Brief History

In the late spring of 1990, Dr. B.L. Jones, the newly appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, asked Dr. Robert Salmon, then Acting Dean of the Hunter College School of Social Work (later renamed the Silberman School of Social Work), to create a dedicated program for eligible New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene employees to pursue their master’s in social work degree. Dr. Ellyn Berman and Kay Coltoff developed the Professional Development Counselor model, an innovative program of support that provided a dedicated academic counselor, as part of the program that would be called the Mental Health Scholarship Program (MHSP). The first cohort of MHSP scholars began their studies in 1990 ,and since then, a cohort of twenty scholars has been accepted each Fall.

 

Dr. Bob Salmon and Dr. Ellyn Berman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each scholar specializes in a method (clinical practice, community organizing or organizational management and leadership) within the mental health field of practice. The scholarship covers tuition and fees for the two years required for degree completion; intensive academic advisement and mentoring, professional development seminars, and, opportunities to connect and network with a robust alumni community. If selected for the scholarship, MHSP scholars must be prepared to remain in their current job for the duration of their MSW education, AND for two years post-graduation.