The program is open to applicants who have shown some initiative in developing career credentials in business administration. The program is open to applicants who have completed an associate’s degree.

To qualify for the Small Business Leadership Scholarship, applicants must work for a company with fewer than 500 employees, have completed an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of collegiate coursework with a GPA of at least 3.2, and be admitted to WGU. Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis–applicant GPA, letters of recommendation, and essays will be considered.

Scholarships will be awarded to enrolled students in one of five business degree options which include two of the fastest growing job classifications today: Information Technology Management and Human Resources Management.

“Small businesses are vital to the U.S. economy,” said Patrick Partridge, WGU Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment. “To help them compete with larger companies, these businesses need employees who have completed their degrees from a high-quality college or university.” The additional specialization options for scholarship applicants are Marketing Management and Accounting, along with the generalist specialization of Business Management.

“WGU is committed to help these businesses and their employees meet their goals by offering rigorous degree programs that prepare employees for work in the real world, continued Partridge. “This scholarship program will allow more employees of small businesses, which often can’t offer tuition reimbursement, the opportunity to finish their bachelor’s degrees.”

Catherine Kane, the Nursing School’s distance learning coordinator told school newspaper The Daily Cavalier that ““The grant funds will improve our electronic distance capacity and make it possible for nurses in rural areas to study the same curriculum as local students without the commute.”

The grant application was written by six faculty members, who see online education as a recruiting tool, with the goal of bringing nurses from rural areas into the program. Nursing school director Doris Glick said, “The graduate nursing programs not only recruit students from the baccalaureate program but also from across the state. A central goal, therefore, is to use the grant money to increase enrollment of both on-grounds and commuter students through more frequent and widespread recruiting.

The nursing school currently offers both a public health leadership degree and health systems management degree utilizing their online technology. Both are nursing administration degrees that tend to draw rural nurses to larger institutions and away from the rural areas where they are needed.

Virginia suffers from a nursing shortage as do virtually all states, and they also have difficulty keeping qualified medical personnel working in rural areas. Nurses in the graduate program are generally there with the goal of moving into management. Data shows that nurses educated close to home are more likely to stay and work in their local communities after receiving an advanced degree, Glick said.

A portion of the grant will be used to develop a distance learning program for the graduate program in psychiatric mental health. Project co-director Pamela Kulbok added explained that nursing shortages are cyclical and, when they do occur, rural areas are hit the hardest. Care for people with mental illnesses in rural areas is especially inadequate because of a lack of appropriately educated clinicians, Kane said.

HEALTHeCAREERS Network pledged the same amount last year to provide funds for students pursuing a degree in an X-ray technician school or are pursuing additional certification in medical imaging or radiation therapy. Students in this field are also finding a new specialization field in medical dosimetry, a relatively new field for oncology workers.

Dosimetry students combine their knowledge of physics and radiation therapy to calculate the administration of radiation therapy for various cancer treatments. It requires working knowledge of both physics and mathematics along with familiarity with the medical goals or radiotherapy. Because it is so new, there are not many education programs for it and among them are options for a master’s degree, a bachelor’s or certification. It’s a fascinating continuing education opportunity for people holding a radiation technologist degree.

It’s a good field to be in, not matter what your specialty. Results from a nationwide survey conducted by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists show that respondents estimate 7.6% of all FTEs (full-time equivalent positions) budgeted for radiation therapists are currently vacant and recruiting, 8.2% of dosimetrist positions, 12.1% of medical physicist positions, 9.2% of radiation oncologist positions, 7.1% of nursing positions. For these facilities, the shortage of radiologic professionals is as great as for nurses. An overall greater difficulty was reported in recruiting radiation therapists since last year.

Today the Reuters newswire features the United States Army Medical Department (AMEDD) and their efforts to help out students hoping to join the medical community. Thanks to their F. Edward Hebert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), the department is able to help many students afford their graduate medical, dental, or veterinary degrees, not to mention some undergraduate nursing degrees. As if HPSP paying for tuition, fees, and books wasn’t enough, students are also allotted a monthly stipend, and those who receive the scholarship are eligible for a considerable bonus.

Students who have enrolled in the program are lauding its benefits. 2nd Lt. Martha Morales, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry and a poster girl for the program, spoke especially favorably. “HPSP is appealing because I can focus on my education instead of finances,” she said for the article. “I also look forward to being able to grow my skills in a group practice.”

