In Memoriam:
Dr. Herman Stein, Social Work Pioneer
Dr. Herman Stein, a pioneer of the social work profession and a highly regarded social work educator, passed away on October 2, 2009 at his home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He was 92 years old.
Dr. Stein earned both his master's and doctoral degrees at Columbia University School of Social Work. For more than 16 years, he was a member of the Columbia University community as a professor at the School of Social Work and as director of its Research Center. At Columbia and Smith College, Dr. Stein developed and introduced some of the first courses in the nation on comparative social welfare with a particular emphasis on the Third World. A prolific scholar who authored and edited more than 120 papers and seven books, many on international social welfare, Dr. Stein was one of the first social work educators to draw from and integrate theories and concepts from a wide array of disciplines, including the social and behavioral sciences, to inform his research and teaching. His doctoral courses on organizational theory and administration and on research related to comparative industrial social welfare are still referenced for their pioneering perspectives and contributions.
Through these and many other positions, Dr. Stein played a significant role in social welfare policy and program development in countries around the world. A former president of the International Association of Schools of Social Work, Dr. Stein served on numerous missions to developing countries and was a senior advisor on policy and organizational issues for many public and private agencies in the United States. Among the national and international organizations and health and education institutions to which he lent his expertise as a consultant were the War Manpower Conservation Commission; the Government of India Planning Commission; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the Secretariat for the United Nations Conference of Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare; the United Nations Division of Social Development; the United Nations Children's Fund; and the Asian Pacific Development Council.
In 1969 Dr. Stein was appointed Dean of the School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and later Provost of Social and Behavioral Sciences and University Vice President. This was followed in 1994 by Case Western University conferring upon him the University Medal. Professor Stein's many honors and awards also include the Significant Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council on Social Work Education, the Rene Sand Award of the International Council of Social Welfare, and the Katherine A. Kendall Award from the International Association of Schools of Social Work.
Dr. Stein was an early pioneer in the field of International Social Welfare whose work reflected a deep appreciation of the value of interdisciplinary scholarship. He is survived by his brother Joseph Stein and daughters Naomi, Shoshana and Karen.