UNC Pembroke Social Work Leader Selected to Help Guide Statewide Workforce Efforts

As North Carolina works to meet a growing demand for social workers, UNC Pembroke is helping lead the conversation.

Summer Woodside, chair of UNCP Social Work, has been selected to serve as co-chair of the Social Work Coalition on NC Workforce Development, a statewide workforce development group focused on helping grow and strengthen North Carolina's social work pipeline. Her appointment places UNCP at the center of an important statewide effort to address workforce needs in communities across North Carolina.

Woodside said the opportunity is both a personal honor and a reflection of the reputation UNCP's social work program has built across the state.

“It's a great honor to be selected to co-chair this work,” Woodside said. “It speaks highly of how people view our department of social work and UNC Pembroke.”

The statewide group, which began in 2023, identified five critical workforce areas: Child and Family Services, Mental and Behavioral Health; Health, Aging and Caregiving; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Service to Justice-Involved Individuals. 

The coalition is working to help increase the social work workforce in North Carolina by 50%. Woodside said the effort is part of a larger push to respond to growing needs facing individuals, families and communities across the state.

Those needs continue to show up in many forms, from mental health and addiction to transportation barriers, trauma and broader community well-being. Social workers are often called to respond at every level, whether helping individuals and families directly, supporting groups and organizations or advocating for policy solutions that improve lives on a broader scale.

At UNCP, Woodside said the Social Work department is preparing students to meet those realities through an undergraduate program grounded in generalist practice, rural understanding and hands-on learning.

“A lot of North Carolina is rural, and our students are prepared for that,” Woodside said. “When they go into different communities, they often find themselves wearing many hats. They need one set of skills for one client and another set of skills for the next.”

That preparation includes simulation-based learning that gives students the chance to build confidence in safe, practice-based settings before entering the field. The department also emphasizes demonstrated learning through hands-on projects and a capstone portfolio that helps students speak directly to their social work competencies with potential employers
Faculty support is another defining part of the program, Woodside said.

“We value smaller class sizes, and our faculty know their students,” she said. “We are student-centered, and if students are having challenges, we try to work with them to help them meet their academic goals. Our ultimate goal is to see them through so they can become strong generalist social workers.”

That student-centered approach is expanding. UNCP recently added an online Bachelor of Social Work option beginning in fall 2026, creating a more flexible path for adult learners, working students and others who need greater access to social work education.

Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Eva Skuka, said Woodside's appointment reflects the quality of the university's social work programs and the impact they are making across the state.

“Dr. Woodside's selection is both a significant honor and a powerful testament to the excellence and influence of UNC Pembroke's social work programs,” Skuka said. “At a time when North Carolina faces a critical and growing need for social workers, her leadership ensures UNCP's voice is helping shape the future of the profession across the state.”

Woodside said the new online BSW is designed to help meet a need the department has seen growing over the last several years.

“It's meant to fill a need, especially for nontraditional students who need a little more flexibility,” she said. “We want to make social work education more accessible across the state, and UNCP is proud to provide that in an affordable way.”

The department's undergraduate and graduate programs serve different but equally important roles in the profession. At the undergraduate level, students are prepared as generalist social workers ready to serve individuals, families and communities in a range of settings. At the graduate level, students are prepared as advanced generalists, often with goals of moving into clinical practice, mental health work and licensure.

Woodside said both levels are essential as North Carolina works to meet growing demands.

“There is a great need across the state,” she said. “We need social workers who are prepared to address client needs, community needs and systems-level challenges. We also need people who can help advocate for better policies and stronger support for communities.”

Her new leadership role, she said, is one more way UNCP can contribute to that work.

“When I think about the future of social work in North Carolina, I know UNC Pembroke will continue to play an important role in strengthening communities across the state,” Woodside said.