It isn’t an uncommon sentiment. The economy is rough all over these days, and such a military scholarship can be vital to realizing many students’ dreams without becoming buried in debt in the process. It’s something that Colonel Rafael Montagno, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Brigade, knows all too well. “Through the HPSP program, Army Medicine has helped to finance the education and training for thousands of health care professionals across the United States – I would encourage anyone seeking a professional health care degree to consider Army Medicine for its extensive and generous educational benefits.”

The scholarship is available in one, two, and four year increments, so that students can apply for exactly what they need. After graduation, successful scholarship recipients will receive all the officer rank benefits that a college degree brings.

“Over the next two decades,” says their press release, “the number of older adults in the United States is expected to increase to 70 million… more than 75 percent of adults over 65 suffer from at least one chronic medical condition that requires ongoing care and management; and 20 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have five or more chronic conditions.” With statistics like that, it’s no surprise that doctors and nurses trained with a gerontology degree could be extremely useful. Elderly patients are susceptible, by nature, to ailments specific to the aging process. Doctors and nurses with knowledge of those ailments and their treatments have the power to deliver a higher standard of care than their untrained peers.

Gerontology degrees are easily found among traditional and online universities; graduates with gerontology degrees, unfortunately, are much less easy to come by. At the moment, the number of practicing geriatricians and adult health nurses hardly matches up to the number that is needed. According to a report from the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs (ADGAP), “n 2008 there were only 7,590 board certified geriatricians — one geriatrician for every 2,500 Americans 75 or older.” What’s worse, this ratio is only expected to inflate, with one expected geriatrician per 4,254 older Americans by the year 2030. Proper medical training degrees are in order to keep that expectation from becoming a reality.

It’s for that reason that the MSTAR program was created: since its inception in 1994, it has trained 1,350 students as part of its mission to promote exposure to and maintain interest in geriatric care and research. The MetLife Foundation is equally committed to geriatric medicine, having donated $17 million to Alzheimer’s research. The two foundations are a match made in heaven, as both realize: “MetLife Foundation is pleased to support this initiative, which is designed to encourage students to choose geriatrics or gerontology as a profession,” said president and CEO Dennis White in the press release. “This support is critical to ensuring that the health care system is better prepared to handle the needs of a dramatically increasing elderly population in the decades to come.” MetLife’s donation will give 50 medical students the funds they need for the opportunity of a lifetime, to participate in a research and mentorship program alongside experts in the field.

According to local news Brookfield Now, awards will be given out to five college students and graduates, all of whom are currently pursuing or have successfully earned an IT degree while also overcoming a disability. The five recipients will be presented with financial assistance awards, courtesy of AbilITy Connection, and the students’ mentors also will be recognized for the support they have provided to these successes.

The following students will be receiving this year’s awards:

• John Blimke, who attends Waukesha County Technical College and lives in Waukesha, Wis.
• Noelle Romashko, who holds an associate’s degree in Computer Programming from Milwaukee Area Technical College and lives in Waukesha, Wis.
• Andrew Stasey, who holds associate’s degrees in Computer Information Technology (Network Specialist and Microcomputer Specialist) from Waukesha County Technical College and lives in Waukesha, Wis.
• Larry Taylor, who holds an associate’s degree in Computer Electronics from Milwaukee Area Technical College, is working on an additional IT Programmer/Analyst associate’s degree and who lives in Milwaukee.
• Chuck Tripi, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Milwaukee Area Technical College and who lives in Brookfield, Wis.

Information systems, information technology, and computer programming degrees can go a long way in today’s technological landscape, and the right assistance and care can go a long way in making those degrees possible to attain. Congratulations to all who received an award this year, and good work to Goodwill for making it all happen.

The principal revision in the loan program is eliminating the current loan option of federally guaranteed loans provided by private institutions. Instead, all federally backed student loans will come directly from the government.

Direct loans from the government currently available are based on need. Any student is eligible for a loan that is guaranteed by the government but issued by a private lender, and these are the large majority of all student loans. The loans originated by banks and other lending institutions are called Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans – which currently represent about 75% of all student lending. Students who max out on federally guaranteed or subsidized loans also have the option of taking out private loans from banks to meet further needs.

The new legislation raises the limit on direct student loans and will also increase the ceiling for Pell grants, a program that provides direct grants for higher education to low income students. There are also funds to underwrite community college development and some special education programs.

