Michigan Tech Helps Those Who Help Others
Michigan Technological University has established a new fellowship program for graduate
students who have served in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or the military. So far, the
University has awarded 10 fellowships.
In its first semester of operation, the National Service Graduate Fellowship covers
as much as 30 percent of tuition, but its benefits extend beyond financial assistance.
"Through this program, we are getting more nontraditional students to campus who bring
a different perspective to the classroom," said Blair Orr, a professor in Michigan
Tech's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. "They have a lot to contribute
from their experiences."
Orr is in charge of Tech's Peace Corps Master's International program, one of the
three programs involved in the initiative.
Lt. Col. Kerry Beaghan, professor of aerospace studies and head of the Air Force ROTC,
agrees that the type of student the program attracts is "very atypical."
"They're older military personnel, who maybe tried college earlier in their lives,"
she says. "Or they might have enlisted right out of high school, and now they are
interested in an education and must juggle family and school and financing. This program
helps them."
For the military personnel, the new post-911 GI Bill® includes a housing allowance
at some schools and, depending on the level of the service, their spouses or children
might also benefit from the tuition reduction, Beaghan says.
In planning for the military component of the fellowship, Beaghan credits Dallas Eubanks,
former head of Michigan Tech's Army ROTC, for his help in crafting this new program.
"We had to decide whom do we include and what to include," she explains.
Natiffany Mathews, a master's student in industrial archaeology, did her AmeriCorps
service on the New Mexico/Texas border, in poor school districts, and she chose Michigan
Tech because of the fellowship and the opportunity to teach and do research.
"It's been a different type of experience--awesome--especially the teaching," she
says. "With college courses, we are constantly changing things up. It's very dynamic."
Overall, the fellowship was paramount for her. "I don't think I could have come here
without it," she says. "We needed the extra funding, and my husband was having trouble
finding work here. We had expenses moving here, too."
She had visited the area previously and fell in love with the people and Michigan
Tech's industrial archaeology program. She had high praise for Tim Scarlett, associate
professor of social science and head of industrial archeology studies. Another draw:
Tech treated her fairly and timely manner. "Another school never returned my phone
calls," she recalls, "and was always slow responding to emails."
Jacque Smith, director of marketing for the Graduate School, says the fellowship fills
a gap. "Graduate students in programs that focus primarily on career preparation,
instead of research, often have to fund more of their education themselves. As the
costs keep increasing, it can become harder for these students to attend grad school."
Mariah Maggio, who was in the Peace Corps Masters International Program and is a recipient
of a fellowship, didn't have any viable options to return to graduate school two years
after her volunteer service in the Philippines ended.
"With the limited financial resources resulting from life as a Peace Corps volunteer,
followed by work with a grassroots international organization, the fellowship was
a decisive factor in my being able to enroll in Tech's environmental policy master's
program," she explains.
Maggio is thankful that the fellowship recognizes her service. Also, she adds, being
a returned Peace Corps volunteer on the campus is a very rich experience because of
the community and camaraderie that exist among those who have volunteered.
"You can not only reflect on your experience with fellow returned volunteers, but
you also engage with prospective volunteers and really build on the work the Peace
Corps is doing," she says.
"We are fortunate that Tech recognizes returned Peace Corps volunteers as eligible
candidates for the fellowship," Maggio adds. "To be valued after volunteering in such
a way that supports returning to graduate school is an amazing initiative of this
University and reinforces the ideal that Michigan Tech is playing an important role
in fostering leaders for a global future."
Jacqueline Huntoon, Graduate School dean, says the fellowship helps the University
achieve its strategic plan, which includes an effort to attract students who bring
diverse perspectives to the campus and the program.
"They demonstrate to others the opportunities for providing service to their communities,
the nation and the world," she concludes.
GI Bill ® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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