty and staff as needed.

Education: Doctoral degree in human/social services, education, economics, or related field.

Experience: At least seven (7) years of experience leading community organizing and/or economic justice projects. At least five (5) years of management and supervisory experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in financial social work.
• A strong commitment to building economic justice and financial social work skills and capacity within the social work profession as one of many diverse means to address individual, community and systemic inequities.
• A clear understanding of federal public policy as it relates to economic justice in the United States.
• Strong commitment to progressive policy change, public service, and economic justice.
• Strong attention to detail, including demonstrated project management skills, and organizing abilities, such as coordinating events, planning long term research projects, or organizing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong writing and communication skills, ideally for both expert and popular audiences.
• Ability to work at a macro level, keeping in mind the broader vision, while also attending to operational details.
• Strong facilitation and training skills.
• Strong track record of writing and receiving grant funding from diverse sources (e.g., government, philanthropy, individual)
• Strong team player, able to work democratically, familiar with team dynamics and willing to work in a team environment; experience and comfort working as part of a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, including the support and supervision of graduate students.
• A strong understanding of base-building, leadership development, popular education, and community organizing as strategies for change and the importance of centering the voice and leadership of community members.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep understanding of challenges facing low-wage workers, immigrant communities, communities of color, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and people at the intersections of the above communities.
• Demonstrated experience in people of color worker justice (including the labor movement) and/or immigrant justice movements, and knowledge of issues affecting low-wage workers of color.
• Experience working with grassroots partners to advance local/state policy campaigns that advance wins on critical economic justice issue priorities with base building/power building and governance implications for the partner and UMB.

The Hiring Range for this position is $125,000 to $135,000.

The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law or policy.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for a disability, for any part of the recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

 
Job
: Faculty
Organization
: School of Social Work - Instruction
Job Posting
: Feb 26, 2024