School of Social Work receives largest individual donation in school's history

Miriam McFadden, a Nashville, Tenn., resident who has dedicated her career to social work, has established a trust fund valued at $1.2 million to recruit and retain faculty for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work.

The gift is the largest amount the school has ever received from a single donor.

McFadden, a member of the school's board of advisers, said she made the gift because she believes strongly in the mission of the School of Social Work and the important work performed by the faculty.

"I try to look where it [the gift] will benefit the most people and ultimately having good faculty will benefit the most people," said McFadden. She added that faculty research and teaching influence not only students, but the larger community, as well.

Retaining the school's world-renowned faculty, who are often sought by other institutions, is vital, said Dr. Jack Richman, school dean.

"Miriam sees the immense value of having the highest quality faculty possible to train the most qualified social workers in the field," he added.

McFadden earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from UNC in 1951. She attended UNC's School of Social Work for a year and earned her master's degree in social work from Tulane University in 1955.

McFadden retired in 2001 after more than 18 years as an administrator at the Dede Wallace Mental Health Center in Nashville. Her social work career has focused on mental health issues, and she has been actively involved with community and political organizations in North Carolina and Tennessee.

The School of Social Work was established in 1920, and more than 70 percent of its 3,800 alumni live and work in North Carolina. The school offers both doctoral and master's degrees and last year offered continuing education and professional development training to more than 8,500 people from 96 N.C. counties and 14 states.

McFadden's gift counts toward the Carolina First campaign goal of $1.8 billion. Carolina First is a comprehensive, multi-year private fund-raising campaign to support Carolina's vision of becoming the nation's leading public university. The School of Social Work's portion of this goal is $14 million.

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