By its very organizational design, the MSW program is geared to support, sustain, and facilitate its collaborative origins. Most significantly, the administrators and faculties of both institutions are deeply committed to the concept of community based collaboration on which the program is built. The following definitions are utilized throughout the MSW program design and undergird programmatic operational procedures and conceptual models presented. We are committed to a definition that suggests that collaborations bring previously separated organizations into new structures with full commitment to a common mission. Such relationships require comprehensive planning and well-defined channels operating on many levels.
Authority is determined by the collaborative structure.
Resources are pooled or jointly secured and the products are shared. Interdisciplinary For purposes of the MSW program the term interdisciplinary refers to the efforts of groups of people, each trained in different professional disciplines and possessing their unique skills and orientations, working together to achieve a common goal. Interdisciplinary collaboration related to the MSW student thesis completion. Team teaching by MSW faculty and those from other disciplines. Agency field instructors teaching selected social work courses and providing guest lectures on an ongoing basis.