Marilyn Flynn has been reappointed dean of the USC School of Social Work for a new five-year term.

Flynn, the 2U Endowed Chair in Educational Innovation and Social Work, has served as dean of the school since 1997, becoming just the second woman to hold this position in the school’s nearly 100-year history.

“Throughout the review process, Dean Flynn was commended for her vision and success in achieving it,” USC Provost Michael Quick stated in a letter announcing the reappointment. “She has built USC’s reputation as the leading school for innovation in the field of social work in particular by pioneering the field of computer-assisted learning in social work education. Dean Flynn has overseen significant growth of the school in enrollment, faculty and staff, facilities and research funding. In doing so, Dean Flynn has sought to create a school capable of tackling ‘wicked problems,’ from the protection of children in the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services to behavioral health treatment for veterans.

“Moreover, Dean Flynn has helped to redefine the field of social work by being unafraid to assume the risk of a first-mover in the academic marketplace while remaining committed to core values of intellectual life. The new Master of Science in Nursing degree is a prime example of her characteristic leadership.”

Flynn created the school’s Web-based Master of Social Work program, a first from a major research institution in the profession. Under Flynn’s visionary leadership, the school is now accepting applications for two new degree programs delivered online – a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Social Work – both of which are unique in focus. The Nursing@USC is aimed at aspiring family nurse practitioners and is the first graduate nursing program in the United States to integrate nursing and social work practice, with an emphasis on the social factors that influence health and well-being. The DSW@USC offers students the unique opportunity to develop an actionable solution to one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work, an initiative by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare to tackle the nation’s toughest social problems.

Since her arrival nearly two decades ago, Flynn has established the School of Social Work as one of the most innovative social work schools in the world. She has devoted particular attention to broadening the school’s portfolio of research aimed at solving pressing societal problems. During her tenure, Flynn has launched a military social work program focusing on the mental health needs of service members and their families; acquired and reinvigorated the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging; and expanded the Hamovitch Center for Research in the Human Services, recruiting a nationally recognized faculty to conduct clinical and intervention studies in health, mental health, aging and child maltreatment.

Flynn’s appointment begins July 1.