Welcome to the School of Social Work

We are delighted that you are interested in joining our Social Work community. The profession of social work is about change and innovation, and doing so from a time-tested base of knowledge, values and skills. Social workers have compassion for the needs of all people and a passion to influence and change unjust and unresponsive systems. In our rapidly diversifying world, social workers must reach out beyond their own comfort zones to help those in need – the reason why our area of concentration, Culturally-Competent Advanced Generalist, is so appropriate for the 21st century. The MSW emphasis is on Advanced Generalist practice, while the BSW program concentrates on the Generalist model of practice. Both programs aspire to prepare the profession’s future leaders and scholars.

We hope that you will choose to be among them.

Dr. Lorraine Marais, M.S.W., Ed.D.
Director, School of Social Work
Contact: lmarais@hpu.edu, (808) 566-2475

The Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) within the School of Social Work began in 2011 to foster leadership for graduate students and provide mentorship for incoming graduate social work students. The relationship between Peer Mentors and new students is intended to build a sense of community within the School of Social Work and to the larger Hawai‘i Pacific University community.

The School of Social Work at Hawai‘i Pacific University fosters collaborative partnerships to provide vehicles for community engagement with the social and human services community of Hawai‘i and University faculty in order to make a significant impact on the needs of the community of Hawai‘i. 

The first initiative creates a resource opportunity which is available to respond to requests from community organizations, agencies, and programs for assistance with:

• Program Planning and Development
• Evaluation – guidance and assistance to carry out program, policy, and project evaluation.
• Research – guidance and assistance to design and carry out research to address community and/ or agency needs.
• Assessment – guidance and assistance to design and carry out community and agency needs assessment.

Faculty is available to co-lead program, practice, evaluation, and research initiatives with community partners, to provide technical assistance, or provide training in each of the resource areas. School of Social Work faculty expertise are matched to the needs expressed by programs and organizations within the community with an emphasis on including students in projects providing significant service learning opportunities.