The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has now formally approved a new Doctor of Social Work program at the University of Texas at Arlington, moving ahead with the expansion of the state’s embattled social work pipeline.
In an April board meeting, UT-Arlington staff told board members the proposed program met all “general criteria for program approval” in the Texas Administrative Code and recommended it for approval.
Their presentation emphasized that the program is designed to “directly support Texas workforce priorities” by preparing experienced social workers to fill what UTA staff characterized as “high‑need roles as educators, advanced practitioners, and organizational leaders.”
The full board voted unanimously Thursday to approve it without debate.
This comes as UTA’s social work program became the subject of national controversy last week, when activist group Accuracy in Media released an undercover video in which a now-former staff member discussed how the institution has maintained diversity, equity, and inclusion materials in course content.
The now-former staff member, Melissa Cruz, explained that while the university has had to remove certain terminology and abide by new bans, the core intent, research, and curriculum of the social work program remains unchanged.
UTA terminated Cruz’s employment following the release of the video. A university spokesperson said at the time that “The University of Texas at Arlington has been, and will continue to be, fully compliant with all federal and state laws, as well as University of Texas System policies.”
Social work education has a notorious history as a repository for woke content, both nationally and in the Lone Star State.
UTA officials stressed that the program was developed “in full alignment with state and federal requirements and accreditation standards.”
Standards set by bodies such as the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) may conflict with state-level mandates.
Accreditation by the CSWE was the subject of another video released by Accuracy in Media showing continued DEI at the University of North Texas. The Steve Hicks School of Social Work at UT-Austin also requires so-called “anti-racism” training for accreditation by the CSWE.
