The deadline to apply for the Ballmer scholarship, a full-ride scholarship available to Walla Walla University Master’s of Social Work (MSW) students, is on May 31, 2023. The scholarship aims to significantly decrease student debt and increase the number and diversity of well-prepared graduates who work in community agencies that serve vulnerable populations.
The University of Washington School of Social Work launched the Washington State Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative (WDI) with the goal to strengthen workforce development in Washington state. With a generous gift from the Ballmer Foundation, the WDI provides two-year grants to master’s students in accredited clinical mental health programs who make a commitment to work in community behavioral health agencies in Washington for a period of time.
WDI has recognized the huge current demand for mental health professionals in Washington state. “The need for mental health care has grown exponentially in recent years, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Jeremy Springer, Professor of Social Work and Sociology and program coordinator for WWU’s MSW program. The Ballmer scholarship helps to fill this need by removing economic barriers.
In addition to classroom and clinical education, the Ballmer Foundation is interested in providing tools that workers need to be successful in the high stress field of mental health. The group is committed to making additional training and job support available to students once they graduate.
According to Springer, students who receive the Ballmer scholarship are those who are authentic and passionate about providing mental health care and helping people. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have already been accepted into the MSW program. Springer encouraged those who are interested in the scholarship to reach out to him with questions and to attend the first of upcoming informational sessions, happening on April 18 at 6 p.m. in the Winter Educational Complex.
Additional information and applications for the Ballmer scholarship are available at waworkforcedevelopment.org. To learn more about the social work program at WWU, visit wallawalla.edu/social-work.
Posted March 27, 2023
