Solange and Gérald McNeely scholarship in social work

This scholarship was created in memory of Stéphanie Lacroix

Award Overview

Value of the award:
Variable
Number of awards:
Variable
Award frequency:
Annual
Level or program of study:
Graduate
Application Type:
Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone.
Application Deadline:
November 3
Renewable:
No

Purpose of this Award

To provide financial assistance to students in need who wish to earn a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Ottawa.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate must:

  1. be registered full or part-time in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Ottawa, with the intention of working in the field;
  2. be an Ontario resident, in accordance with OSAP rules; and
  3. demonstrate financial need, as determined by the Financial Aid and Awards Service of the University of Ottawa.
Preference will be given to students who demonstrate an interest in the Franco-Ontarian community.

How to Apply

Submitted in the Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone, and must include:

  1. the Financial Questionnaire; and
  2. a brief statement demonstrating an interest in the Franco-Ontarian community (if applicable).
In the case of multiple candidates meeting the base requirements, the selection committee will select the recipient based on the award policies and standard criteria used by the Faculty of Social Sciences at the time of selection.

About this Award

This fund was established in 2006 by Solange and Gérald McNeely, who have been social workers for more than 40 years in the Toronto region. Solange (Robitaille) McNeely was born in Lafontaine, Ontario and completed her postsecondary studies at Collège Bruyère, a University of Ottawa affiliate (BA 1966). After working a year for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton, she earned a Master of Social Work at St. Patrick's College in Ottawa in 1969. She has since been a social worker with Toronto’s Conseil scolaire de district catholique centre-sud, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, Family Service Association of Toronto, and Catholic Family Services of Toronto. Gérald McNeely was born in Ste-Anne de la Pocatière, Quebec, and grew up in Ottawa. He completed his secondary and postsecondary studies at the Petit Séminaire d’Ottawa (BA 1964), a University of Ottawa affiliate, and earned a Master of Social Work at the St. Patrick’s College School of Social Work in 1966. He has since held a number of positions as social worker and manager with the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. Solange and Gérald have been married since 1969, and have four sons (three of whom are University of Ottawa alumni) and three grandchildren. In addition to their paid social work, the couple has volunteered for Toronto social agencies such as Les Centres d’Accueil Héritage, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and Rosalie Hall. After careers that spanned more than 40 years, the couple retired in April 2007. The goal of their scholarship is to help and encourage young francophones to enter the field of social work. The donors wish to thank the Government of Ontario for contributing to this scholarship through its OTSS matching funds program.