Social Work Leadership for the Public Good explores policy promotion in a new course for graduates and undergraduates
Dr. Noel Landuyt, assistant professor of instruction, is transforming how social work students prepare for policy careers through a three hour course. The new course entitled, “Social Work Leadership for the Public Good,” is a hands-on curriculum that builds on the weeklong seminar that takes UT Social Work students to Washington, D.C. and meets with policy professionals in Austin.
“The creation and implementation of policy impacts the direction and purpose of an organization,” explained Landuyt. “Social work values provide an excellent foundation to frame good leadership practices and advance policy for the public good.”
The Intersection of Social Work and Organizational Science
The course exemplifies Landuyt’s approach to education: creating practical connections between organizational theory, relevant data and real-world application in social work practice. Participants explore the processes for policy promotion and building constituencies to strategically advance issues impacting the public good. Statewide policy advancement is covered as well. The class is open to both graduate and undergraduate students, allowing for a mix of perspectives and experiences.
“The May term course was introduced following conversations with the past Washington Calling committee,” Landuyt noted. “The decision was made to institutionalize the program into a course to increase the impact and benefit for the students to receive elective credit and provide academic rigor to support student learning. If you want to know how policy works, you need to see where, how, why, who, when, and what goes into the policy development and promotion process.”
Through reconceptualizing the program, this year the course will deliver content in both Austin and DC, but in the future, it is not limited to those locations.
“Everyone is excited, and I have received some outstanding support from the Dean’s Office, faculty, and other directors of institutes,” says Landuyt. “I believe everyone sees this course as a feather in the cap of social work practice.”
Organizational Excellence Through Teaching and Research
It’s a natural extension of his work as the director of the Institute for Organizational Excellence at UT Social Work. Landuyt focuses on organizational development, customer service, leadership development, and employee engagement assessments.
The institute focuses on the macro practice of social work, using data and evidence-based practices to advance the overall health of an organization. Their work recently expanded into helping organizations build capacity for working with volunteers.
To that end, they have surveyed more than 200 organizations over the last year. To advance scholarship on this topic, multiple papers and dissertations have flowed from this work.
“Macro practice social work is critical to the function of all organizations and especially those in the nonprofit sector,” Landuyt explains. “There is a call for government efficiency and social work values, and leadership in the field to grow and develop organizations that deliver results. Impacting the public good is fundamental.”
Landuyt’s primary work centers on the Survey of Employee Engagement, a widely adopted assessment tool used throughout Texas governmental agencies, child welfare departments, health and human services organizations, and nonprofits nationwide. The survey identifies organizational strengths. and challenges, providing leaders with actionable data.
Beyond survey work, Landuyt consults with diverse organizations on strategic planning, organizational design, assessment methodology, and nonprofit management. His expertise in 360-degree evaluations helps develop leadership within organizations. He has written and conducted presentations on these topics as well as on human resource utilization and organizational development. Landuyt also teaches a course in nonprofit board governance at the LBJ School.