On December 7, 2024, Professor Annamaria Campanini, the former president of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) , retired from the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, paid a visit to our school for academic exchanges and lectures. The lecture was interpreted by Associate Professor Gao Yunjiao, with the assistance of student Mai Zihao. Associate Professor Liu Weihua, postgraduate students, and some undergraduate students jointly participated in this academic exchange activity.

The lecture was divided into two sessions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

In the morning session, in the Lecture Hall 915 attached to Hongyi Building on the East Campus, Professor Campanini delivered a lecture themed "Social Work as a Science". She probed deeply into the key figures and events in the developmental history of social work, stressing their important impacts on the professional development of social work. She elaborated on how social work scholars define social work as both a science and an art, and pointed out that the fifth international conference of the IASSW in 1950 affirmed this dual nature. Social work, as a science, focuses on comprehending the complex reality of human beings, involving descriptive research and technical knowledge for problem-solving. As an art, it refers to those aspects in the practice process of social work that cannot be regulated or standardized.

In the afternoon session, in Room 709 attached to Hongyi Building on the East Campus, Professor Campanini held a lecture titled "International Standards for Social Work Education". She provided an in-depth account of the history of the IASSW. Since its establishment in 1928, the IASSW has been promoting global social work education through various activities, such as jointly organizing international conferences with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), and formulating the "Global Agenda". She emphasized that the global standards for social work education aim to build a more just world, and expounded in detail on the background for formulating and the reasons for updating these global standards. Especially in the context of globalization and technological progress, the update of the 2020 version of the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training reflects the pursuit of high-quality social work education. Finally, she expounded on the contents of the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training, which cover three major aspects: schools, personnel, and the profession.

During the lecture, Professor Campanini had lively and profound interactive exchanges with the teachers and students present regarding issues such as the localization of social work and social work internships.

Professor Campanini's lectures were presented in a simple yet profound manner, offering unique insights and vivid examples. This lecture not only enabled teachers and students to have a more comprehensive understanding of the historical evolution, scientific basis, and educational system of social work but also deepened their understanding of the diversity and complexity of the career development of social work. It has significant enlightening effects on enhancing students' professional identity, improving their professional skills and qualities, and also points out the direction for students' academic and career development.