BY VALERIE HAWLEY
STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE 30TH ANNIVERSARY
RECLAIMING A LEGACY. RECONNECTING A COMMUNITY.
Recognized an opportunity to reclaim one of the school's most influential intellectual contributions and transformed it into a year-long strategic initiative that strengthened institutional identity, reconnected the school with the broader profession, and engaged faculty, alumni, students, practitioners, and community partners.
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GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
SECURED STATEWIDE RECOGNITION OF THE STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE'S IMPACT ON SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
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YEAR-LONG INITIATIVE
CONNECTED EVENTS, SCHOLARSHIP, STORYTELLING, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT, BRANDING, AND COMMUNICATIONS
30TH
ANNIVERSARY
REINTRODUCED KU'S FOUNDATIONAL ROLE IN THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE
THE CHALLENGE
In 1989, faculty and doctoral students at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare were the first to formally name and articulate the Strengths Perspective in social work practice. Published in the journal Social Work, the framework challenged deficit-focused approaches by emphasizing the talents, resources, capacities, and aspirations that exist within individuals, families, and communities.
Over the following decades, the Strengths Perspective became one of the most influential frameworks in modern social work, shaping practice, education, policy, mental health recovery, child welfare, community development, and related fields across the United States and internationally.
As the framework became increasingly embedded throughout the profession, awareness of its origins at the University of Kansas gradually diminished. While its principles remained central to the school's identity, many students, alumni, and practitioners were unaware of KU's historic role in formally naming and advancing the perspective.
At the same time, some stakeholders viewed the Strengths Perspective as a historical achievement rather than a continuing source of innovation and leadership. Because its ideas had become so widely adopted, the school often emphasized newer initiatives and emerging areas of scholarship rather than promoting its foundational contribution to the profession.
The 30th anniversary presented an opportunity to reintroduce the Strengths Perspective as both a defining part of the school's history and a living framework that continues to influence social work education, research, practice, and policy around the world.
TURNING AN ANNIVERSARY INTO A STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY
The initiative began by positioning the Strengths Perspective not simply as a historical milestone, but as a defining part of the school's past, present, and future.
The anniversary was intentionally connected to broader revisioning efforts underway across the school, using the Strengths Perspective to bridge the institution's history with its evolving identity and future direction. Rather than simply looking back, the strategy reinforced how the school's strengths-based heritage continued to inform its mission, scholarship, community engagement, and vision for the future.
A year-long integrated initiative was developed to increase awareness of KU's role in advancing the Strengths Perspective, celebrate its global influence, and create meaningful opportunities to reconnect students, faculty, alumni, practitioners, and community partners with the school and one another.
Key elements included:
Development of the anniversary brand identity and visual system
Event strategy and promotion
Faculty research presentations and community discussions
Alumni and stakeholder engagement activities
Content development and storytelling
Website and digital communications
Print materials and environmental branding
Publication promotion and launch activities
BRINGING THE STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE TO LIFE
To create a memorable and visible symbol for the celebration, the campaign centered around a tree motif representing growth, resilience, connection, and potential.
A custom illuminated tree installation traveled throughout the year as a centerpiece for events and engagement activities. Participants were invited to write on leaves how they had applied the Strengths Perspective in their own work, creating a living visual representation of the framework's impact across communities and practice settings.
Additional activities included:
Faculty and researcher presentations highlighting strengths-based scholarship
Student engagement events
Community conversations
Alumni storytelling initiatives
Historical exhibits and displays
Publication launches and promotional activities
These experiences transformed the anniversary from a single event into a year-long conversation about the lasting influence of strengths-based practice.
ELEVATING THE LEGACY
A major milestone of the campaign was securing an official proclamation from the Governor of Kansas recognizing the 30th Anniversary of the Strengths Perspective for Social Work Practice.
The proclamation acknowledged the framework's impact on:
Mental health recovery
Community-based care
Social welfare policy
Social work education
Strengths-based practice across multiple disciplines
The recognition reinforced the significance of the school's contributions not only to the profession, but also to the state of Kansas and communities around the world.
PRESERVING THE HISTORY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
To document the evolution and global influence of the Strengths Perspective, the school published:
Rooted in Strengths: Celebrating the Strengths Perspective in Social Work
The volume brought together contributors from around the world to explore how strengths-based thinking continues to influence practice, policy, research, education, community development, and organizational leadership.
The publication served as both a celebration of the past and a roadmap for the future, ensuring that the history and evolution of the Strengths Perspective would remain accessible to future generations of students and practitioners.
Impact
Established strategic frameworks, integrated systems, and growth initiatives that supported expansion across online education, workforce development, and professional learning.
Strengthened cross-university collaboration while helping create more scalable, learner-centered educational experiences.
