Margaret Champagne Womack Donates $250,000 to LSU
Largest Gift to the School of Social Work in Its 70-Year History

March 17, 2008

BATON ROUGE – The LSU School of Social Work will be able to provide more support in the area of addictive disorders thanks to a gift from one of its most prominent alumni. The School announced on March 17, 2008 that Margaret Champagne Womack has made a gift commitment of $250,000 to increase the Margaret Champagne Womack Professorship in Addictive Disorders. Womack’s gift will also be matched by the Louisiana Board of Regents, raising the total benefit to the LSU School of Social Work to $410,000.

“Margaret Champagne Womack’s support of the School of Social Work has been an essential component in the success of the program,” said LSU School of Social Work Dean Christian E. Molidor. “This additional gift from Mrs. Womack will propel our efforts to train skilled, competent, and ethical social workers to address the increasing problems with addictive disorders in the state. We are also working to leverage these funds to increase student support for those interested in dedicating their careers to this field.”

Womack’s gift to LSU will support and enhance the Addictive Disorders Training Initiative. Currently, there is a critical need for more professionals skilled in the area of addictions. The LSU School of Social Work will address this need with Womack’s support, creating a stipend program for master-level students who have expressed an interest in the addictions field. These graduate students will enroll in addictions courses, and perform internships in a specialized addictions or secondary diagnosis environment. In addition to preparing graduate students, the School will offer continuing education opportunities for providers and social work professionals.

The funds will also support addictions-related research focusing on the issues most relevant to Louisiana. The School of Social Work will also develop systems to effectively disseminate current research and the best treatment practices to those working in the field of addictive disorders.

“I am so pleased to be able to make this commitment to the School of Social Work to meet the ever-growing workforce demands for trained addictions professionals,” said Margaret Champagne Womack. “The addictive disorders training initiative was a well thought out strategy to address a critical need in this state.”

Womack would also like to challenge other friends and alumni of LSU to give to the LSU School of Social Work.

Expanding course offerings in the addictions field is a goal of the LSU School of Social Work. The School currently offers elective courses addressing the issues of substance abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and addictions. Additional course offerings will be made available for students seeking current research-based knowledge and skill development. These master-level students will be even more qualified to respond to the community need for trained social workers in addictive disorders.

LSU’s 1996 General College Alumnus of the Year, Margaret Womack is a philanthropic leader whose influence can be felt virtually anywhere on the LSU campus. A 1967 graduate of LSU with a Master’s degree in Social Work in 1988, Mrs. Womack been a generous contributor to LSU over the years.

The widow of Baton Rouge business legend Milton Womack, Margaret is well-known for her involvement in the community. She is a Founders Forum Member of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the former director of the Stop Rape Crisis Center and has worked with countless charitable and non-profit organizations such as the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille.

An avid supporter of Tiger athletics, Ms. Womack was instrumental in establishing the Skip Bertman Leadership Scholarship, honoring LSU’s legendary former baseball coach, in 2001.

Margaret Womack’s gift to the LSU School of Social Work also moves LSU closer to the goal of completing the Forever LSU campaign. Forever LSU is a university-wide effort to raise $750 million in support for LSU by the end of the year 2010. For more information on how you can get involved with the campaign for LSU’s future, visit www.foreverlsu.org.

Scott Madere is the director of public relations for the LSU Foundation.  For more information regarding the Feb. 28 announcement, contact Madere at 225-578-3826 or e-mail him at smadere@lsufoundation.org.

Forever LSU thanks you for your continued financial support of our students, faculty and programs. Our goal is to raise $750 million by 2010. Please visit www.foreverlsu.org for more information on how we're progressing and how every Tiger can help.

Forever LSU Campaign
3838 West Lakeshore Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
campaign@foreverlsu.org