91快色

When Gina Potts began her Bachelor of Social Work at the 91快色鈥檚 main campus in the early 1990s, she felt the pull of being far from her home community on the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation northwest of Edmonton.

So, when U91快色 and the Yellowhead Tribal Council reached an agreement to offer the program in Spruce Grove, Potts quickly switched to the regional program. Soon, she was taking classes in a three-storey office tower less than 40 minutes from home 鈥� close to her family, community and support network.

鈥淲hat U91快色 did was something universities just weren鈥檛 doing then,鈥� says Potts, who also carries the Nakota name Anakosa, meaning Eagle. 鈥淭hey came into our communities instead of asking us to leave them."

This is just one example of the impact U91快色鈥檚 , Canada's largest social work school, has had over the last 60 years. 

鈥淲e were ahead of the times regarding our efforts to be culturally relevant, geographically sensitive and responsive to local needs, while meeting or exceeding national accreditation standards including leading the university in the use of technology in delivery of programs and services,鈥� says , BSW'74, MSW'78, PhD, who served as Social Work鈥檚 dean from 1998 to 2010.

Potts says the development of regional programs such as hers, 鈥渢ook vision from our leaders, who pushed for programs we needed, and from the (Faculty of Social Work), who were open-minded enough to say yes. It planted a seed for generations of social workers. For many of us, it opened a door that simply didn鈥檛 exist before.鈥�

Potts graduated in 1993 as part of a small cohort whose careers took root in the same communities where they studied. Over the last three decades, she has become a sought-after voice in her field, serving on boards, advising organizations across Alberta, and taking a leadership role in historic events such as the 2022 papal visit by Pope Francis.

As U91快色 marks 60 years as an autonomous institution, stories like Potts鈥� reflect a long-standing commitment to partnership, place-based learning and regionally grounded access 鈥� a model built long before remote education delivery became as commonplace as it is today.

Today, that approach has helped make U91快色 home to the largest school of social work in Canada.

鈥淔or generations, Alberta鈥檚 communities have said they need more social workers and definitely more social workers who understand Indigenous worldviews,鈥� says , BSW鈥�93, MSW鈥�95, PhD鈥�09, current dean of the faculty. 鈥�They鈥檝e also told us they need access to those degrees close to home. 

Built to meet Alberta鈥檚 demand

In the 1960s, a coalition of university leaders, social workers and community advocates worked to advance the creation of a provincial school of social work, recognizing both the rising demand for trained professionals and the opportunity to build a strong new academic program in 91快色.

The Faculty of Social Work began in 1966 as one of the university鈥檚 original academic units under the name School of Social Welfare, a title that reflected the broad, forward-looking vision that shaped its early development.

The Master of Social Work program launched the 1967, with the BSW following in 1971.

For decades, U91快色 was Alberta鈥檚 only BSW provider and remains the province鈥檚 only non-Indigenous university offering an MSW. That role pushed the faculty to think provincewide.

By the mid-1970s, the faculty was already developing flexible pathways such as part-time courses, regional partnerships, and emerging satellite campuses in Edmonton and Lethbridge that still operate today.

Learning Circles and community partnerships

The regional program Potts joined reflected principles that later shaped the 鈥淟earning Circles鈥� model introduced under Rogers' leadership in 1999: local collaboration, cultural grounding, flexible delivery and field placements rooted in place.

Faculty travelled to communities across Alberta 鈥� from Medicine Hat and Grande Prairie to rural regions as small as Deadwood (a hamlet north of Peace River) 鈥� creating learning environments shaped by those they served.

鈥淚t became clear that place matters 鈥� that the experiences of students in northern Alberta differ profoundly from those in downtown 91快色 鈥� and our programs had to reflect that,鈥� says , BSW鈥�87, MSW鈥�91, PhD, who served as Social Work鈥檚 dean from 2010 to 2020. 鈥淟earning Circles fundamentally changed how we thought about teaching and how we built relationships across the province.鈥�

A leader in distance and online learning

As technology advanced, the faculty extended its community-based approach into online and blended learning. Early pilots in the 2000s laid the groundwork for the Virtual BSW and Distance MSW programs launched in 2004. In fact, the Virtual BSW was the world鈥檚 first online social work program.

鈥淲e were ahead of the times regarding our efforts to be culturally relevant, geographically sensitive and responsive to local needs, while meeting or exceeding national accreditation standards including leading the university in the use of technology in delivery of programs and services,鈥� says Rogers.

Today, U91快色 offers many ways to earn a BSW: a four-year blended program for high school applicants, a two-year blended option for transfer or degree-holding students, and a two-year online program for diploma-holders or those with prior university coursework.

鈥淲hen I first studied here, teaching was entirely face to face and the curriculum reflected a very traditional, Western approach,鈥� Sieppert says. 鈥淎s we listened more closely to rural, remote and Indigenous communities, it became clear the model needed to change.鈥�

Continuing the work of listening and responding

Potts鈥� reflections point to areas where social work education continues to evolve.

Throughout her career, she has seen how policies, systems and approaches can overlook the experiences and knowledge of Indigenous communities 鈥� and how important it is for institutions to respond with humility, care and openness.

While Potts speaks with gratitude about the program that came to Spruce Grove and highlights the work of visionary faculty members such as Dr. Apela Colorado, PhD, she is also clear about the work still to be done.

鈥淥ur communities have always known what we need,鈥� Potts says. 鈥淲hen Indigenous knowledge is part of the program, and when universities listen closely, students feel seen. But there鈥檚 still room to strengthen that understanding 鈥� to make sure our world views aren鈥檛 added on, but woven in from the start.鈥�

Potts points to the 鈥檚 as a framework for ongoing work in education, partnership and program design.

鈥淩econciliation isn鈥檛 abstract,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t shows up in how programs are built, who gets to access them and whether our voices shape what鈥檚 being taught.

鈥淲hen institutions make room for that, it benefits everyone.鈥�

And the current dean wholeheartedly agrees.

"We've grown by listening and building programs that reflect the realities of students and their communities," says Perrault. "We have much to continue to learn about programming in a good way with Indigenous communities."