Michigan is expanding a program to provide social work students with stipends while attending college. Ferris State University will mark the eighth school to provide students with up to $10,000 to support their education through the Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship.
The program provides students with stipends as long as they commit to working in child welfare in Michigan after they graduate. The program is in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
"It starts preparing them early for that kind of a position," Carrie Thompson, program coordinator at Ferris State, said. "Because it is highly stressful at times." She said the fellowship will give students time to explore if it's a field they're actually interested in.
At Ferris State, students would receive $5,000 per semester they are in their internship. It would total to $10,000 after completion of the internship.
Students can be apart of the program in their junior year, but would not receive the stipend until their senior year internship.
Other schools involved in the program include Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Oakland University, University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.
Susan Grettenberger is the program coordinator at CMU, one of the first universities to offer this stipend to students.
"The funding basically allows them to defray some expenses that they might otherwise not be able to handle," Grettenberg said. "Helps them get through the program and helps them get their degree finished."
Social work students interested in this program at Ferris State should apply directly through Thompson.
