The School of Social Work will celebrate Carolina’s university-wide day of giving, also known as GiveUNC, on Tuesday, March 28, with a special opportunity to support the Hortense McClinton Legacy Scholarship Fund. This fund, which is named after Hortense King McClinton — a social work pioneer and UNC-Chapel Hill’s first Black faculty member — was established to honor McClinton as a social work trailblazer and to help students interested in pursuing a social work degree to do so with limited debt.
For this year’s annual fundraiser, Distinguished Alumna Marci White, BA ’74, MSW ’78, has offered a special challenge gift of $20,000, provided that fellow alumni donate at least 20 gifts of ANY SIZE on GiveUNC day to the School of Social Work. UNC alumnus Marc Abbey ’87, and his wife Kristen have also offered a challenge gift of $20,000 once 20 donors make a gift of $100 or more to the School of Social Work.
Such generous donations will go a long way to support students in need, said Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson.
“With the establishment of the McClinton Legacy Scholarship, the School is demonstrating its commitment to ensuring that the next generation of social workers are prepared to lead with courage,” Denby-Brinson said.
Social workers looking for inspiration need only to consider McClinton’s contributions to the School and overall profession, added Mildred C. Joyner, president of the National Association of Social Workers. “She always stayed in the room to contribute to hard conversations, and she worked with others to find new pathways to bring equity to the table.”
A graduate of Howard University and the University of Pennsylvania and a former social work practitioner with the Durham County Department of Social Services and the Durham Veteran’s Administration Hospital, McClinton paved the way for other African American social workers in the state of North Carolina. In 1966, McClinton joined UNC’s School of Social Work, becoming the first Black faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill. She retired in 1984 and continues to live in Silver Spring, Maryland, near family.
Last spring, the University dedicated a newly renamed residence hall after McClinton in honor of her historic contributions at UNC. A few months later, an anonymous donor offered a $50,000 gift to support the newly created McClinton Legacy Scholarship Fund.
Please help us secure a major gift of $20,000 on GiveUNC Day! Visit the School of Social Work’s online giving site on March 28, and submit your gift!
Thank you for your ongoing generosity and support!
