The New MBA Scholarship For Veterans In Australia
My alma mater has just done the extraordinary.
Today the Australia Graduate School of Management unveiled a full MBA scholarship valued at $80,000 that will be awarded annually to a veteran or current serving member of the Australian Defence Force.
This scholarship is in recognition of the spirit that Matt Kappler brought to the AGSM Class of 2015 before he passed a year ago. I introduced Matt to AGSM in the knowledge that a great many military leaders had passed through the MBA program before him.
On the unforgettable morning when I delivered the news of Matt’s passing to his classmates, Julie Cogin, AGSM’s Director and Deputy Dean, asked what the university could do to remember Matt. This scholarship is the silver-lining from that dark day in June and the byproduct of that first conversation with Julie. It’s also a model for other Australian universities, not already engaged with veterans and the military, to consider pursuing.
This scholarship is specifically designed to harness the reputation and teaching might of the AGSM to support successful transition from military to civilian life. The scholarship welcomes men and women from the Navy, Army and Air Force regardless of rank to apply, providing they have served continuously for a minimum of five years. It also capitalises on the essential military philosophy that a team is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s why, in addition to learning alongside a high-caliber team of multinational candidates, the scholarship holder will be mentored by AGSM MBA graduates who have established themselves as leaders in their chosen field after starting their career in the Australian Defence Force. On graduation they will also join a growing alumni who are building and leading iconic global brands.
I’m tremendously excited to be joining my friends and colleagues Tom Gleeson (former F-18 pilot, now Sales Operations Executive at General Electric Aviation), Peter Winnall (former Squadron Commander and Operations Officer at the Australian Special Air Service, now Founder at Recon Leadership) and Julie Cogin to help select candidates for this scholarship, the first of which will be awarded later this year.
The world relies on inspired leadership to enact change and people with military experience are among the best leaders in the world.
That’s why I’m proud that my alma mater is building on its heritage with the Australian Defence Force Academy and acting to bring what it does best to help support the successful transition from military to civilian life.
You can learn more about the scholarship here and here.
