School Alumni Associations

IU School of Social Work Alumni Association

Alumni Profiles

A Fond Farewell to Dr. Marion Wagner

Since beginning at the Indiana School of Social Work in 1982, Dr. Marion Wagner has exemplified dedication to the fundamental values of the social work profession while serving students, faculty and the social work professional community. Dr. Wagner has been a leader in efforts to achieve social justice for women, children, gays, lesbians, people of color and other disenfranchised groups. Being a feminist and social work educator have been a natural fit for this gifted leader, teacher and scholar.

Dr. Wagner has held leadership positions for the MSW and MSW weekend program for 18 years. During her leadership, IUSSW has seen an increase in faculty and students, an improved curriculum, increased attention to diversity issues, national recognition for assessment efforts and the development of three regional campuses. Dr. Wagner’s leadership extended to the larger Indiana University community when she served as co-chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee and as a member of the Graduate Faculty, University Faculty Council and Strategic Directions Review Panel. Dr. Wagner also served on the IUPUI Faculty Council for eleven years and it’s Executive Committee for five years.

Dr. Wagner’s teaching expertise has been in social work history, political social work, child welfare practice and organizational behavior. Whether speaking to an orientation group or class, Dr. Wagner’s teaching has been characterized by her passionate, extemporaneous explanations of complex questions. Over the years, she received many awards for her teaching including the TERA Teaching Award in 1997 and 1998. Dr. Wagner has written and presented on a variety of topics including teaching students about social policy, gay and lesbian issues and child welfare practice. Her most recent research has been a retrospective history of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Indiana, a social justice effort that included Dr. Wagner’s leadership.

One reason Dr. Wagner’s teaching has been effective is because she has been able to illustrate the content with examples from her own social work advocacy efforts. For example, she helped begin the first domestic violence shelter in Indianapolis called Sojourner and now known as the Julian Center. She has been an active advocate for women as a local, state and national leader of the National Organization for Women. Dr. Wagner has served on the National Association of Social Workers Indiana Chapter’s Political Action and Education Committee and received the state chapter’s Social Worker of the Year Award in 1984, as well as, the Distinguished Service Award in 2004. Dr. Wagner’s concern for better child welfare services in Indiana is best illustrated in the design and administration of two different grants that helped educate future child welfare social workers through a partnership with the Indiana Department of Family and Social Services from 2001 to 2006. A third grant, authored by Dr. Wagner, provides field instruction for social work students in field placements at the Marion County Department of Child Services.

Central to Dr. Wagner’s leadership, teaching and scholarship has been a compassion for those who do not have power, rights or a voice in society. When past students continue her social justice tradition, they pay tribute to Dr. Wagner’s compassion and the social work profession.

See the IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations Calendar of Events for upcoming School of Social Work alumni programs.

School of Social Work web site 

IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations contact:
Karen Deery, (317) 274-8959 or kdeery@iupui.edu