Giving Thanks: School of Social Work Raises $22,091 to Create Scholarship Honoring a Beloved Professor

This November, members of our Fulbright College Family are sharing expressions of gratitude, letters of thanks and their appreciation for those who have helped make their educational journey possible.

Meet the college’s School of Social Work, who thanks to gifts from 90 donors during spring’s All In For Arkansas 2019 day of giving, raised $22,091 – enough to reach the school’s goal of creating and endowing the Michael Collie Social Work Scholarship to honor a beloved professor and help amazing future social workers succeed!

Michael Collie Social Work Scholarship Endowment Created

Why: To endow a scholarship, which means the fund will be able to indefinitely help create scholarships for generations of amazing future social workers to come.
How: After 90 donors participated in U of A’s 2019 annual “All In For Arkansas” day of giving, $22,091 was raised.
Who: In memory of beloved professor Michael Collie.

About Michael Collie:

Michael Collie was a beloved clinical assistant professor, director of the college’s Bachelor of Social Work Program, and a University of Arkansas alumnus.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Arkansas in 1983 and a Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1998.

Throughout his 30-plus year career in social work, he served as clinical director for three hospitals and six outpatient clinics. In 2007, he became a faculty member at the School of Social Work while maintaining a private psychotherapy practice, Collie Clinical Consulting.

In the classroom, Collie’s passion for the field of social work, coupled with his eclectic and engaging teaching style, inspired numerous students to elevate their social work scholarship and practice. 

His dynamic personality and efforts to champion the profession made him a sought-after instructor and presenter in the community. The impact he left, and his indomitable spirit, lives on in his colleagues, his students and the community.

Comments shared by Collie’s former students on Facebook give a glimpse of the impact he had as an educator:

“No words can completely express how much Michael impacted students and the community. He was a huge motivator in me going for my M.S.W. He always knew how to make students and supervisees feel like rock stars,” one comment read.

“I am who I am as a social worker because of both Michael and [his wife] Sara. Whenever I speak about this incredible profession, I quote Michael: ‘We as social workers are about the creation of hope for change.’ He created so much hope with his life,” a student wrote.

Another comment read, “Professor Collie was truly inspiring to his students. There are better social workers in the world because of his teaching and guidance. I am so grateful to have known and been impacted by him.”

For more information about the Michael Collie Social Work Scholarship Endowment, or to make a year-end gift to support it, please give online now, or contact Fulbright College’s Office of Development and External Relations at 479-575-3712, or email fulbright@uark.edu.