1898–1999 In 1898, the New York
Charity Organization Society established the first Summer School in Philanthropic Work, a six-week program, at 105 East 22nd Street in New York City. Twenty-five men and women attended the first classes. It is one of the oldest social work programs in the US. In 1904, it was expanded into the first full-time full-year course of graduate study in social work, and later a two-year course, at the newly renamed New York School of Philanthropy. In 1940, the School was affiliated with
Columbia University as one of its graduate schools, and began awarding a
Master of Science degree. In 1949, the School moved to the
Andrew Carnegie Mansion at 2 East 91st Street, and later to 622 West 113th Street. The first
doctoral degree was awarded in 1952. The first fully endowed professorship was set up in 1991, followed by the full
endowment of the Kenworthy Chair and nine additional endowed professorships. In 1997, an agreement was concluded with the
UN Economic and Social Council to provide new program support and a fellowship. In that year, the school's endowment surpassed $40 million. In 1992, students of the school organized protests and
teach-ins as part of a nationwide effort to protest
welfare cuts. The organizers of the school's events called the welfare cuts an example of the demonization of people on welfare.
2000–present In 2002, construction of the current School of Social Work building began on
Amsterdam Avenue and West 121st Street, north of Columbia's campus. The building was completed in 2004 and first used by students and faculty during the 2004–05 academic year. In 2007, the School founded the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia to develop and advance evidence-based, sustainable solutions to emerging
public health and social issues in the region, receiving funding from the
National Institutes of Health. In 2012, the School established the Fisher Cummings Washington Fellows Program with a major gift. The program funds select students for a semester-long internship in Washington, D.C., with an emphasis on working to promote
social justice and the well-being of women, children, and families at the federal level. In 2014, the School opened its Online Campus for earning a Master's of Science in Social Work (MSSW) from various major cities across the United States. In 2014, the "Beyond The Bars" conference was hosted by Columbia Center for Justice. This conference is hosted by students, faculty, and community leaders who have been impacted by incarceration. ==Student body and faculty==