Faculty Spotlight

John D. Morrison, D.S.W., A.C.S.W.

John D. Morrison is an adjunct professor at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Social Work where he teaches courses in social policy and community evaluation practices. He is also the coordinator of the university’s Westside Community Collaboration which is a partnership between DU and Chicago westside agencies and residence. This interdisciplinary effort involves students and faculty from other DU disciplines. During the summer of 2010, he taught a doctoral course in social policy and evaluation at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He has extensive international interests having participated in a number of international professional conferences and teaching assignments in Montreal; Hamburg, Germany; Bogota, Colombia; Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Birmingham, England; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is also the former chair of the Illinois National Association of Social Worker’s International Activities Network.

Morrison received his doctorate in social welfare (DSW) from the City University of New York/Hunter College School of Social Work; his MSW from Adelphi University; and his BA from Roberts Wesleyan College. He has had extensive practice, education, administration, research and publication experience related to community, program and policy development, with a strong focus on low-income, minority, urban and rural communities. His current academic interests relate to comprehensive approaches for youth and community development.

Before starting a career in academia, he served as a special assistant for five commissioners, at the Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration in New York City. He provided staff leadership to the Resources Review Board composed of civic, business and community leaders who gave policy and fiscal advice to the commissioners. He prepared special studies and represented each commissioner to the public and other agencies. While he served as assistant commissioner for NYC’s Community Development Agency he was responsible for program planning, budgeting and funding over $60 million for 300 programs in NYC's twenty-six low-income areas.

Morrison also has served as a consultant to various non-profit social welfare and educational programs in the areas of intergroup relations, organizational and program development, curriculum development, and research/evaluation for the following organizations: National Big Brothers and Sisters, University of Pennsylvania, Lutheran Church of America, Veterans Administration, Chicago Youth Centers, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. He has lead major needs assessments for the United Way and government agencies in the Aurora area.

Morrison has authored and co-authored fourteen articles in refereed professional journals, in the areas of community development, intergroup relations and policy. He has co-edited a book on community organization and administration and co-authored a textbook on macro social work practice. Morrison, has reviewed manuscripts for Wadsworth Publishing Company, Brooks-Cole and Columbia University Press. He is also on the editorial boards of the Journal of Community Practice, and the Journal of Global Social Work Practice.