Get to know Patricia Findley, dean of the School of Social Work

Patricia A. Findley has returned home to Chicago as the new dean of the School of Social Work after nearly twenty years at Rutgers University in New Jersey. This also marks her return to Loyola, where she earned her Master of Social Work degree in 1989. She says Loyola provided her with a foundational education, springboarding her into her professional career and inspiring her to pursue a doctorate. 

Here, she talks about the resurgence of social work during and after COVID-19, how social work is inherently in the service of social justice, and why social work is all about community. 

What are you looking forward to about being back at Loyola?

I really enjoyed the work I did at Loyola because part of social work is doing internships in the community. Working in hospitals and schools, I learned so much about Chicago. 

Loyola’s ideals are what really drew me back—it’s Jesuit, it’s community-focused. That’s how social work is, so it connects well with who I am as an individual. 

What led you to the field of social work?

I’m from Chicago, but my grandparents were from outside Denver. They lived on a farm, and they ran a free community ambulance service in the mid-1900s for 26 years. 

They would collect food and make clothing, and my grandmother always set an extra plate at the table. I really saw the value of the community, and I wrote an essay and got a scholarship for my undergraduate education based on that. My parents were very invested in the community too, so it’s always been part of who I am. Working with people is just my joy. That’s what I really love to do. 

What are you looking forward to as dean of the School of Social Work?

Loyola never left my radar as a strong clinical school with an excellent national reputation, so I’m looking forward to being back. 

Social work was losing a little bit of ground before the pandemic. Once COVID-19 hit, suddenly, there was a resurgence in the need for social workers. We recognized the needs for something called the social determinants of health that involves peoples’ racial and ethnic backgrounds, their financial life, their education, their family history, and more. It’s not just people in their environment, but it’s about their entire environment. 

Now there’s a great demand for social workers. I’m looking forward to working with the program to help train social workers to address some of the greater needs, such as bilingual social workers. 

What’s the connection between social justice and social work?

Social justice is everything we talk about in social work. It’s great because it’s always been part of my mission. My background is disability; I like working with people with disabilities. I’ve always been a big advocate for that and helping give people a voice who don’t have a voice. So, social justice is part of something that we live every day as social workers, and it helps us practice at the very top of our training and our licenses.

You talked about how social work has had a resurgence since COVID-19. Where do you see the field of social work heading?

I’m a health care social worker, so I want to see us more prominent in the health care arena. Social workers have extremely strong clinical skills that set us apart from other disciplines, but also just in terms of community, family, working with immigrants and refugees, there’s just so many pockets of our communities that social workers impact, so it’s promoting that multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary approach.  

I would like to see social work have a clinical presence for the education of social workers, but also a voice in the city. I think there’s a lot we could do as a University within the mission of the Jesuit ideals and as a presence in the city. 

What are you looking forward to about being back in Chicago?

I love to walk–so walking along the lakefront. And as a foodie, I’ll enjoy eating at the restaurants. I’m also looking forward to connecting with friends and family who live here and taking my grandson to the Museum of Science and Industry when he visits. 

Read more stories from the School of Social Work.