The College of Social Work saw the importance of providing experiences to increase educational awareness many years ago. Beginning in 1986 the College initiated a study-abroad program. Since that time the college has sponsored overseas study for social work students and practitioners on a steady basis. This overseas study has been offered for course credit to graduate and undergraduate students from the University of South Carolina and from other colleges and universities. Through these study-abroad trips, continuing education credits are awarded to social work practitioners and educators. Over the years hundreds of students and social workers have participated in these international courses. These trips have enabled participants to learn about social work and human services in other countries through visits to social agencies and lectures by social work professors and agency officials. The trips have also made it possible for participants to learn about other cultures though visits to the countries of Mexico, Israel, Greece, England, Scotland, France, Russia, Sweden, India, Ghana, and Ireland. In 2005 there were study-abroad trips to Italy and Greece, to Mexico, and to Brazil (in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Consortium for Social Development).

A second way in which the College has been involved at the international level is through the development of partnerships with universities in other countries. Beginning in 1988, with a partnership with Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the College has expanded this program to include partnerships with 15 universities throughout the world. These partnerships make it possible for a large variety of collaborative activities to take place, including faculty exchanges, student exchanges, curriculum sharing, cross-cultural research, and joint service projects. Though these partnerships a number of faculty from foreign universities have come to South Carolina to study during their sabbaticals. Similarly, faculty members from this College have spent their sabbaticals in other countries. The enrollment of foreign students in our MSW and Ph.D. programs has expanded dramatically as a result of these partnerships.

The College has also been a leader in the arena of international social work in a third way is through the sponsorship with international conferences. In 2001, the College hosted the annual meeting of Human Services Information Technology Applications (HUSITA). HUSITA is an international cultural association that promotes the ethical and effective use of information technology to serve humanity. The organization, which was created in 1983, focuses on the development of knowledge and the transfer of technology within human services. HUSITA meets at locations throughout the world to bring together social work education and practitioners as well as professionals from other areas of human services. (For more information on HUSITA, visit www.husita.org.)

In 2004, the College and its Korean partner, Kangnam University, co-sponsored a conference in Korea. This meeting, with the theme of "Social Welfare Issues and Social Worker's New Roles in the Era of Globalization," brought together social work educators and practitioners from countries throughout the worls.

The College has also served as a sponsor of two international meetings of the International Consortium for Social Development—ICSD (formerly known as the Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development). ICSD is an international organization that is concerned with empowering people to bring about economic and social improvement in their lives. It is comprised of scholars, practitioners and students from social work and other disciplines from throughout the world. In 2003 the College, under the leadership of Dr. Goutham Menon, planned the biennial meeting which was held in India. In 2005, with Dr. Julie Miller-Cribbs serving as planner, the College, planned the organization’s meeting in Brazil. In both instances local schools of social work served as co-planners and sponsors of the meetings. The College’s Director of International Programs, Dean Emeritus Frank Raymond, is currently President of ICSD, and is involved in the planning of the 2007 conference, which will be held in Hangzhou, China. The College of Social Work will be a co-sponsor of that conference, along with Boston College. (For more information regarding ICSD, visit www.IUCISD.org.)

Above: Study Abroad Ghana 2001

The fourth major way in which the college has been involved at the international level is through its Korea-based MSW program. At the request of the Korean Association of Social Workers, the College developed this program and began offering courses to the first cohort of students in 1993. Through this program the college offers its MSW degree on site in Seoul, Korea. The curriculum is exactly the same as that offered in South Carolina. However, all courses are taught in English and translated into Korean by Korean-American social work educators. Applicants to the program are not required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination as would be true if they came to South Carolina to study. Since they plan to continue living in Korea, this requirement is waived.

Our college is the only school of social work to offer its master’s degree in its entirety in a foreign country. The program has been fully approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the Council of Social Work Education, and the Korean Ministry of Education. With the graduation of the forth cohort of students in December 2003, over 100 students have received their MSW degrees through this program. The fifth class began its studies in June 2004 and will graduate in December 2006.

The Korea-based program has been beneficial to all parties. Non-traditional working students are able to receive MSW degrees that would otherwise be unavailable to them from schools in the United States. Furthermore, it is considerably less expensive for students to enroll in this program than it would be for them to come to the United States to receive their MSW degree. Faculty from the College have enjoyed the experience of teaching abroad. They have found that they are better social work educators as a result of insights they acquire from living, studying, and teaching in another country. Similarly, faculty from Korean universities who participate in the program also benefit from these cross-cultural activities. Several faculty members from both countries have engaged in joint research projects, which have resulted in scholarly publications and papers presented at national and international conferences. This is an excellent example of how international partners can benefit from international exchanges and collaboration. The Korean program has two webpages, one in English only, the other in both Korean and English.