The College for Human Services was created in 1964 to educate human service workers within the framework of an institutional commitment to social justice and social change, belief in a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to learning, and the aspiration to legitimate human services as a professional field. The college's program is organized around eight requisite performance areas: self-assessment and preparation for practice, establishing professional relationships, working with others, helping others learn, counseling, community liaison, supervision, and managing change. Each area is examined in terms of five dimensions of effective performance: goals, values, self and others, systems, and skills. Classroom study is integrated with analysis of issues arising from work experiences. The majority of the college's students have been from low-income, minority populations, and almost half lacked high school diplomas upon enrollment. Financial support originally came from the federal government and later from local government, foundation grants, and tuition. The college differs from other schools in: (1) its commitment to the solution of social problems and the transformation of individuals and institutions; (2) its transdisciplinary performance-based curriculum; (3) its explicit examination of values and their relationship to effective human service work; (4) the organization of disciplines around performance areas; and (5) the ongoing interplay of theoretical and practical issues. (HB)