University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work alumni Jim (SOC WK ‘73) and Noel (SOC WK ‘74) Browne have been supporting the Browne Leadership Fellows Program since 2011. With their new gift of $1 million dollars, announced by the school on Valentine’s Day, the fellowship becomes fully funded and will continue to support students with an interest in social and economic justice for years to come.
The Brownes, who met at the School of Social Work and were married in Heinz Chapel in 1974, are the largest donors in the school’s over 100-year history. Noel shares the story of how they first met because fellow social work students thought they’d make a good match. “We sat across from each other in Barbara Shore’s class for a month, but it took him longer than that to ask me out,” she explains. “We dated during the rest of our time at the School of Social Work and were married a year after graduation.” Now after 47 years, they share two sons and six grandchildren.
After a decade of investing in the fellowship annually, the new fund for the endowment will cover student stipends, expenses for execution of service projects in partner communities, and additional program expenses.
The Browne Leadership Fellows Program is an interdisciplinary undergraduate fellowship aimed at preparing students to be engaged civic leaders working for economic and social justice. Between 6 and 10 fellows in their junior year are recruited every year from all undergraduate majors to participate in the fellowship.
Browne fellows participate in an immersive summer of learning and service in one of several Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods such as Millvale, Garfield, and Manchester. During their fellowship, they work closely with a partner agency to understand community history, identify local assets and challenges, cultivate appreciation for neighborhood culture, and ultimately execute a collaborative community project that supports the positive development of the area and its residents. Service projects have included developing youth programs at a local library, engaging in community mapping in support of a new greenspace development, providing in-person and virtual instruction in STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, and math) to school aged-children, and supporting a community agriculture project.
The Browne’s were inspired to create the fellowship because of Jim’s experience having pursued a career outside of social work in the finance sector, as principal and co-founder of Allegheny Financial Group. His MSW provided him with valuable skills in interpersonal communication, strategic problem-solving and systems-level thinking that he applied to his career in finance. His time as an MSW student also deepened his commitment to social justice and equity. The Brownes wanted fellows from across disciplines to have an opportunity to explore the root causes of social issues and to engage in identifying effective mechanisms that create lasting change. Applied learning, leadership, and service prepare fellows to become the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders.
“If the students going through this program are at all impacted and more aware of the issues of poverty and racism in communities and act on that awareness then we have met our objectives,” says Jim. “These are real issues that need to be addressed.” Noel continued, “We’ve seen the impact this has had on the students because they take what they’ve learned in the classroom and they go into the community to make real change, make real policy, and have an impact on the community.”
The fellowship is always described by students as highly impactful and a transformational learning experience; a valuable chance to get outside of the university community and connect more deeply with parts of the city and region that they may not otherwise have had a chance to interact with.
The Brownes are longstanding philanthropic and community leaders, having supported a variety of charitable causes in the Pittsburgh area, including Manchester Youth Development Center and the Manchester Academic Charter School. In 2010, they endowed the James J. and Noel W. Chair at the School of Social Work. Jim is also a member of the School’s Board of Visitors.
"I am so deeply grateful to the Brownes," said Dean Betsy Farmer. "Jim and Noel had a vision of how to bring social work values and understandings to students who would not usually benefit from our school's perspectives and expertise. It has been a brilliant and transformative idea and program! And one that allows us to be national leaders in making sure that students, who will go on to greatness in a range of fields, bring social work values to their work and lives. In addition to my immense gratitude for the Brownes generosity, I am also extremely grateful to have the privilege of getting to know them. Jim and Noel will tell you that they never really used their social work degrees in a traditional way. But, in their lives, they exude the true generosity, compassion, humility, and righteous advocacy on social and racial justice that make them the kind of people that I hope our school will always produce!"