Spartans are strongest when they stand together, a fact that the School of Social Work puts into action with the MSW Veterans Scholarship fund. The fund supports veterans during their graduate study, with the goal that they will also complete the Combat Veterans Certificate and serve other veterans.
The shared experiences of veteran students are incredibly valuable in the field of social work. “I have personally seen how veterans benefit from support from other veterans, and this scholarship fund will help ensure that professional support is maximized.” says Social Science alum Ronald Sams (’72), who gave to the scholarship fund on Giving Tuesday last year.
As a retired Lieutenant General of the U.S. Air Force, Ronald credits his success to the university. “I am not only a combat veteran but also an MSU Army ROTC graduate who went on to serve in the Air Force for nearly 38 years. “I would not have had a successful military career without MSU,” he says.
For another donor, it was family legacy that inspired generosity. “The MSW Veterans program was particularly meaningful as my father was a World War II veteran and an MSU alumnus,” says Gary R. Anderson, Ph.D.
Gary’s father attended MSU thanks to the GI Bill and lived in a Quonset hut on campus before moving into married student housing. “I was born when he was an upperclassman in the College of Social Science. MSU's veteran-friendly environment was the foundation for my family's future!” says Gary.
Gary finds supporting Veterans at MSU through the MSW program to be a joy. “The MSW Veteran's program's impact is so powerful because it addresses the psychological and social challenges faced by many veterans,” says Gary.
Given his own career in social work, including many years serving as a faculty member and director of the MSU School of Social Work, he knows firsthand how helpful an MSW can be.
"This Veteran's program is one more opportunity to address the array of issues facing families and children,” Gary says. “It is an opportunity to better prepare the workforce that will benefit from an MSU education and serve those who serve our country in this special way.”
The MSW Veterans Scholarship is funded through the Arlene Brophy Reeves and Larry W. Reeves Combat Veterans Fellowship in the School of Social Work, and through the generosity of donors like Ronald, Gary and others like you.
LEARN MORE about the MSW Veterans Scholarship fund by contacting Senior Director of Development Rachel Schmidt at rschmidt@msu.edu or (517) 432-7047 or visit MSU CrowdPower.