Published:
An East-West Exchange of Social Work Ideas
Adelphi and Kwansei Gakuin University students had the opportunity to explore social work practice and theory from new cultural perspectives.
How do social work theory and practice in the United States differ from Japan? Students in both Adelphi’s School of Social Work and Japan’s Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) are finding out, thanks to an exciting new partnership. From August 1–10, Adelphi hosted a week of cultural exchange as seven of our social work students served as ambassadors for six social work students from Japan.
The Adelphi and KGU contingents traveled into Manhattan for field visits to nonprofits where they learned from experienced social workers making a difference in the lives of children, adults and elderly New Yorkers. They also visited landmarks including the Tenement Museum, Ellis Island and the United Nations.
The week culminated in a symposium on social work topics, student presentations, and a farewell dinner with a talent show. The cultural exchange continues next summer when Associate Professor Bradley Zodikoff, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Chrisann Newransky, Ph.D., will lead a group of Adelphi social work students to Japan.
KGU students visited the Henry Street Settlement, which was founded in 1893 by social work and public health pioneer Lillian Wald and based on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Today, the Henry Street Settlement delivers a wide range of social service, arts and health care programs to more than 60,000 New Yorkers each year.
The program culminated in a symposium, hosted by Adelphi University’s School of Social Work.
About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning
Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students’ lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi is one of just four companies and the only university on Long Island to be named among America’s Best Employers by State for 2023 by Forbes.
A surge in 2024 rankings by U.S. News & World Report—up 19 spots as a Best College, up 85 spots for Social Mobility and up 35 spots as a Best Value College—supports Adelphi’s rising reputation. Adelphi serves more than 7,400 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City’s cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.
More than 119,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.
For further information, please contact:
Center for International Education
Nexus Building, Room 145
p – 516.877.3487
e – cie@adelphi.edu
School of Social Work
p – 516.877.4300
