The Wayne State University School of Social Work will host a ribbon cutting and open house on Thursday, April 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. to celebrate its new home at 5447 Woodward Avenue. The school moved to the new location in January 2016 from The Thompson Home, the building at Cass and Hancock it had occupied since 1991.

The celebration, which is open to the public, will feature brief remarks by School of Social Work Dean Cheryl Waites and WSU President M. Roy Wilson, as well as students, faculty and donors. The school will offer refreshments and tours of its new building, which recently underwent the first of a two-phase renovation. Guests can hear from faculty and students about ongoing social work research, community projects and educational initiatives while viewing phase two renderings on display throughout the building.

“As it enters its ninth decade, the School of Social Work looks forward to continuing its tradition of superlative education, research and community engagement with the amenities offered by its new home,” said Waites. “Coupled with the school’s development focus on student scholarships and faculty support, our technology-driven facility will help us attract the best and brightest minds in the field.”

The completion of phase one renovations provides faculty, students and community members with a space reflecting the cutting-edge urban research, clinical instruction and community engagement activities conducted in the school. The space hosts a technology training center with instructional software to support interactive workshops and community engagement projects, along with an innovative technology conference room and research lab equipped to record interviews and focus groups for high-impact, translational and applied research.

Phase two of the project includes completion of a media center for online learning, video conferencing and continuing education, along with dedicated classrooms on-site. The school plans to engage the entire metro Detroit community through brown bag lectures, public forums and symposia focused on key societal challenges and interdisciplinary conversations, which will be held in an expansive community engagement lounge and new conference room spaces.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 380 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 27,000 students.