For many students, attending a university can be tough. There are so many new experiences to navigate – finding a place to live, deciding on a course of study, taking multiple rigorous classes at once – that it can be overwhelming.

That’s why Wendy Smith Meyer, clinical associate professor and associate dean of faculty development at the USC School of Social Work, and husband Barry Meyer find it so important to help in any way they can. In this case, it’s a new gift to the Frances Caple Book Fund, which provides money to Master of Social Work students to purchase their course books. This gift increases the fund’s endowment by 30 percent, allowing the school to provide much more in awards for students.

“Books are so expensive, and so many students don’t buy the books because they can’t afford to,” said Smith Meyer, who joined the school in 1994. “These students are educating themselves to try to solve the world’s problems, and we don’t want them to have the burden of debt.”

She wants to help students like Martina Steiner, who said that she couldn’t have gotten through the MSW program without every bit of financial help she received.

“All of the funds, especially the book scholarship, helped me focus on the academics of school,” said Steiner, who graduates in May. “I didn’t need to take a part-time job, and I was able to make all of the decisions I wanted to for my education. It was definitely motivating when I received [the book funds].”

The fund, which benefits many students every year including 14 this academic year alone, is named after Frances Caple, retired associate dean of academic and student affairs at the school. Smith Meyer wanted to honor Caple’s dedication to ensuring student and faculty success and has done that with continued support to the fund since its inception 10 years ago.

“Some people have a unique ability that immediately makes you feel good. That is true of Frances,” Smith Meyer said. “It’s not just a warmth and graciousness but how she connects with people. She is very much what you’d imagine a social worker to be.”

Caple recalled the many students she interacted with as associate dean and how some struggled to balance academics and finances.

“Having funds designated for books relieves some of the decision-making dilemmas for the recipients in terms of how to spend their money,” she said. “An essential part of the whole education experience is that students have access to the material they need to accomplish their goal of graduating.”

For students who otherwise might not be able to afford to buy their own books, receiving money specifically for this purpose allows them to not only focus on their studies but also start building a professional library.

One of the books Steiner bought was the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, also known as the DSM-5.

“Being able to just buy the one book that all clinicians need was incredibly helpful. I feel much more prepared going into the profession having that,” said Steiner, who plans to become a licensed clinical social worker. “I also bought other research books. Otherwise, [without the book scholarship], I would have rented them. I’ll use them for years and years.”

The Meyers have also established at the School of Social Work an endowed scholarship for students who plan to work with the foster care population, as well as scholarships to support current full-time students who have been in foster care and students who have been participants in a United Friends of the Children transitional living, college sponsorship or college readiness program.

To support more students in need, consider giving to the Frances Caple Book Fund.