We are delighted to announce, at long last, that the Columbia University School of Social Work is finalizing plans for a new educational facility that will be built to its own specifications. CUSSW's new facility will be the first in its 102-year history designed especially for social work education and the unique needs of social work students. 

CUSSW, the oldest school of social work in the world, maintains an unequaled tradition of excellence.  The beginning of the new millennium coincides with CUSSW’s second century of leadership in social work education.  In order to remain pre-eminent and to continue to set the standard by which all other social work schools are measured, CUSSW is embarking upon an ambitious building plan, one that entails constructing an entirely new educational facility while also redesigning McVickar Hall.

 Since June 1898, the date of the first Summer School in Philanthropy, and the acknowledged beginnings of social work education, the School has had four previous locations.  Adapting to facilities loaned by other institutions, all four buildings proved deficient over time.  CUSSW’s current home, McVickar Hall, is the foremost determinant of the quality of life for faculty, students, administrators and alumni/ae alike.  There is unanimous agreement that McVickar Hall is not compatible with the needs of contemporary professional education.  It fails to meet CUSSW’s high standards for learning, teaching, research, and social life.  In 1971, the School was to occupy McVickar Hall, previously employed as an SRO hotel, for one year only.  But, funding never was found to construct an entirely new structure that could meet the specific needs of the School of Social Work.

Now, at last, an energetic Capital Campaign has succeeded in raising $27.5 million of the $32.4 million needed for such a facility. The funds collected represent contributions from a number of major donors and many smaller donors, support from several corporations and foundations, and University assistance including low-cost institutional loans.

The new facility will provide the Columbia University School of Social Work with the learning environment that it so richly deserves and urgently needs. The building will house a multitude of classrooms, all accessible to people with disabilities and all fully capable of employing the newest digital, computing and audio-visual technologies.  An on-site library will provide easy access for all students to learning materials both in conventional and electronic form.  Architects will plan for large meeting rooms, lecture rooms, seminar rooms, classrooms and research areas suited to many needs and purposes.  The final design will include interviewing rooms, skill development laboratories, and electronic linkages with other libraries.  The facility will house a dining area and spaces where faculty, students and administrators can mingle freely for intellectual and social interaction. Besides taking pride in the School’s illustrious educational and professional achievements, alumni/ae will be able to be proud of a new educational facility that truly befits CUSSW’s reputation for excellence.

The planned location for the new building is ideal.  A site across the street from McVickar Hall, currently serving as a parking lot, suits the School’s requirements perfectly.  CUSSW will be able to maintain its neighborhood presence while also linking integrally to the Columbia University campus.

The new facility will enable the School to attract and retain world-class faculty members while enrolling the best social work students.  Substantial numbers of doctoral graduates also will be trained at the new facility thereby helping to address a severe shortage of adequately trained social work leaders in the academic, administrative, policy and advanced practice sectors.  Most important, a new building, designed creatively and with ample space for every user, will greatly improve the quality of life at the School of Social Work.

CUSSW has commissioned an outstanding architectural firm to design the new building. Cooper, Robertson & Partners has been selected as much for its ability to listen to CUSSW’s unique needs as for its inventive and exciting designs.  Creators of the state-of-the-art Stuyvesant High School, the Duke University Clinic, and the new School of Business at Ohio State University, this firm is especially adept at fitting new structures to clients’ needs.  The architects have put together a remarkable design that takes into consideration the special needs of social work students who must spend three days of every week in field instruction while also devoting numerous hours to classroom instruction.  The new facility will be designed to maximize working linkages with field instruction sites.  And, above all, it will promote a strong sense of community among CUSSW students, faculty and alumni/ae.

Cooper, Robertson has devised a program that entails concurrent modifications in McVickar Hall so that the two buildings can function as an integrated whole.  The on-site library that was lost when CUSSW left the Carnegie Mansion will be reclaimed.  The sense of community that all alumni/ae who graduated from the Mansion remember now will form again in new surroundings.  Also like the Carnegie Mansion, an on-site cafe will serve as a social center.  Stairways will be designed to promote social interaction as well as easy movement from one floor to another.  The new structure will be especially well suited to teaching and it will be capable of accommodating new technologies far into future.  As chief architect Scott Newman observes, while technology can’t substitute for an excellent professor, rooms that offer cutting-edge technologies, excellent acoustics, fine air quality, large and bright windows, and pleasing proportions can significantly complement and support the professor’s skills.

The new facility will offer generous public spaces as well as classrooms of many kinds.  Alumni/ae receptions can be held in warm and welcoming public areas with access to outdoor terraces and patios.  Moreover, the building will be designed in ways that complement the adjacent neighborhood and the local community.  The goal is to construct a “green” structure that takes due account of environmental considerations both in construction and daily operation.  All spaces are being designed for high utilization and for multiple purposes in order to maximize efficient use.  Desktop facilities will enable students to employ personal computers throughout the building.  And, a handsome lobby will offer a dramatic welcome for all who enter the building.  The new facility will double CUSSW’s space and foster more frequent and productive interactions among students, faculty and alumni/ae.

Pending the introduction of new building zone regulations in New York City, tentative plans call for breaking ground in fall of 2001 and completion of the facility in time for the fall 2002 semester.  It’s an ambitious schedule but a necessary one in order to adhere to stringent cost controls for the new building.  CUSSW alumni/ae have played a crucial role in designing and funding this all-important facility.  They will continue to provide assistance at every stage of its development.  The new building will be both a testament to alumni/ae support and a welcome venue for more frequent and varied alumni/ae activities.