Wright-Patt graduate students benefit from new scholarship

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio, --  More than seven dozen members of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base community are furthering their post-undergraduate education, thanks to scholarships available through a new program at Wright State University.

In its first semester of operation for fall 2014, the $750,000 Wright State University Graduate School program has awarded 85 scholarships, 48 of which were to new students just starting their studies. The scholarship provides up to $7,500 of tuition support per year: $2,500 per semester for fall, spring and summer semesters for qualified employees and their family members pursuing master's or doctoral degrees at Wright State. Individual students employed by the United States government as civilian or active-duty military personnel at Wright-Patterson AFB, and their spouses and dependents, are eligible to apply to the program. Starting this spring, members of the Air Force Reserves attached to Wright-Patterson AFB and their families will also be eligible to participate in the program.

The number of applicants has exceeded WSU's initial expectations, said Dr. R. William Ayres, associate dean of the graduate school.

"We are tremendously thrilled with the response," Ayres said. "For the fall semester, we received 116 applications. Some of those were for future terms; some were from students who ended up receiving other forms of support. ... For spring, we are up to 133 applicants. We continue to get applications in, some of which are for next summer or fall. We are quite excited."

WSU is committed to funding whatever the need is, Ayres continued.

Taking advantage of the $153,198 spent on scholarships so far are 49 civilian employees, 18 active-duty military employees, 12 spouses and five dependents. They have joined the graduate school's 3,300-plus students.

Degree programs in which the graduate students are enrolled range from master of business administration, leadership development and master of public health to nursing, English, applied math and more. All fields in all colleges and schools are eligible for the scholarship and don't have to be related to the applicant's job. That's a tremendous number of fields, Ayres said.

"We have an interest in student success," the associate dean said, "not just bringing students in   the door but seeing our students successfully complete their graduate program. Financial challenges can be a barrier. This is a way to take some of that out of the equation and make it more likely that our students will get across the finish line."

The state of Ohio has tuned its funding formula toward degree completion, he said, giving Wright State a vested interest in the scholarship program.

"We view this as a strengthening of the relationship and the partnership between Wright State University and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in a way that helps both institutions and the entire Dayton region," Ayres said. "We expect the Air Force will use this opportunity to stretch its limited dollars to go further. We know there have been cutbacks to some of the units in terms of what they can support to help their employees get more advanced training.

"This is an opportunity for us to reach out to the Air Force to say, 'Let us help you attain your mission' because when the Air Force succeeds, the base succeeds and the whole region succeeds."

To receive the scholarship, students must apply for and be accepted into a graduate degree program at Wright State; fill out the online Wright State University/Wright-Patterson AFB Scholarship application form; and provide verification of employment status. Applying for the scholarship is free. Students must be enrolled full-time for six credit hours or more per semester, and the scholarships can be renewed from year to year.

The scholarship may be combined with GI Bill or Tuition Assistance through working with either the RaiderConnect office or the Veterans Military Center at Wright State. The scholarship is applied on top of those benefits up to the full amount of the student's tuition if that gap is $2,500 or less. Many students receiving the benefits may end up with no out-of-pocket tuition cost at all.

Diane Kofoed, an intern in 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs who will graduate with a bachelor's degree in professional writing from Miami University in December, has been approved for a scholarship and starts the spring semester in January.

"It's been a goal of mine to complete a master's degree," she said. "I wasn't sure my financial situation would permit that, so this is really exciting because I'm able to get into graduate school more quickly now."

Kofoed plans to pursue a master's in public administration and may be interested in human resources long-term. She said she is grateful to Wright State and Wright-Patterson AFB for her scholarship.

"They seem to be conscious of working professionals. The program I applied to offers night classes so I'll be able to have a job full-time and complete my master's degree. It's a really cool blend of the two," Kofoed said.

The Centerville resident said she especially wants to thank Wright State, adding that the scholarship program is helping keep her in the greater Dayton area.

"This has made graduate school accessible for me. It's a great way to support the base, too. I've explored other graduate programs as well but you can't beat the price. Wright State is an outstanding institution anyway, but this scholarship makes it that much more competitive."  

The Wright State University Graduate School is located at 344 Student Union. It may be reached by calling 937-775-2976 or emailing wsugrad@wright.edu  . The website is  www.wright.edu/graduate-school/wpa›-scholarship.