QUINN SALUTES UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BUSINESS SCHOOL TO OFFER FULL MBA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ILLINOIS VETERANS OF THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR

CHICAGO -Today, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn saluted the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for its commitment to award free tuition for its Executive MBA Program to Illinois servicemembers who have served in the Global War on Terror.

 

            Valued at $74,000, the 20-month Executive MBA Program includes tuition, mandatory fees, books, meals, lodging, and a trip to China.  All tuition and program costs are waived and as many as 110 full academic scholarships are available.

           

"All of us on the homefront have the duty to take care of our veterans—our real heroes—who have bravely risked their lives in defense of our democracy," Quinn said. "This program is a great way to thank our veterans and I salute the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for offering our veterans a free education. I encourage every veteran who is considering an MBA to apply."

 

The scholarships are jointly funded by the University's Military Scholarship Program and the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program. Applicants must qualify for regular admission to the Executive MBA Program and satisfy IVG residency, duty service, and eligibility unit requirements. Veterans must have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

 

This program builds upon a partial financial scholarship that was first offered by the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to Illinois veterans in 2005. Due to high demand, the program was expanded to cover full tuition. To date, six veterans have enrolled in the program.

 

Quinn was joined by Robert van der Hooning, Assistant Dean for Professional and Executive Education, College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

"This is a unique opportunity for the citizens of Illinois and our university to honor our men and women in uniform," said van der Hooning. "For soldiers and veterans, this is an opportunity to put their career on a fast track, without the burden of student loans. I recently met with a returning group of Marines from the 2/24^th Battalion who fought on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. I realized then that saying ‘thank you' was not enough. We had to do something tangible and significant, and this program is a step in the right direction."

 

The Executive MBA Program consists primarily of classes that meet every other weekend in Chicago and is targeted towards mid- to senior-level managers and professionals. For more information on the Executive MBA Program, visit www.mba.illinois.edu/veterans.

 

Currently, more than 4,700 National Guardsmen and reservists are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. To find out ways to help our veterans and troops, please visit www.OperationHomefront.org. Garnering nearly 14 million hits, it is one of the most informative military websites regarding American troops in the country.