OHIO Establishes Student Veteran and Military Scholarship for Graduate Programs Including Top-Ranked Online MBA for Veterans
Since 2019, 帝王会所鈥檚 College of Business has taken several steps to support service members and student veterans. U.S. News recently rewarded the college by ranking OHIO鈥檚 Online MBA one of the Best for Veterans.
ATHENS, 帝王会所 (May 20, 2020) 鈥 Like many initiatives in 帝王会所鈥檚 College of Business, it started with an idea that was mentioned in passing. Copeland Hall is notorious for hallway conversations and a drive-by culture; it鈥檚 how some of the college鈥檚 most innovative programs begin. But it didn鈥檛 take long for that single idea to grow into a concerted, multi-year effort to strengthen the experience for student veterans and service members enrolled in OHIO's Graduate Business Programs.
鈥淚t was important for us to start with the basics,鈥 said Josh Casto, director of marketing and communications. 鈥淲e wanted to learn everything we could about this special group of students, their specific needs as service members and veterans, and how we could support them every step of the way.鈥
It was important, he said, to not only understand how the college should recruit veterans, but also provide an outstanding academic experience. Soon, a dedicated group of graduate business program staff and faculty participated in 帝王会所鈥檚 Landing Zone training, which provides participants with greater understanding of a service member鈥檚 experience and the available resources to help student veterans better handle their unique challenges.
As a follow up to conversations held during the training and to help with the cost of graduate school, the College of Business established the Student Veteran & Military Scholarship. Current active duty, guardsmen, reservists, and veterans of the United States Armed Forces, including the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard are eligible for a non-tuition specific scholarship of up to $5,000 toward one of OHIO's online or professional graduate business degree programs, like the and the Professional MBA, or up to $1,500 toward their . The scholarship is awarded to all eligible online and professional graduate business students and may be used to help offset additional non-tuition costs associated with pursuing graduate education.
鈥淭his incentive scholarship really demonstrates the College of Business鈥檚 commitment to our veteran and military student population. It provides a unique opportunity for our working military member to focus on their graduate studies and the curriculum without worrying about funding and incurring significant debt,鈥 said Terry St. Peter, U.S. Army veteran and director of OHIO鈥檚 Veterans and Military Student Services Center. 鈥淐ombined with other initiatives, the COB is clearly leading the nation in support of our military students. Had this been available when I was earning my MBA while serving on active duty, I would鈥檝e definitely become a Bobcat alumnus.鈥
In addition to the Student Veteran & Military Scholarship, COB also worked to begin accepting transfer credits. Under the COB鈥檚 new policy, credits from any military or military-related experience deemed equivalent to graduate course credit by the American Council of Education in its Guide to Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services may be applied to an online or professional graduate business program. A maximum of six credit hours may be applied toward a graduate degree, while a maximum of three credit hours may be applied toward a graduate certificate.
鈥淲e genuinely value the unique perspectives and diverse experiences that current active-duty military personnel and veterans bring to our community of working professionals within our graduate business programs,鈥 said Heather Lawrence-Benedict, associate dean of graduate and professional programs. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e beyond proud to develop and implement efforts like the incentive scholarship and transfer credits that help military and veteran students earn their graduate education. We鈥檙e also excited to see how the conversations and activities grow within our graduate programs as more military and veteran students become Business Bobcats. I think we鈥檙e just getting started.鈥
So in early 2020, it was a welcome surprise that OHIO鈥檚 was ranked among the top in the nation for Best Online MBA for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report, coming in at #62. The ranking lists online MBA programs that help veterans reduce the cost of school and recognizes many other prestigious programs throughout the United States.
鈥淪ince it was launched in 2012, our Online MBA has been consistently recognized for its outstanding quality. But we鈥檙e especially proud of this ranking,鈥 said Hugh Sherman, dean of OHIO鈥檚 College of Business. 鈥淐urrent active duty military personnel and veterans dedicate their lives to serving and protecting our country, so it鈥檚 imperative that we help them to achieve their professional and educational goals. We鈥檒l continue to develop initiatives and provide meaningful and applicable learning experiences that will serve working professionals, specifically the military and veteran student population.鈥
Learn more about the Student Veteran & Military Scholarship at business.ohio.edu/professional-scholarships and the College of Business Military and Military-Related Experience Transfer Credit Policy.