News

Michigan students with an interest in poverty alleviation and prevention will have the opportunity to participate in a new certificate program, Poverty Solutions, Action and Engagement starting January 2018. The certificate program is sponsored by the School of Social Work Community Action and Social Change (CASC) undergraduate minor and Poverty Solutions at U-M, a presidential initiative that seeks to leverage the intellectual assets and academic scope of the university toward preventing and alleviating poverty.

Undergraduate students who have declared the CASC minor are eligible for the Poverty Solutions, Action & Engagement certificate. Currently CASC students enrolled  from 10 colleges across campus: College of LSA, College of Engineering, Ford School of public Policy, Ross School of Business, School of Art & Design, School of Information, School of Kinesiology, School of Music, Theater and Dance, School of Nursing and the School of Public Health.

“We’re very excited to offer this certificate program as a way to engage with students and encourage them to think about poverty from a structural, solutions-based standpoint,” Julia Weinert, Assistant Director of Poverty Solutions, said. “Our partnership with CASC is a real strength of the certificate because it is grounded in principles of social justice, community engagement and action-based learning.”  

The CASC minor is designed for students to build skills and knowledge to enact social change. Students who add the Poverty Solutions certificate must meet a few additional requirements in addition to the CASC coursework.

The certificate program will also help students gain a better understanding of current and ongoing research, while learning about and networking with Poverty Solutions staff and faculty experts.

About the Certificate in Poverty Solutions, Action & Engagement

Community Action Social Change (CASC) Minor students build knowledge, skills, and experiences in community action and social change while developing and implementing strategies that help address inequality and alleviate poverty.

The certificate is co-sponsored by the School of Social Work’s CASC Minor program–open to all undergraduate students at U-M–and Poverty Solutions, a presidential initiative that seeks to leverage the intellectual assets and academic scope of the university toward preventing and alleviating poverty.  

Students in the certificate program will have the opportunity to:

• Attend Poverty Solutions’ events and activities
• Develop connections with Poverty Solutions faculty and staff on issues related to economic inequality
• Engage in experiential learning with Poverty Solutions partner organizations and communities through social action
• Participate in Poverty Solutions research, steering committees, small grant opportunities, and other student driven activities

Who can Join: Students must be declared CASC Minor students in order to enroll in the Poverty Solutions Certificate Program. To learn more, sign up for an advising appointment with the CASC Minor Academic Advisor, or email cascminor@umich.edu.