When commencement exercises are held at West Virginia University later this month, it will mark a “first” for WVU.

A cohort of online MBA students from Camp Dawson, West Virginia Army National Guard, will not only earn advanced degrees from a nationally ranked program at the WVU College of Business and Economics, but will do so for the first time as a group from the military training facility.

“This is a fantastic achievement by these military personnel, who have balanced their family and military commitments to take on an online MBA degree,” said WVU Provost Joyce McConnell. “We’re so proud of them for their service to our country every day and honored to have played a role in helping them earn degrees that will set them on a career track. This is a special group of Mountaineers.”

Major Jason Diaz said there are a variety of reasons he worked for the degree — all of which are aimed at self-improvement.

“As an officer in the Army National Guard, you are always searching for ways to make yourself competitive among your peers. Higher education is one of those areas that senior leaders look at when comparing young officers for future positions,” said Diaz, operations officer at Camp Dawson. “I didn’t want to get just any master’s degree; I wanted something that would differentiate me from my peers, as well as something that could give me some options outside of the military. WVU offered that. It was a highly-ranked program nationally and gave me the flexibility I needed as a soldier to be able to meet both commitments.”

Dr. Elizabeth Vitullo, assistant dean of Graduate Programs, said the program has always had military personnel – veterans, activity military, National Guard – but not in the unified way where the program was tailored specifically to them, as in this case with the group of nine Camp Dawson students in the program together.

“We were contacted a few years back by a military base asking if we would ever consider doing this type of program, and that was the catalyst for it,” Vitullo said. “In working with key individuals, we put together something that would meet their needs — from their drilling responsibilities to how the educational benefits were dispersed — that would allow them to go through the program as a unit, since that was very important to them.

“The students from Camp Dawson have been fantastic. The faculty and staff have commented on what an asset this group has been to the program and the perspective they bring, especially because of the online nature of the program where students learn just as much from each other as they do from the professor. This group brought incredible leadership training and dedication to each course in addition to their expertise and service to their country.”

The students from Camp Dawson were able to participate in the program at WVU thanks to the GI Bill and other veteran benefits including a College of Business and Economics veteran discount of $100 per credit hour. The multi-year commitment to the online MBA program included four residencies, three on the WVU campus and one in Washington, D.C., that demonstrates where government and business “intersect.” WVU’s online MBA program is ranked #25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

Vitullo said that while there are many reasons for soldiers to further their education, including the fact that they will be more marketable should they choose to go on to other careers from the military, many of them require a master’s degree to achieve a certain rank.

“Some of these students are career military, and we thank them for their service and their dedication to our country in that way,” Vitullo said. “On the other hand, many of them will go on to other careers upon retirement, and can use their master’s degree as a platform to launch into a number of different industries. The military training and experience combined with an MBA is really a winning combination.”

For some National Guard members, completing the online MBA program was something they had considered over a long period of time before committing to it. Sergeant First Class Kerry Gnik said she dreamed of having a degree from WVU, but was very hesitant at first because of her duties both at Camp Dawson and at home.

“As a guardsman, a wife and a mother of two young children, I was concerned that I would be spending too much time away from all that I hold dear,” Gnik said. “I feel like WVU worked really hard to ensure that this program had a timeline that was supportive of the life of a guardsman. I was extremely appreciative of how many of the classes included assignments and lessons that I was able to apply to my work here at Camp Dawson and for the National Guard. Completing this program and earning my Masters is one of my greatest achievements.”

“(The program) was challenging, but I wouldn’t trade the education or the experience I’ve gained for anything. Perhaps more importantly, the bond that I’ve formed with my teammates will last a lifetime, and without going through the program, I would never have had this,” said Sergeant First Class Mike Cochran. “This is the most priceless part for me.”

For further information about the WVU College of Business and Economics, follow B&E on Twitter at @wvucobe or visit be.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

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CONTACT: Patrick Gregg, WVU College of Business and Economics
304.293.5131 or Patrick.Gregg@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.