Chicago Booth School of Business offers More full tuition scholarships

University of Chicago Booth School of Business recently announced creation of the Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Bank Fellowship Program. This program will provide full-tuition scholarships each year to four incoming MBA students from Africa, South Asia and countries with emerging economies.

According to the school: Preference for the merit-based, two-year scholarships will be given to students who intend to pursue careers in the financial services sector and demonstrate a commitment to the development of emerging markets

Rosemaria Martinelli, associate dean of student recruitment and admissions at Chicago Booth said,"While the Barclays Fellowships will be awarded based on merit, it should be noted that, in general, MBA candidates coming from regions of the world such as Africa are in great need of financial assistance. Often these candidates earn low annual salaries in their countries by U.S. standards, and scholarships drive the choice of schools for these students".

Stacey Kole, deputy dean for the full-time MBA program said," The introduction of a fellowship program for these students as opposed to a scholarship program is significant, because it presents the opportunity for mentoring and enhanced professional development"

"Mentors provide students with added insights about career opportunities in the banking industry and also provide fellows with advisors whom they can tap in parallel to the MBA experience", said Kole, who also is a clinical professor of economics. She further added,"Mentors will be assigned by Barclays. In addition to mentoring, summer internships will also be available".

“Investing in an individual’s education is not just about donating money,” said Frits Seegers, chief executive of Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Bank and a 1989 MBA graduate of Chicago Booth. “It’s also about investing the time of our staff and passing on our experience and skills to help others. At the same time, Barclays gets the benefit of talented people with superior education to increase our global footprint and capabilities.”

Details: http://www.chicagogsb.edu/newsmedia/releases/2008-12-02_barclays.aspx