School of Social Work Student Requests for Reference Letters

If you are a current or previous student from the undergraduate or graduate program within the School of Social Work and you require one of the following letters from our faculty:

Graduate School Academic Reference Letter
Employment Reference Letter
RSW Registration Reference Letter

Please follow the steps below to reach the appropriate referee for your request:

Prior to contacting the School for a letter, please ensure that you provide ample time for your requests. We ask that you consider a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice latest prior to the deadline for submission of the reference (for academic references). Please only contact instructors with whom you have completed a course.
Prior to reaching out to faculty (or instructor) for a reference, please gather and provide the following information when making your request:
- A summary of your request:
  - The University/Faculty/Program to which you are applying
  - A description of the position you’re applying for (if an employment reference)
  - A brief overview of your academic goals, research interests, employment goals
- Your full name and, if changed, your name at the time of your study at UVic
- UVic student number/V# and/or year of graduation
- A copy of your current resume
- A copy of your unofficial transcript

Contact a faculty member:

Most Academic Institutions require an Academic Reference from a continuing faculty member. If you are unsure of our current faculty members, please find our list located at the following link: https://www.uvic.ca/hsd/socialwork/faculty/home/faculty/index.php Please note that some faculty may be listed as on leave, which may mean they are not checking their e-mails regularly and you may not receive a response or it may be delayed.

If you know the name of the faculty member from who you seek a reference, please contact them directly with your request. If you need assistance in identifying your previous faculty instructors, please contact our school’s Distance Education Program Assistant at socwde1@uvic.ca with your full name and UVic student number/V#.

Contact the School’s Director:

In some cases, it is possible to have the Director complete a reference. They will complete a review of your grades and resume and may not be able to speak fully to your ability, readiness, etc.

If after contacting a minimum of 3 previous faculty instructors you are unable to get a reference please email the Assistant to the Director, socwdirectasst@uvic.ca and provide the names of the 3 instructors you’ve contacted along with the information as provided in step 2.

Contact available sessional instructors:

In some cases, you may choose to ask your previous sessional instructor or a previous sessional field liaison for an academic or employment reference. Our sessional instructors work on a contract basis and are not compensated for their time to complete references. However, many of our sessional instructors acknowledge the importance of providing these letters or providing employment references based on the relationship they have built with students.

Current Sessional Instructors Accepting Reference Requests:

As of January 2023

Name	Contact	Current Status
Kim Grzybowski	ggrzybow@telus.net	Currently accepting academic reference requests from previous students who have taken a course with her.
Jodi Hoffman	jodih@uvic.ca	Currently accepting academic reference requests from previous students who have taken a course with her.
Gladys Rowe	roweg@uvic.ca	Currently accepting academic reference requests from previous students who have taken a course with her.
Leanne Stepp	leanneg@uvic.ca	Is not offering academic references. Is accepting employment reference requests for former students who are applying for positions with the health authority but also for any other employment. Is accepting RSW requests as well.
Glen Tadsen	glent@uvic.ca	Currently accepting academic reference requests from students who have taken a course with him over the past year.
Chris Tse	christophertse@uvic.ca	Currently accepting academic reference requests from students who have taken a course with him.

Letters of completion or confirmations of graduation

Please note that the School of Social Work does not provide letters of completion or confirmations of graduation. These documents must be requested either through our Undergraduate Admissions Office or Graduate Admissions and Records Office.

If you require an evaluation assessment for national or international registration bodies (which require previous course syllabi) please contact our Program Manager at swmanager@uvic.ca.