There are current ceilings on student borrowing, both for total student loans and for annual loans. They vary through the undergraduate years and go up for graduate students. Thus a freshman who wants to pursue a business administration degree is may currently borrow a maximum of $5,500 for that year.

The rate rises annually, and by his senior year he can borrow $7,500 for the year. The ceiling rises again for graduate students. If the borrower decides to pursue a management degree through an MBA program, the ceiling can rise to as much as $12,500 for combined subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Those figures will change under the new student loan structure, but they be finalized in the continuing debate on Capitol Hill

But the big change in this legislation is eliminating private lenders from the federal student loan mix. The current loan procedures require college participation and under the new law, schools will be required to switch to the new lending system by July of 2010. That’s an enormous bureaucratic shift for the federal government as well, to be accomplished in less that one year.

This bill is expected to pass the Senate, although there is going to be a loud debate about government intervention, big spending, etc. The Obama administration sees the new legislation as a money-saving device. Without the obligation to buy student loans from private institutions, the White House says there will be an $80 billion savings over ten years, which can underwrite the increased Pell grants to low income students.

The scholarships are available to students who are pursuing risk management degrees, ergonomics, environmental health or safety degrees, occupational health nursing degrees, industrial engineering degrees with a safety concentration, and occupational medicine. There are also grants available for safety professionals who want to pursue additional credentialing in the field through Certified Safety Professional courses offered by the ASSE or by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

There are several dozen scholarships available, many of them underwritten by regional organizations for students studying in a particular area. A review of the available grants and scholarships, along with academic requirements are available in this trade newsletter or on the ASSE Foundation website.

Many professionals in this field move from positions in businesses or industrial settings into consulting. Among the field of operations management consultants are specialists in the field of occupational safety. Many businesses with production lines or manufacturing facilities will go through annual safety audits both for the protection of employees and for the purpose of managing insurance costs. That is why risk management is an important part of this educational sector, and one of the categories included in the list of scholarship opportunities.

There are currently about one hundred thousand occupational health and safety technicians working in this country. That does not include the engineers, medical professionals and financial experts whose careers are also devoted to job-related health and safety. A large proportion of the professionals in the field work for state or federal agencies, an option that allows for both career advancement and attractive benefits packages.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) teamed up with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Medical Education Technologies, Inc (METI), and global aerospace and defense company L-3 Communications to launch the Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship Program, named in honor of L-3’s founder. METI Chairman and CEO Lou Oberndorf created the program in memory of Lanza, a good friend of his, in reference to his leadership and “commitment to charitable causes.” The scholarship program is meant to reward the achievements of students currently pursuing EMT training degrees and nursing degrees at community colleges nationwide.

According to Reuters, the scholarship program “will target part-time, full-time and international students who have completed 50 percent of their course work leading toward achieving an associate degree and who have a demonstrable financial need (certificate students are not eligible to apply).” Although Phi Theta Kappa is one of the scholarship’s sponsors, students don’t need to join in order to apply.

The foundation plans to release up to twenty-five scholarships of $1,000 each during the 2010 academic year. Interested? For more information and downloadable applications, check out the web sites for Phi Theta Kappa and AACC before this year’s deadline, Oct. 15, 2009.

In this case, that “little bit” is to the tune of a cool $1 million, which McDaniel is donating to University of Dayton in order to help fund their launch of the “Flyer Angels” investor program. According to University of Dayton’s own Flyer News, “Angel groups are teams who contribute money to start-up companies and in turn have some ownership rights to that company. The panel is responsible for evaluating ventures and deciding whether or not to participate.” In this case, the Flyer Angels group is to be comprised of undergraduate students pursuing entrepreneurship degrees, and the grant from McDaniel will enable the program to launch in 2010.

Dean McFarlin, chair of the Department of Management and Marketing and NCR Professor of Global Leadership Development, is excited about the generous donation to the program and its implications for the future of the students involved: “It will jumpstart our efforts to launch Flyer Angels, which will ultimately give our entrepreneurship students another unique hands-on experience… We hope it will also help us enhance our program and its reputation for giving students outstanding theory-to-practice opportunities.” As for McDaniel himself, he is reportedly excited to take the program to another level and give the students important experience in the world of entrepreneurship.” Said McDaniel to the Dayton Daily News, “I thought it would be a good way to contribute to something I felt very strongly about.”