News Bureau | University of Illinois

INSIDE ILLINOIS, Sept. 17, 2009 | Jan Dennis, Business & Law Editor | 217-333-0568; jdennis@illinois.edu

Up to eight scholarships to be awarded to UI employees for Professional MBA Program

The UI College of Business is launching two new scholarship programs to help Central Illinois residents struggling amid a deep and lingering economic downturn, officials announced Sept. 3. Additionally, the college is offering Dean’s University Employee Scholarships to as many as eight UI employees admitted to the Professional MBA Program.

All the scholarships will provide free tuition – worth nearly $50,000 each – for a 26-month Professional MBA program with a schedule of evening classes for people who have lost jobs, work hours or career-training opportunities because of the recession.

“Many in Central Illinois are suffering because of the economy, and the College of Business wants to help by providing a pathway to graduate degrees that will open new doors and opportunities,” said Larry DeBrock, dean of the nationally ranked business school.

'Fresh Start” program

The college’s “Fresh Start” program will provide up to two scholarships for people whose careers have been sidetracked by layoffs, downsizing or other corporate cost-cutting moves sparked by the recession.

Scholarships are available to residents across much of Central Illinois, including Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Danville, Decatur and Peoria, said Stig Lanesskog, acting associate dean of the MBA program. “This program is need-based, for people forced to explore new career paths because of the economy,” Lanesskog said.

“Community Partners”

Another scholarship will be awarded under the new “Community Partners” program, targeting a Champaign County resident that is currently employed, but works for a company that is unable to fund advanced professional training because of the economic crisis. Applicants also must have a record of community service.

“This scholarship is for promising business leaders who normally might get tuition assistance from their employers, but not in today’s economic climate,” Lanesskog said.

UI employee scholarships

“Most units on our campus are trying to figure out how to make the most of these difficult financial times,” Lanesskog said. “Budget cuts typically include cutting funds for employee development leading to fewer options, not more. The long-term strength of our university and the path to recovery rests on the skills we apply to challenges. We need fresh ideas and new ways of working to excel as an institution.”

Emily Wee, associate technology manager in the Office of Technology Management and a scholarship recipient enrolled in the part-time Professional MBA Program, extols the value of her degree. “The PMBA has already opened my mind to alternatives I never considered before. I am proud of the value I return to my job. The scholarship I received changed everything.”

How to apply

Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1 through the Professional MBA Web site .

Supplemental materials also should be submitted online. . All applicants must take the Graduate Management Admission Test.

“Fresh Start” applicants must submit a statement of two pages or less outlining how their lives have been derailed by the economy and how an MBA would boost their careers.

Applicants for the “Community Partners” scholarship must include a statement of one page or less explaining why they should receive the award. Three reference letters also are required, including one from a supervisor and one from an organization where the applicant volunteers.

Lanesskog says winners will be announced by the end of November and scholarships are effective for the semester that begins in January.