For the past three years, the faculty and staff of the Loyola SSW have met monthly to discuss ways to enhance and develop the research infrastructure at the school.  Over time, a core group of 10-12 faculty and staff have come together to discuss faculty research interests, possible areas for collaboration, and concrete solutions to the various challenges involved in doing research well.  Presentations have been largely done by our own group, lately with an emphasis on exploring “What is Loyola?” about our research work, and how can we link our school’s research work more clearly to our school’s and the larger university’s social justice mission.  We have been fortunate to have strong and ongoing support from our administration, with our interim Dean Susan Grossman attending our meetings, as well as our current Dean, Goutham Menon.  One tangible outcome from our work has been to promote the need for an administrative position to address research at the Loyola SSW, and in the past year Dean Menon appointed Dr. Phillip Hong to be the first Associate Dean of Research.  We are excited to work with Dr. Hong and interested faculty and staff to continue to create optimal conditions for a variety of research projects that can maximize collaboration between senior and junior faculty, as well as our doctoral students.