Faculty of Education and Social Work

The first chair in Education at the University was established in 1910, when Alexander Mackie, the principal of Sydney Teachers College (STC), became a professor in Education in the Faculty of Arts.In 1940, the Department of Education was established in the Faculty of Arts, and continued to be part of that faculty until the Faculty of Education came into being on 1 January 1986. The movement to establish a Faculty of Education had been triggered by the Vice Chancellor's 'Memorandum on the Reconstruction of Faculties'. Senate on 5 November 1984 (84/279) approved in principle the establishment of a Faculty of Education. A Committee was appointed to consider and make recommendations in relation to the faculty. The Committee reported to the Academic Board and as part of its brief it also drafted By-Laws and Resolutions of Senate relating to the new faculty. The Academic Board recommended  to Senate the adoption of the recommendations of the Committee at the Senate meeting held on 1 April 1985.  Under Resolution 85/71 Senate adopted the amendments of the By-Laws and Resolutions of Senate as recommended. By-Laws Xb Chapter I regarding the constitution of the Faculty came into effect immediately, while the remaining part came into effect on 1 January 1986. The new Faculty and the Board of Studies in Education coexisted for the last few months of 1985. The inaugural meeting of the Faculty of Education was held on 15 October 1985. The foundation dean was Professor Cliff Turney. In 2003 the Faculty was renamed t when Social Work in the School of Society, Culture and Performance within the Faculty of Arts was moved into the newly established School of Social Work and Policy Studies within the renamed Faculty of Education, now named Faculty of Education and Social Work. Senate resolution 503/02 of 2 December 2002: Senate(i) approved the renaming the Faculty of Education as the Faculty of Education and Social Work, noting that the Vice-Chancellor had approved the transfer of the staff of Social Work from the School of Society, Culture and Performance in the Faculty of Arts to the Faculty of Education, and the establishment in that Faculty of a new School of Social Work and Policy Studies;As part of the University's strategic planning 2016-2020, Senate endorsed SEG's agreed proposal to reduce the number of faculties from 16 to six, with  three additional schools reporting directly to the Provost, to come into  effect 1 January 2017. The Faculty of Education and Social Work was abolished and became the Sydney School of Education and Social Work within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. [Resolution SEN_7/15_98]