Social Work Names Graduate Scholarship for Ward

Supporters of UALR’s School of Social Work named its newly endowed graduate scholarship after Little Rock psychotherapist Rebecca Fuller Ward. Ward was honored at a surprise reception held Jan. 9 at the Pleasant Valley Country Club where UALR named the new endowment the Rebecca Fuller Ward Endowed Scholarship. The $100,000 endowment was the result of a multi-year fundraising effort to provide scholarship support. Much of that support came from the annual Blue Jeans and Birkenstocks event that raised scholarship money for UALR social work students. Organizers will now begin to raise funds for a new endowment – a $75,000 fund for scholarships in the Bachelor of Social Work program. Ward, the author of “How to Stay Married Without Going Crazy,” is a graduate of UALR’s School of Social Work and practices family counseling with Dr. Howard Turney, director of the program. She is a graduate of the MSW program and has practiced psychotherapy in Little Rock for more than 20 years. “Rebecca has been a champion for the school in her efforts to raise funds for scholarships. She is a dear friend and business partner,” Turney said. “Her commitment to UALR and the School of Social Work makes her an exemplary alumnae whose own MSW has served her well.” The School of Social Work, established in 1965 as part of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, became part of UALR in 1975. It began as a graduate program only – the only MSW program in the state. The bachelor’s in social work program began in 1998. The program also offers certification in marriage and family therapy, and gerontology.