[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 54 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my 
congratulations, on the occasion of the Centennial of the oldest social 
work training program in the nation, to the Columbia University School 
of Social Work. Evolving from a summer program organized by the Charity 
Organization in New York, the School of Social Work has a long history 
of pioneering research, informed advocacy, and exceptional professional 
training.
  It is a remarkable accomplishment that social workers have played key 
roles in every major social reform movement, from settlement houses to 
labor reform, to the New Deal, to civil rights and voter registration. 
Many of the things we take for granted today--Social Security, child-
labor laws, the minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, Medicare--came 
about because social workers saw injustice, acted, and inspired others.
  Throughout the century, Columbia's faculty, students, and alumni have 
worked tirelessly to address both the causes and symptoms of our most 
pressing social problems. National movements, such as the White House 
Conference on Children and the National Urban League, have emerged from 
projects undertaken by the School's faculty and administrators in 
cooperation with professional and community organizations. The entire 
nation has benefited from the research and work of people such as 
Eveline Burns (Social Security); Mitchell I. Ginsberg (Head Start); 
Richard Cloward (welfare rights and voter registration); Alfred Kahn 
and Sheila B. Kamerman (cross-national studies of social services); and 
David Fanshel (children in foster care).
  As the School, and indeed the social profession, move into their 
second centuries, they will be challenged to respond to social change, 
new social problems, family change, and evolving societal commitments. 
Now more than ever, we will need well-trained and dedicated social 
workers to work with troubled children and families, organize 
communities for change, conduct cutting-edge research, administer 
social programs, and alleviate society's most intractable problems.
  It is with appreciation and admiration that I extend my best wishes 
to the Columbia University School of Social Work on its Centennial and 
look forward to its future activity and achievement. 

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