The United Neighborhood House Scholarship Fund Supports Professional Development

Since 1990, the UNH Scholarship Fund has provided tuition assistance to settlement house employees pursuing Associates, Bachelors and Masters degrees, as well as non-degrees and certificate programs. The goal of the Fund is to encourage and support the professional development of Settlement House staff, while strengthening individual settlements and the settlement system citywide. Since its inception, approximately 850 awards have been granted. These have ranged from $400 to $1,200 and averaged about $600 per semester.

A significant majority of graduate students supported through the years have been MSWs, three of whom have been interviewed for this article. Each of these women describes the award as vital to completion of her degree. And, while each expressed gratitude to UNH, equally strong was the appreciation of the settlements' role in promoting professional growth and arranging field placements enabling her to continue working.

Deborah Carroll first entered Lenox Hill Community House as a parent registering her child for Headstart. Within a short period of time, she was hired as a Family Worker and entered Adelphi University's MSW Program. Deborah feels the confidence Lenox Hill placed in her was instrumental in helping her complete her degree while working fulltime and raising her son. Upon receiving her MSW, Deborah was promoted to Director of Family Services and now continues her relationship with Lenox Hill on a consultant basis.

Julie Belizaire Spitzer started working in Citizens Advice Bureau's Senior Services in 1992. In Fall 2000, she enrolled at Hunter College School of Social Work.   In her last year of study, Julie became pregnant with triplets and had to take medical leave. The UNH Scholarship now became essential and allowed her to complete her degree despite the loss of income. She is now Director of Homeless Prevention at CAB, a position that would not have been possible without her MSW.

In 1986, Geniria Armstrong started her career at Henry Street Settlement as a case manager at the Settlement's Homeless Family Shelter. In 1990, she enrolled in Fordham University's MSW program and was awarded a UNH Scholarship. Since then, she has been promoted three times and currently oversees one of the country's premier homeless programs as Chief Administrator for Homeless and Transitional Services.

Each of these women's stories is unique. Yet they are united by common threads, among them that the UNH Scholarship provided vital economic support and that their selection and their settlement's support provided invaluable boosts in self-confidence. In addition, each remained at their settlement after achieving their MSW, a reflection of their belief in the settlement model of comprehensive community-based services. It is for all these reasons that UNH is working to not only continue, but also strengthen the Scholarship Fund.   

In 2002, in honor of retiring Executive Director Emily Menlo Marks, UNH established the Emily Menlo Marks Leadership Development Fund recognizing emerging and/or accomplished leaders within settlement houses.