Inverness couple creates endowment for school counseling program scholarships

Sue and Norman Abazoris have made a $300,000 gift to Indiana State University to create the Susan Dauberman Abazoris Scholarship to support students pursuing a Master's Degree in School Counseling.

An Indiana State alumna, Sue Abazoris earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Bayh College of Education.

"I feel like I got a good education at Indiana State. I learned so much, both from books and from life experiences," said Sue Abazoris. "My Master's degree in guidance and counseling especially gave me an excellent foundation for my work as a school guidance counselor, and I'd like to give something back for that."

A resident of Inverness, Ill., Abazoris worked in the public school system as an elementary teacher and high school counselor.

"Sue and Norm's generosity have created a unique legacy for our school counseling program," said Andrea Angel, Vice President for University Advancement and CEO of the ISU Foundation. "Through Sue's professional and volunteer roles, she has seen the impact that a mentor can make on the lives of children. This endowment ensures our students will continue to positively impact the youth in the communities our graduates serve."

Indiana State's Master of Education in School Counseling prepares graduates to serve in K-12 school settings under the Indiana School Counselor Initial Preparation License. It is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

"The Abazoris's scholarship is the first specifically for graduate students in the school counseling program," said Tonya Balch, Professor and Director of the School Counseling Program. "This scholarship will directly fund graduate students as they progress through their coursework each semester and will further encourage and assist more students to apply to the program and complete their M.Ed."

Said Sue Abazoris: "I hope to help others interested in becoming school counselors to achieve that goal by offering them some financial assistance. School counselors are so important, and I hope these scholarships will ensure that more people are able to assume those roles."

The program admits 10 to 15 students each year and is designed to help students to earn their degree in 24 months.