Uniting two disciplines: An innovative partnership between family science and social work

• Published date: 01 July 2022
• Author: M. Elise Radina,Amy R. Roberts,Anne Roma,Sharon L. Custer,Megan K. T. Kuykendoll
• Date: 01 July 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12664

RESEARCH

Uniting two disciplines: An innovative partnership

between family science and social work

M. Elise Radina

1

|Amy R. Roberts

1

|Anne Roma

2

|

Sharon L. Custer

1

|Megan K. T. Kuykendoll

1

1

Family Science and Social Work, Miami

University, Oxford, Ohio, United States

2

School of Social Work, University of

Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Correspondence

M. Elise Radina, Family Science and Social

Work, Miami University, 210 E. Spring Street,

McGuffey Hall, Suite 101, Oxford, OH 45056,

USA. radiname@MiamiOH.edu

Abstract

Objective: We detail a case example describing the uniting

of curricula from family science and social work into a

comprehensive major that prepares students as both social

workers and family life educators.

Background: As academic disciplines aimed at preparing

undergraduates for careers in human service, family sci-

ence and social work may compete for legitimacy and

resources within higher education.

Method: Guided by appreciative inquiry, we first offer our

reflections on this case and its processes. In so doing, we

discuss how faculty members worked together despite

legitimate fears and concerns regarding the potential loss

of professional identity to create a shared vision for under-

graduate student preparation that honors the origins of

both disciplines.

Results: Faculty collaborated to craft an enhanced curricu-

lum that capitalized on collective strengths, overlaps in dis-

ciplinary origins and ethics, and market demands for

licensed professionals. We provide a brief overview of fam-

ily science and social work as separate disciplines, includ-

ing their respective pathways to professionalization,

ethical principles, and competencies, and practice guide-

lines as a way of illuminating commonalities.

Conclusion: We conclude with lessons learned and a dis-

cussion of the future of family science and social work as

partners rather than rivals with complementary disciplines.

KEYWORDS

family life education, family science future, higher education, social work

education, undergraduate curriculum design

Received: 22 October 2020Revised: 9 September 2021Accepted: 13 November 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12664

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

1058 Family Relations. 2022;71:1058–1080.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

As universities across the United States attempt to streamline their curriculum with an eye

toward cutting instructional costs, many universities have looked for ways to reduce the volume

of courses that are offered but also to eliminate curricular programs (e.g., Carlson, 2019;

Nguyen, 2019). Regional public universities that offer an array of 4-year degrees in the Midwest

have been particularly hard hit, with enrollment in six states falling by more than 10% since

2011 (Maxim & Muro, 2020). This reality has been exacerbated by recent economic impacts

resulting from COVID-19, with an estimated 650,000 jobs in higher education nationwide elimi-

nated between February 2020 and January 2021 (Bauman, 2021). Within the past year, three

regional public universities within Ohio eliminated an alarming number of faculty, staff, and

administrator positions (Nietzel, 2021; Pappano, 2020; Poliakoff, 2020). Miami University is

not immune to these pressures and is currently seeking ways forward that are thoughtful, crea-

tive, and wise.

As complementary academic disciplines with compatible ethical principles and shared

values and core beliefs, both family science and social work often aim to prepare undergradu-

ates for careers in human service defined broadly. However, these disciplines, along with others,

compete for professional legitimacy and higher status within higher education. This is evidenced

by the proliferation of social work programs in the 1980s and 1990s that Karger and

Stoesz (2003) claimed “can be viewed as a de facto attempt to curb the encroachment on tradi-

tional social work turf by counseling psychologists, family therapists, nurses, and even sociolo-

gists”(p. 291). This traditional social work “turf”continues to be challenged in present-day

environments and educational contexts such as psychology, public health, and nursing

(e.g., Bennett et al., 2016; Cederbaum et al., 2019; Olshansky, 2011; Williams, 2016). Some

have even argued that social work should merge with other disciplines, such as family science,

to better prepare graduates with the skills and content knowledge they will likely need to be

change agents and meet the needs of the communities they serve (Stoesz, 2002; Reisch, 2013).

This struggle was exemplified at Miami University in the Department of Family Science

and Social Work, the mission of which focused on preparing students for careers in helping pro-

fessions. The department used a siloed approach to the curriculum that was offered, which led

to some level of competition for recruiting students between the majors. Social work advisors

would advise prospective students to choose social work due to clear professional outcomes and

marketable traits, such as the potential for social work licensing and a master’s in social work

(MSW), and family science advisors would advise students to choose family science by promot-

ing family life education certification or opportunities for graduate education. Some students

were torn between selecting what was most desirable and parental pressure for clearer career

outcomes. With the university increasingly focused on the number of students in a major to

indicate its viability, a growing rivalry between the disciplines within the department emerged,

which may also happen at other universities. The need to explicitly address this struggle for

resources became clear, and the faculty entered a process of revising the curriculum that was

collaborative, innovative, timely, and outcomes focused.

The confluence of departmental and university contexts created a serendipitous moment

that was ripe for both consolidation and innovation. In 2018–2019, Miami University went

through a process of strategic planning during which it was noted that numerous majors and

programs were offered, implying the potential to cut low-enrolled programs in favor of effi-

ciency. In the Spring 2019, the department received feedback from its Academic Program

Review, which served as the impetus for departmental leadership to begin more seriously

exploring the possibility of uniting the two curricula. Various faculty members in the Depart-

ment, both those who had been there for more than 10 years and those who had just arrived,

noted that the two disciplines seemed to compete for recruiting the same students to their

respective programs rather than embrace a complementarity in approaches to clients and socie-

tal change. Program review feedback helped the department to directly face this challenge.

FAMILY SCIENCE AND SOCIAL WORK PARTNERSHIP1059