More than 22,000 people affiliated with The University of Iowa receive services every year from United Way. But United Way's agencies are also fertile training grounds for UI students who want to make a career of helping people. There are 145 collaborations between UI departments and United Way agencies. Legal Services works closely with College of Law clinical programs. The College of Dentistry collaborates with Dental Services for Indigent Children of Johnson County.
Field work is the cornerstone of our professional education curriculum.
You wouldn't turn new physicians out to practice medicine if they had never had experience with real patients, nor would we do so in social work. Students crave the field experience after spending so much time in class. Very often it is the first time students have been able to apply helping skills and they feel they are contributing. They usually experience a lot of growth. That was true for Sharon Bleke, a social work graduate.