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Michael J. Austin

Milton and Florence Krenz Mack Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Management

MICHAEL J. AUSTIN is the director of the Mack Center on Nonprofit and Public Sector Management in the Human Services and serves as editor of Human Service Organizations. He is the Milton and Florence Krenz Mack Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Management at the School of Social Welfare. He is also the former dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at Florida State University and the University of Washington, where he chaired the macro practice specializations.

As a leading contributor to the field of human services management, Dr. Austin teaches in the areas of theory for practice and the management of program implementation. His work focuses on nonprofit and public sector management, organizational change and policy implementation.

In addition to consulting with human service organizations nationally and internationally, Dr. Austin is the author and co-author of 20 books as well as 140 articles and 40 chapters and technical reports on the subject of human service management.

Office: 
Haviland Hall 216
Phone: 
(510) 642-7066
Email: 
mjaustin@berkeley.edu

Research/Expertise

Community, Organizational and Policy Development
  • Strategic Planning
  • Social Service Management
  • Organizational Development

Awards/Honors

Chauncey Alexander Lifetime Achievement Award, Network of Social Work Management, June 2016

Fellow, American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, January 2016

Lifetime Career Achievement Award, Association of Community Organization and Administration, Council on Social Work Education, New York, February 2005

Slavin-Patti Award for Best Article, 2010: (with Benton, A.). Managing Nonprofit Mergers: The Challenges Facing Human Service Organizations. Administration in Social Work. 34 (4), 2010

 

Expanded Publications

Goossen, C. & Austin, M.J. (2017) Service user involvement in UK social service agencies and social work education. Journal on Social Work Education, 53(1), 1-15

Graaf, G., McBeath, B., Lwin, K., Holmes, D. & Austin, M.J. (2017). Supporting evidence- informed practice in human service organizations: An exploratory study of link officers. Human Service Organizations. 41(1), 58-75

 

Taylor, S., Carnochan, S. & Austin, M.J (2016). Engaging employers as partners in subsidized employment programs. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare., XLIII (1),149-169

Austin, M.J. & Isokuortti, N. (2016). A framework for teaching practice-based research with a focus on service users, Journal of Teaching in Social Work, Special Issue. 36(1), 11-32

Jolles, M.J., McBeath, B., Carnochan, S. & Austin, M.J. (2016). Factors associated with managerial innovation in public human service organizations. Human Service Organizations. 40(4), 421-434

Graaf, G., Carnochan, S., Radu, P. & Austin, M.J. (2016).The impact of the great recession on county human service organizations: A cross case analysis. Human Service Organizations. 40(2), 152-169

Austin, M.J., Anthony, E., Knee, T.R. & Mathias, J. (2016). Revisiting the relationship between micro and macro social work practice. Families in Society. 97(4), 270-277 

Carnochan, S. & Austin, M.J. (2015) Redefining the bureaucratic encounter between service providers and service users: Evidence from the Norwegian HUSK Projects. Journal of Evidence-based Social Work, 12(1), 64-79.

Murtaza, N. & Austin, M.J. (2015) Community organizing and service delivery in the midst of an economic crisis: The role of a Jewish INGO in Argentina, 2001-2009. Social Development Issues. 37(1), 38-52

 McBeath, B., Jolles, M.P., Carnochan, S., & Austin, M.J. (2015). Organizational and individual determinants of practitioner evidence use in public human service organizations. Human Service Organizations. 39(4), 267-289

Radu, P., Carnochan, S. & Austin, M.J. (2015). Obstacles to social service collaboration in response to the great recession: The case of the Contra Costa County Safety Net Initiative. Journal of Community Practice. 23(3/4), 323–347

Carnochan, S., Samples, M., & Myers, M, Austin, M.J. (2014). Performance measurement challenges in nonprofit human service organizations, Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(6).1014-1032

McBeath, B. & Austin, M.J. (2014). The organizational context of research-minded practitioners: Challenges and opportunities. Research in Social Work.

Carnochan, S., Taylor, S. & Austin, M.J. (2014). Employer-Employee relationships in subsidized employment programs: The role of soft skills. Families in Society. 95(3)

Sommerfeld, D.H. & Austin, M.J. (2014). Mapping the research priorities of nonprofit sector research centers: Implications for nonprofit human services research. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. 4(1), 11-24

Morris, Z. & Austin, M.J. (2014) Leadership development in the Jewish nonprofit sector: A case study of the New York Muehlstein Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership. Journal of Jewish Communal Services, 89(1), 125-140.

Join Berkeley Social Welfare

The School of Social Welfare Admissions Office guides prospective graduate applicants via online resources, in-person and phone advising, group presentations and recruitment events. Find out more about Berkeley Social Welfare’s application requirements and admission process.

The School of Social Welfare is a place that brings together people with some incredible aspirations and connects them with knowledgeable, profound professors and incredible staff.

- James Orlando (MSW ’11),
Berkeley Social Welfare Alumni

Academic Programs

Berkeley Social Welfare trains our students for a range of leadership, research, teaching and practice roles in the profession. Students are prepared to practice at specific intervention levels and are thoroughly grounded in the knowledge of social and psychological concerns, social welfare policies and social service organizations.

The collaborative opportunities both within and outside the School of Social Welfare are outstanding, the academic environment is rich and challenging and the location can't be beat.

- Aron Shlonsky (PhD ’02),
Berkeley Social Welfare alumni

Campus Life

Berkeley Social Welfare promotes diversity, social justice, equity, leadership and lifelong learning.

Resources

We are committed to supporting and providing services to our students and alumni.

Field Education

As students develop their applied mastery in one of over 350 carefully selected field placements, Berkeley Social Welfare field education consultants provide them with individualized assessment, support and coaching throughout their academic journey.

My internships at the School helped me realize that I had the skills to be a leader, a manager and a systems-thinker. I learned as much about myself at UC Berkeley as I did about social welfare.

- Ericka Leer (MSW ’05),
Berkeley Social Welfare alumna

Research

UC Berkeley’s world-class faculty and research units can be leveraged to conduct studies that make a difference. Berkeley Social Welfare faculty lead a number of research units, and the School houses the California Child Welfare Indicators Project and the California Social Work Education Center. To learn more about the important work and cutting-edge research taking place at the School of Social Welfare, explore our specialized Research Areas and Research Units.

Programs

Berkeley Social Welfare houses several programs designed to provide educational and training opportunities to social work students and professionals; contribute impactful research informing service delivery; and foster relationships among institutions, students and service providers in California, the United States and throughout the globe. 

 

People

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare's pre-eminent faculty rank top in the nation in per capita productivity. Nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their fields, our senate faculty conducts cutting-edge research on the major issues facing California, the US and the world. Berkeley Social Welfare field faculty represent a diversity of experience and talents, training and preparing our students to excel as the next generation of social work practitioners, professionals and educators. 

People

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare's pre-eminent faculty rank top in the nation in per capita productivity. Nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their fields, our senate faculty conducts cutting-edge research on the major issues facing California, the US and the world. Berkeley Social Welfare field faculty represent a diversity of experience and talents, training and preparing our students to excel as the next generation of social work practitioners, professionals and educators. 

Resources and Forms

Resources available to Berkeley Social Welfare students, faculty and staff. Forms for purchase, entertainment and travel reimbursements; honorarium requests; and recommendations-to-hire.

For Students

Academic forms, petitions, handbooks and funding information for students.