Michael Jordan has made a $10 million commitment to the UNC School of Social Work in honor of his mother, Deloris P. Jordan — the largest single gift in the school's history. The announcement, made in Chapel Hill, renamed the school's Global Social Development Innovations Center for Deloris Jordan and created a new scholarship program bearing the Jordan family name.
According to UNC, the gift establishes the Jordan Family Scholars program to help Master of Social Work students facing financial barriers, with ten inaugural scholars each receiving a $12,500 scholarship. Michael Jordan, a 1986 UNC graduate, said he was incredibly proud to honor his mother with the commitment, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Deloris Jordan said she was genuinely surprised by the gift, telling the paper that coming from UNC, nothing surprises her anymore, and that the university adopted her family.
A Renamed Center With Global Reach
The Global Social Development Innovations Center, established in 2017, is dedicated to solving social challenges harming marginalized youth worldwide, per the News & Observer's reporting. The newly renamed Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center will host a Global Research Symposium, a two-day event that will bring scholars, practitioners and partners from more than 20 countries to Chapel Hill to discuss global youth development, according to a release carried by PR Newswire.
The UNC School of Social Work sends students to 25 countries as part of its programming, and students will travel to Kenya to work and learn at the Kenya Women and Children's Wellness Centre, the News & Observer reports. Deloris Jordan founded that center in Nairobi in 2010; it sits on 10 acres and includes a medical center along with housing for families and medical staff, supporting survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse. Per the Kenya Women & Children's Wellness Centre, the facility offers integrated services including medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, and a safe space for survivors.
Addressing a Statewide Shortage
UNC says the investment comes at a time of urgent need for more social workers, and the News & Observer reports the gift is intended to help address North Carolina's shortage of social workers dedicated to children, substance abuse, senior citizens, and people with intellectual or developmental delays. The state is projected to be short about 30,000 social workers by 2030, particularly in rural areas, UNC has said in the same report.
The scale of that gap shows up in the numbers: North Carolina had 13,945 licensed master's-level social workers in active practice in 2024, a statewide rate of 12.70 per 10,000 residents, according to the university's health workforce research. That same data shows metro counties had nearly double the rate of licensed clinical social workers compared with nonmetro areas, and two counties reported a rate of zero social workers per 10,000 residents. Separately, UNC's Sheps Center has found that demand for behavioral health services is rising faster than the workforce can keep up, with rural counties generally having fewer providers relative to their populations than metropolitan areas.
Decades of Ties Between the Jordans and UNC
UNC School of Social Work Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson described the donation as an extraordinary gift from one of UNC's most beloved Tar Heels, the News & Observer reported. UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts said nobody has questioned the difference the School of Social Work makes in regular people's lives. Deloris Jordan has been involved with the school for decades, and the News & Observer reported her birthday was celebrated at the announcement event.
This is not the family's first investment in the school. Michael Jordan donated $1 million to UNC in 1996 to create the Jordan Institute for Families, which the New York Times reported at the time was designed to strengthen families and help children in need as part of the School of Social Work. According to UNC's School of Social Work, that institute was founded in 1996 by Michael Jordan and his family and continues to operate today. Jordan has also funded health initiatives elsewhere in the state; he donated $7.2 million to build two Novant Health clinics in his hometown of Charlotte, according to Business Insider, with those clinics intended to provide primary care, social work, behavioral, oral health and physical therapy services.
