Ira C. Colby
Dean and Professor of Social Work
Email: icolby@uh.edu
Room: 212 Social Work Building
Phone: 713-743-8085
Current Curriculum Vitae
Personal Statement:
The purpose of social work education is to develop and provide a quality, proactive educational experience that prepares individuals for competent, ethical social work practice. We approach matters not to confirm our beliefs but to discover new truths that support a community where all persons are able to participate and fully maximize their individual and collective capacities. Professional education centers on discovery and critical thinking as together we forge new practice models and promote more effective public policy.
Education:
1984 Doctorate of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1975 Master of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
1971 Bachelor of Science, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts
Licenses & Certifications:
Academy of Certified Social Workers, Licensed Master Social Worker and Advanced Clinical Practicioner
Areas of specialization:
Social policy; macro social work practice political social work.
Courses Taught:
6351 – Social Welfare Policy;
8000 – Teaching in Social Work
Research Interests:
Issues related to the form and structure of social work education and the profession of social work. Also focus on public policy matters related to justice in human services.
Selected Publications:
Colby, I. and Dziegielewski, S. (2004). Introduction to social work, the peoples’ profession (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Publishers.
Poole, D. and Colby, I. (2002). Do public neighborhood centers have the capacity to be instruments of change in human services? Social work. 47(2). 142-152.
Colby, I. Privatizing social services: once a zebra, always a zebra. In Karger, H. and Midgley, J. (2001) Controversial issues in social policy. New York: Allyn and Bacon.
Colby, I. and Dziegielewski, S. (2000). Introduction to social work, the peoples’ profession. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Publishers.
Colby, I. Contributions. In Haynes, K. and Mickelson, J. Affecting change: social workers in the political arena (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman. 2000.
Colby, I. & Leon, A. (1999). Student orientation in social work education. Journal of applied social sciences.
