July 6th, 2010
Williams wins Hogg Foundaton scholarship

Arnold Williams.

STAFF REPORT

Texas State University student Arnold Williams recently received a $5,000 scholarship award from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, which is observing its 70th year.

Williams is one of ten students in Texas graduate school social work programs to receive the award.

A former journalist and a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Williams has a special interest in working with military veterans who are transitioning back into civilian life. He is seeking a master’s degree in social work to better equip him for work with men and women who experience mental health conditions as a result of multiple tours of duty and exposure to combat and its related traumas.

“Men and women in the military attach such a high level of stigma to mental health issues while on active duty,” Williams said. “They don’t want to be seen as a liability to their fellow soldiers and they place the utmost value on combat readiness. When they return to civilian life, they often carry that same stigma and hide their symptoms. Attending to both their mental and physical needs is crucial to successful readjustment to civilian life.”

The Hogg Foundation has awarded five $5,000 Ima Hogg scholarships annually to graduate social work students who plan to provide mental health services after graduation. This year, the foundation awarded ten scholarships.

The scholarship program was created in 1956 by Ima Hogg to attract students to mental health careers. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Governor James S. Hogg and has awarded millions of dollars in Texas to support mental health services, research, policy analysis and public education.

“Miss Ima truly was gifted in her vision for improving mental health in Texas,” said Hogg Foundation Executive Director Octavio N. Martinez, Jr. “The scholarship program she created five decades ago is more relevant than ever today as Texas faces a serious and widening gap between the mental health workforce and the need for services.”

Scholarship recipients must attend a Texas graduate social work program that is accredited or pending accreditation by the national Council on Social Work Education.

The Hogg Foundation is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas.