Professor Michael Reisch is receiving the Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award for his consistent and ongoing professional achievements and contributions to social work education, research, service, and practice. His dedication to scholarship and service began in 1965 with his editorship of New York University’s Heights Daily News; it has continued into the present with his 2014 publication, Social Policy and Social Justice. An academic star from the beginning, Reisch achieved distinction for his scholastic performance at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.
A former Woodrow Wilson Fellow and Fulbright Senior Scholar, Reisch has authored or edited more than 25 books and monographs and published more than 100 articles and book chapters. He also has presented more than 300 papers at state, national, and international conferences including presentations on the history and philosophy of social welfare; the effect of globalization on the future of the welfare state; the relationship of social justice and multiculturalism to social policy and social work practice; radical social work; community organization theory and practice; the nonprofit sector; and contemporary policy issues, particularly welfare reform. His work is so valued internationally that it has been translated into Bulgarian, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish, and he has lectured widely in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Latin America.
Reisch is the Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland and one of the most respected social work educators in the United States. He has held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, San Francisco State University, and SUNY Stony Brook and was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley; the New Bulgarian University in Sofia; and, as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. He is well-known for his ability to practically apply the concepts of equality and social justice to social policy and social work practice.
Not only is Dr. Reisch a strong contributor to the social work knowledge base and to social work education, he also has participated in enhancing social policy and practice. He has played leadership roles in national and state advocacy and in professional and social change organizations that focus on the needs of low-income children and families, welfare recipients, and unemployed or homeless persons. He has directed or consulted on political campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels in four states and been honored for his work by numerous local and national nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and universities including the Maryland General Assembly, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the National Association of Social Workers.
Dr. Reish’s early promise has been fulfilled throughout his career in the form of research grants, a prolific publication record, the integration of his passion for international history and political theory with social work knowledge to bring unique perspectives to students, and his commitment to enhancing the goals of social work education and the profession through his strong record of academic administration and his wide-ranging service engagements in academia and the community.
Award: Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award
Citation: Michael Reisch is being recognized for his consistent and ongoing professional achievements and contributions to social work education, research, and practice