Deloris P. Jordan, a member of the School of Social Work's Board of Advisors, gives a rose to Tali Bowe, one of the inaugural Jordan Family Scholars. “When I found out I got the scholarship, I was really relieved. It was a huge weight off my shoulders," Bowe said. (Submitted photo/Brian Strickland)
On Monday, Oct. 5, faculty, staff and students gathered at the UNC School of Social Work for an historic announcement. When they entered the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, they were met with flashing cameras, a balloon arch and an ice sculpture inscribed with the words “She gets it done.” The “she” in question is Deloris P. Jordan, mother of UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Among the students in attendance were the soon-to-be-announced Jordan Family Scholarship recipients, including Tali Bowe, a first-year Master of Social Work student who only months earlier had been wondering how she would finance her degree.
"I initially applied for the scholarship because in applying to the school of social work, I was expecting to have access to loans that were offered to master's students, because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to work,” said Bowe. "I really, really wanted to focus on having a great college experience. When I went to the University of Central Florida for undergrad, it was during COVID, and so I didn't get to build the relationships that I wanted.”
Bowe learned on Sept. 17 that she was one of the first 10 Jordan Family Scholars. Created by Michael Jordan ’86 in honor of his mother, Deloris P. Jordan, the scholarship program supports Master of Social Work students facing financial challenges.
“When the scholarship became available, I was both relieved and anxious. I knew this was my opportunity to focus on my schoolwork and develop relationships with professors in areas of research that I was really interested in without having to stress about the financial aspect,” said Bowe. “When I found out I got the scholarship, I was really relieved. It was a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Ten Carolina Master of Social Work students were named the inaugural Jordan Family Scholars, with each receiving a $12,500 scholarship. (Submitted photo/Brian Strickland)
The announcement was also a major relief for fellow scholarship recipient Sydney Hines, a first-year student in the Master of Social Work program from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“It has been rough to put it bluntly,” said Hines of her graduate school experience. "It’s a lot to juggle. We have our internship, class, and then I personally have to work two jobs because I cannot afford not to. I love this work, and it's such a financial burden that we hold. I don't want to let that get in the way of what I'm passionate about.”
The Jordan Family Scholars Program is part of a $10 million commitment in honor of Deloris P. Jordan by her son Michael Jordan to the School of Social Work. In addition to scholarships, the investment will advance research and support the newly renamed Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center and the Jordan Institute for Families. Deloris P. Jordan has served on the School of Social Work's Board of Advisors for more than 30 years.
"Through the generosity of Michael Jordan and the visionary leadership and philanthropy of Deloris P. Jordan, this investment recognizes both the critical importance of social workers and the urgent need to grow and sustain the profession in North Carolina," said Ramona Denby-Brinson, dean of the School of Social Work.
"Through the generosity of Michael Jordan and the visionary leadership and philanthropy of Deloris P. Jordan, this investment recognizes both the critical importance of social workers and the urgent need to grow and sustain the profession in North Carolina," said Ramona Denby-Brinson, dean of the School of Social Work.
Meeting North Carolina’s growing need for social workers
This gift comes at a critical time. North Carolina faces a shortage of social workers, with some estimates putting the gap at up to 30,000 by the end of the decade. Coverage is thinnest in rural communities, compounding the issues caused by the limited access to care in those areas. North Carolina especially needs social workers trained for public-sector jobs that support children, families, older adults, people with disabilities, individuals with mental and behavioral health challenges and people moving forward after involvement with the justice system.
Denby-Brinson said that social workers are essential to North Carolina because they help individuals, families and communities navigate some of life's most complex challenges while also strengthening the systems that support health, well-being and opportunity.
"Our students learn to address immediate needs while also advancing policy solutions, organizational innovation and community change," Denby-Brinson said. "Whether graduates become clinicians, administrators, nonprofit leaders, policy advocates, researchers or public servants, they leave with the skills to strengthen both people and the systems that surround them."
