Empowering the Next Generation of Social Work Leaders
The IU School of Social Work Chancellor's Ascent Scholars Program is a premier philanthropic initiative designed to attract talented students to the social work profession, reduce financial barriers to earning a degree, and prepare future social workers for meaningful careers serving individuals, families, and communities.
Created through the generosity of donors, the program provides more than a traditional scholarship. The Chancellor's Ascent Scholars Program combines tuition support with funding for the hands-on practicum experience that is central to a social work education. By investing in students from their first year through graduation, donors help ensure that promising future social workers can focus on learning, leadership, and service rather than financial stress.
Open to incoming undergraduate pre-social work students, the program provides a four-year scholarship commitment valued at $20,000. Each scholar receives a $4,000 scholarship annually for four years, along with a $4,000 practicum stipend during their senior year. This support helps students pursue their social work education while easing the financial challenges that often accompany field-based learning experiences.
The Chancellor's Ascent Scholars Program reflects the IU School of Social Work's commitment to developing compassionate, well-prepared professionals who are ready to address some of society's most pressing challenges. By providing sustained support throughout a student's undergraduate journey, the program helps create pathways to graduation, professional success, and lifelong impact.
Scholarship Structure
Through a minimum gift of $125,000, donors establish a Chancellor's Ascent Scholarship that supports one scholar through a complete four-year undergraduate experience.
Each Chancellor's Ascent Scholar receives:
- $4,000 annually in scholarship support for four years ($16,000 total)
- A $4,000 practicum stipend during the senior year
- A total scholarship package of $20,000
Any investment income generated beyond the program's four-year commitment is reinvested into the scholarship principal, helping grow the fund and strengthen support for future generations of students.
Why It Matters
The need for skilled social workers continues to grow across Indiana and beyond. Scholarship support helps attract talented students who are passionate about creating positive change and serving vulnerable populations.
Many social work students balance coursework, employment, and family responsibilities while pursuing their degrees. At the IU School of Social Work, the average student faces approximately $17,000 in unmet financial need, creating significant challenges on the path to graduation. Scholarship assistance helps reduce financial stress, allowing students to focus on their academic and professional development rather than how they will pay for their education. By reducing these barriers, Chancellor's Ascent Scholarships help talented students remain on track to earn their degrees and enter the profession.
Field education is the signature pedagogy of social work and provides students with invaluable real-world experience. The practicum stipend helps offset financial challenges associated with completing required field placements during the senior year. Rather than choosing between gaining practical experience and earning income, students can focus on developing the skills and confidence they need to succeed as future social workers.
Every Chancellor's Ascent Scholar represents a future professional who will improve lives, strengthen communities, and advance social justice. Social workers are the nation's leading providers of mental health services and play critical roles in schools, hospitals, healthcare systems, community organizations, and behavioral health settings.
Indiana is experiencing a shortage of social workers as more professionals retire than enter the field. As the state's leading educator of social workers, the IU School of Social Work prepares approximately 75% of Indiana's social work workforce. Investments in student success today help ensure that Indiana will have the compassionate, highly trained professionals needed to address mental health challenges, strengthen families, support older adults, and improve community well-being tomorrow.
Create Your Legacy
To learn more about establishing a Chancellor's Ascent Scholarship, please contact:
Sandy Noe
Development Director
IU School of Social Work
Phone: (317)-278-1620
Email: smnoe@iu.edu.
A gift of $125,000 establishes a Chancellor's Ascent Scholarship and provides transformational support to future social workers. Through this investment, donors create a lasting legacy that helps students ascend to their potential while preparing them to make a difference in the lives of others for generations to come.
By establishing a Chancellor's Ascent Scholarship, donors invest not only in a student's education, but also in the individuals, families, and communities that student will serve throughout their career. The impact of one scholarship can be felt for decades, creating a ripple effect of care, compassion, and positive change that extends far beyond the university.