Social Work Scholarships & Awards

The Phylis Lan Lin scholarship is to support social work students from traditionally underrepresented groups who have a commitment to social work and social justice.  Four scholarships will be awarded to students in the amount of $5,000 each to students enrolled in either the BSW or MSW program at the University of Indianapolis.  Each scholarship will be awarded in the Spring/Summer term and disbursed in the Fall semester (for MSW) or awarded in the Fall term and disbursed in the Winter semester (for BSW).   

To qualify for the scholarship students must submit: 

1. Two letters of recommendation from an employer or instructor who can speak to the student's ability and commitment to social justice and the social work profession.
2. An overall GPA of 3.0 or greater and a social work GPA of 3.5 or better.  
3. A statement of financial need.
4. A record of community service or service-learning activities.
5. An essay of no more than 1,000 words addressing the following:
   1. Part I: Please read, review and reflect on Meeting the Founder and describe how Dr. Lin's legacy inspires your commitment to social work.
   2. Part II:
      1. Identify and discuss any current pertinent social issue or problem that you have either direct experience with or is of interest to you.
      2. How is your identified issue/problem affecting vulnerable populations, individuals, groups, and communities in your community?
      3. Why is this topic of importance to the profession of social work and why is this important to you?
      4. Discuss how you have implemented focused strategies and interventions to address the stated social issue/problem.
      5. What are your short term and long term professional goals? Please explain how a social work degree will help you achieve those goals.

Dr. Scott E. Fogo had a lifelong love and dedication to Education for Service. As an alumni of the BSW program, he was an avid supporter of the program and helped write the self-study for the MSW program’s application. He worked with faculty in various capacities and served as an adjunct professor at UIndy. He was a true Servant Leader, identifying the needs of those around him and working tirelessly to serve and empower vulnerable individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.  The Dr. Scott E. Fogo $2,500 Scholarship is for a UIndy BSW student accepted into the UIndy MSW Advanced Standing Program. The scholarship will be applied to the Fall tuition.

Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enrich the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. 

The servant-leader is the servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served to grow as persons: do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived? (Greenleaf, 1977/2002, p. 27)

Criteria for the scholarship:

• UIndy BSW to MSW student (Advanced Standing Program)

• GPA of greater than 3.0 

• Evidence of service to individuals or local/global communities (please provide your resume).

• Submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words describing your philosophy of social work.  

How do you see your work as a social worker impacting, and empowering individuals, groups, organizations, or communities? Describe how the attainment of a Master’s Degree in Social Work will influence your professional role as a social worker serving those in your community in order to bring greater justice to underserved and often marginalized individuals.

Reference: Greenleaf, R. K. (1977/2002). Servant-leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.

Dr. Mildred Reynolds is a 1952 graduate of the University of Indianapolis who led a distinguished life in the profession.  Dr. Reynolds developed this scholarship to promote interest among social work students to work with the senior adult population. The Mildred Reynolds Scholarship Award is given annually by Mildred Reynolds. The nominated junior or senior BSW student will be awarded $1,000.  The BSW junior or senior student and an MSW student who has best-emphasized work in both curriculum and vocation in working with the older population/gerontology meets the criteria. 

Requirements:

• 1 recommendation letter from a faculty member

• 1-2 page paper on how you have impacted and will impact Social Work with regard to the older adult population.

The Awards & Scholarship Committee will choose one recipient who best demonstrates the attributes governing the Mildred Reynolds scholarship.

The Toni Peabody Scholarship in Social Work is funded by Toni Peabody and Mr. Richard King and  provides financial assistance for Social Work students enrolled in a practicum course.  Ms. Peabody is a social worker and retired faculty member who served the Social Work Department for over 20 years at the University of Indianapolis. This $500 scholarship award is provided directly to the student to use according to their needs to successfully complete their practicum related experience. The recipient may utilize the award as they see fit towards their practicum needs (i.e. clothes, shoes, gas for transportation, bus pass, money for lunch, etc.). BSW faculty members and BSW junior and senior students are allowed to nominate one applicable junior or senior BSW student. (Anywhere from one to possibly four of these scholarships can be awarded each year).

Jane Addams was a vocal advocate for peace and for the rights of all people during the Early 20th century. She founded a number of lodging houses for new immigrant families, fought against child labor practices, encouraged universal education for children, and

advocated for women’s rights. Through her efforts to ensure justice and equality to marginalized populations as well as her dedication to the peace movement, Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace prize on December 10, 1931. Jane Addams’s accomplishments both as a social worker and as an activist in women’s rights have been 

carried on into the present. We recognize a student from the BSW program as the recipient of this award in recognition of outstanding service and commitment to social justice and advocating on behalf of vulnerable populations.

This award is given in honor of former Provost Emeritus Lynn R. Youngblood who was connected to UIndy for more than 40 years as a student and administrator.  Throughout his career, he lived a legacy of commitment to service and social justice that helped shape the identity of UIndy.  This award is presented for “Outstanding Commitment and Community Service on the part of BSW students in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work.” This work can be involved on and off-campus. 

This award is given in honor of Professor Emeritus Marvin Henricks who, at UIndy, was a sociology professor and chair of the Behavioral Science Department from 1951–1982.  This award is for the student with the highest grade point average in the BSW program. 

This award is given in honor of Professor Michelle Meer, former BSW Field Coordinator and BSW Program Director from 2010–2018.  The award is presented to the student who best exhibits professionalism and the utilization of self-care strategies.