Marc Velasquez, a first-year student in the online Master of Social Work program, realized he wanted to pursue a career in social work after spending two years teaching and mentoring young people at a prison in Belize.
“It was an intense situation, but ultimately what I experienced is that these were human beings who needed help, and it was not so much that they needed someone to save them; they needed someone to see them,” said Velasquez. “If anything, that has informed my decision to pursue social work. The best thing we can do for people is to see them, to validate them and to help them feel whole.”
Dean Denby-Brinson presented certificates to scholars, including Sydney Hines, with Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. "The impact extends far beyond the scholarship recipients themselves. Every scholar will touch hundreds, and often thousands, of lives throughout their career," the dean said.
Keeping talented social workers in the state
The Jordan Family Scholars Program helps students finish their education and prepares the next generation of social workers, leaders and advocates to serve children, families and communities across North Carolina. The scholars have committed to staying and working in North Carolina after graduation.
"It's sometimes difficult to convince social work students to go into the public sector because they're such challenging jobs, but our students are so passionate, and they are mission-driven, and they enter this profession for that very reason because they want to make a difference," Denby-Brinson said. "They want to literally help their neighbors and communities all across 100 counties."
Bowe originally wanted to work as an applied behavior analyst. After discovering discrepancies in care across different communities, she transitioned to respite care and
worked closely with a teenager who has a rare genetic disorder.
“I would go with his family to doctor's appointments and just help him navigate going out into the environment. That's where I really got to see how significant the gaps in service delivery were — the lack of cross-disciplinary communication and how that was severely impacting the family's ability to get the help that they need,” said Bowe. “That's when I decided that I wanted to do more policy-level work. Chapel Hill's community, management and policy practice track was the biggest selling point for me.”
"These scholarships are really a recognition of these students because of their commitment. These students will become direct service practitioners; they will be researchers, advocates; they'll run nonprofits," Denby-Brinson said. "The impact extends far beyond the scholarship recipients themselves. Every scholar will touch hundreds, and often thousands, of lives throughout their career.
Hines hopes to work in a legal setting. Through her current internship, she’s worked alongside lawyers to present mitigating factors that better inform a defendant’s argument, such as any trauma or mental struggles they’ve faced.
“We've gotten many sentences down,” said Hines. “That's kind of our goal, but what I always say is we don't provide an excuse, we just provide an explanation for how that person got there.”
The surprise of the scholarship announcement might fade, but its impact will last for generations.
“It truly is an investment in those whose career is helping others,” Denby-Brinson said. “We like to say that we are the ‘helping profession,’ and so often it is the helpers that are forgotten. And this will be an investment in those students and those scholars who in turn will make that investment in North Carolina families and communities.”
"The best thing we can do for people is to see them, to validate them and to help them feel whole," reflected Marc Velasquez, a Jordan Family Scholar and first-year student in the online Master of Social Work program.
Ramona Denby-Brinson explains what a social worker does
“People box us into this narrow path where they think we do one of two things: We either administer social safety net benefits, meaning just hard services like food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid. Or they think we break up homes and take children from their parents. Regarding benefit services, those are typically not social workers at all. We do have a deep history in child welfare, but even a lot of those positions aren’t social workers. Social work plays a vital role in child welfare by centering children’s safety, dignity and well-being while strengthening families through partnership, advocacy and compassion. Guided by a commitment to equity and resilience, social workers help families heal, grow and thrive — often in the face of profound challenges —by building on their strengths to create lasting, positive change.
“I tell people you’re going to need a social worker for literally everything from birth to the end of life. You could enter this world with acute medical problems because you’re a preemie, and one part of your care team is going to be a pediatric social worker or a NICU social worker, transitioning all the way through your life to end age, when you might be faced with loneliness, loss or grief. And social work doesn’t just serve people who are low-resourced. We serve people who are at all types of resource levels but may simply be experiencing life challenges. Social workers conduct research, shape policy, reform systems and challenge inequities to advance justice and well-being. Through this work, they help ensure laws and institutions better reflect the needs and strengths of communities.”