College of Social Work receives gift to establish new center
A substantial gift from a family foundation formed by two Florida State University alumni is helping the FSU College of Social Work establish a new center dedicated to generating knowledge that leads to effective policies, services and research for the benefit of communities, families and children.
The Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children will be created with major support from The Stoops Family Foundation Inc. Beginning in September, the center will receive $100,000 a year for the next five years from the foundation started by Aggie and Jeff Stoops.
The foundation also committed to matching up to $75,000 in charitable contributions made to the center each year.
“This is a transformative gift that will significantly ramp up our ability to accomplish significant research, education and service,” said Jim Clark, dean of the FSU College of Social Work. “Our faculty and staff are very excited to launch this new center. We are grateful to the Stoops family for their ongoing support and counsel as we develop the business strategies to create sustainability and growth in the years ahead.”
The center was created to serve as an umbrella organization for several of the College of Social Work’s initiatives and centers. Clark said he hopes to enlist others to contribute to the work of the college’s latest endeavor.
“A critical dimension of the plan is to attract many other supporters and donors to add to this initial investment,” Clark said. “I’m confident that our alumni, stakeholders and other friends will contribute time and talent in the months ahead.”
The center will oversee the operations of the Institute for Family Violence Studies, the Trinity Institute for Addictions, the Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Consulting Center and other college resources. This fall, the College of Social Work will establish the center’s advisory council and hire its executive director.
Aggie and Jeff Stoops and the Stoops Family Foundation are longtime supporters of Florida State University and the Seminole Boosters. In 2004, Aggie and Jeff endowed two professorships, one at the College of Law (the Jeffrey A. Stoops Professorship) and another at the College of Social Work (the Agnes Flaherty Stoops Professor in Child Welfare).
In 2015, the Stoops Family Foundation endowed a scholarship program at the College of Law for exemplary students committed to pursuing business law.
Aggie and Jeff Stoops are both two-time graduates of Florida State. Aggie earned her bachelor’s degree in social work in 1982 and completed her master’s degree the following year. She is the chairwoman of the board for the Stoops Family Foundation, a private organization focused on medical, social services, educational and children’s causes.
Aggie also serves on the board of directors of HomeSafe, a South Florida-based nonprofit organization focused on protecting and advancing the interests of victims of child abuse and domestic violence.
Jeff Stoops earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from FSU and went on to receive his law degree from the FSU College of Law in 1984. He now serves as president and chief executive officer of SBA Communications Corporation, an S&P 500 company based in Boca Raton, Fla.
For more information, visit csw.fsu.edu/thecenter.