Philanthropy

Feb. 13, 2024

Making the room better

School of Social Work alum Kelly Gross’s brother honors his sister by establishing a scholarship for MSW students.

April 2, 2023

Family continues Nancy Toedebusch Fay’s legacy of giving back

From her MU graduation through her retirement years, Nancy Todebusch Fay was passionate about supporting the School of Health Professions.

Oct. 25, 2022

Remer, Mermelstein receive Social Work centennial impact awards

The School of Social Work celebrated 100+ years of social work education at Mizzou with a special Homecoming tailgate Oct. 22. At the event, School of Social Work director Aaron Thompson, recognized two individuals for their significant contributions to the field of social work. Joanne Mermelstein Centennial Impact: Faculty Award Joanne Mermelstein, MS ’61, advocated for the MU School of Social Work in several ways as a professor, interim director (1988) and director of the Master of Social Work Program. Dr. Mermelstein was a champion and pioneer in rural social work, helping to develop programs and supports…

Oct. 18, 2022

Sybil Prost finds life’s work after graduate school at Mizzou

By Kate Lickert Sybil Prost, MSW ’92, was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, and grew up in Columbia. From the beginning, Mizzou had a strong influence on her life. “Some of our family traditions revolved around the University of Missouri-Columbia campus long before I knew what college I wanted to attend,” Prost said. “Our family had season tickets to Mizzou football, toured the house decorations during homecoming, and enjoyed listening to Marching Mizzou on Saturday mornings from our backyard.” Although Prost received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice Administration and Corrections from Central Missouri State University,…

Sep. 27, 2022

Fritz faculty scholar fund set to draw top-notch faculty

A gift from Dana and Scott Fritz will support Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences faculty.

Aug. 24, 2022

Social work pioneer

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest employer of master’s-level social workers in the United States — and Col. Stan Remer, MSW ’68, is a big reason why. Remer graduated from the MU School of Social Work during the height of the Vietnam War. As a medical social worker at a VA medical center in the 1970s, he saw many soldiers coming back with PTSD. “We were learning that we needed to treat mental health more forward into the battlefield,” he says. “It’s a lot better if they can deal with combat stress early on.”…

March 27, 2022

Burrell Behavioral Health to sponsor Social Work 100-year celebration

Burrell Behavioral Health is the Student Scholarship Sponsor for a 100-year celebration of social work at Mizzou this year. The sponsorship creates the Burrell Social Work Scholarship Endowed Fund, which will support social work students in perpetuity. Every year, one or more students will receive a scholarship with preference given to students who have an interest in pursuing a career with a community mental health center providing social work services. “As Missouri’s flagship School of Social Work, we recognize the importance of partnering with other organizations, such as Burrell, to meet the demand for social workers, especially in rural and…

Jan. 18, 2022

Transformational gift will help advance children’s health

A generous gift from Janet and John Farmer will continue Janet Farmer’s legacy of advancing children’s health, especially children with special health care needs.  As a long-time faculty member in the Department of Health Psychology, Janet Farmer’s research focused on ways to enhance quality of life for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular interest in early intervention, health promotion and interdisciplinary care coordination.  “Dr. Farmer has dedicated her career to scholarship and clinical services to support children and their families,” said Dean Kristofer Hagglund. “The Janet and John Farmer Endowed Faculty Fund in Child Health will support outstanding faculty following in Dr. Farmer’s footsteps.”…

Nov. 3, 2021

A Brighter Tomorrow: Burrell Behavior Health partners with MU to provide tuition assistance for social workers (KOMU)

COLUMBIA – Burrell Behavioral Health is partnering with the University of Missouri to provide tuition assistance for students pursuing a master’s in social work.  The tuition assistance comes during a time of staffing shortages for mental health and health care workers. Burrell is incentivizing their staff members to pursue higher education in social work by giving a stipend of $10,000 to use toward MU’s tuition.    Dr. Aaron Thompson, director of MU’s School of Social Work, said the program comes during a time of need for the community.  “A lot of families are reaching out for help because the pandemic…

May 2, 2021

Todd Pridemore named Director of Advancement

The School of Health Professions is pleased to welcome Todd Pridemore as the school’s director of advancement starting May 17. Pridemore joined Mizzou in 2018 as a gift planning and regional advancement officer and was promoted to director of advancement for MU Health Care in 2020. His previous fundraising experience includes the Baptist Home and the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Todd earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from MU and his Master of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. “Todd’s skills and experience in building relationships will benefit our alumni, students, faculty…