Stockton University’s highly popular Master of Social Work (MSW) program, which has graduated nearly 750 students in the last 15 years, just received a significant boost. The Gormley and Levine families have established a $100,000 fund to support the program’s students.
The generous donation was made by Senator Bill and Ginny Gormley of Margate, and Lee and Sandra Levine of Longport. The fund is designated to provide annual scholarships to students and specifically earmarks $25,000 to support the annual MSW Engaged Learning Trip to Washington, D.C.
On this critical trip, students meet with members of Congress to advocate for legislation impacting the social work profession.
The donors emphasized the current need for social workers. Ginny Gormley, who holds an MSW and worked extensively in the field within New Jersey government, the judiciary, and the medical community, stressed the importance of the profession.
“I’m delighted to donate this money, especially now when there is such a mental health crisis,” she said. “We’ve got to support social workers. They’re needed now more than ever… we want to help prepare more people for this important work.”
Former longtime New Jersey State Senator Bill Gormley echoed the sentiment, noting the relevance of supporting the program, which is based in Atlantic City. He praised the students for providing services in the city and expressed a desire for the donation to act as “seed capital.”
Stockton President Joe Bertolino, who also holds an MSW degree, thanked both families for their gift, highlighting the versatility of the degree: “It’s a degree that allows one to pivot in a lot of different situations.”
Dan Nugent, executive director of the Stockton University Foundation, praised the Gormleys’ innovative spirit in specifically funding the students’ lobbying experience in Washington.
“When you get a call from the Gormleys, they’ve always got a new idea about how they and their friends can provide resources to benefit our students and faculty,” Nugent said.
The Foundation expressed gratitude to both the Gormley and Levine families on behalf of the students who will benefit and the clients they will eventually serve.
