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G.I. Bill Offsets the Costs for Many Enrolled in the Doctor of Business Administration Program

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (August 13, 2019) -- The students of the Muma College of Business Doctor of Business Administration program are seasoned executives with decades of experience leading companies through good times and bad. They come to learn how to conduct rigorous research into ways to solve problems, or to prepare for a career in teaching once they retire. But other types are sprinkled generously among the cohorts: military leaders.

Many are drawn from Tampa鈥檚 MacDill Air Force base, taking advantage of the proximity of the massive base in South Tampa to the 51在线. Many are retired military now working in the defense contracting realm. Almost all are taking advantage of the G.I Bill to pay for the entire cost of the three-year program.

All are leaders, many of whom have led soldiers into combat situations. Others come from the world of intelligence and cybersecurity or logistics and supply chain management. Of the 138 students who enrolled in their respective cohorts, dating back to 2016, 32 鈥� one in every five 鈥� have military connections. They range in rank from a sergeant to a brigadier general who once served as the wing commander at MacDill Air Force Base.

Four of the students are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and three have degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.

鈥淲e benefit from living and working in a community where many members of all the military branches call home,鈥� said Matt Mullarkey, program director of the DBA at the Muma College of Business, himself a U.S. Army veteran. 鈥淲e are part of the most military welcoming university in the country and our incoming DBA students with military connections benefit from the support of services offered through our USF Office of Veteran Success.

鈥淪easoned military professionals at the 20-plus year mark in their careers are often well positioned with access to people and data,鈥� he said, 鈥渢o conduct research into the various areas of inquiry that have interested them and their teams for years.鈥�

The DBA program positions military-connected students with the social-science research methods and organizational theories they can use to delve into these interesting areas of inquiry, he said.

鈥淭ypically, these DBA participants bring exceptional experience leading teams and organizations around the world, often in extreme environments,鈥� Mullarkey said. 鈥淭hey bring a mindset of continuous learning, a desire to get things done, a need to get to the facts and a desire to integrate the tools and techniques of research with real problems facing real people to make a pragmatic impact.

鈥淥f course, many of these traits are consistent with the traits of every DBA student,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is their lived experience that makes their contributions to research an interesting and insightful addition to the multifaceted, multi-experiences members of each of our multi-disciplinary cohorts.鈥�

The Class of 2018 consisted of 35 students, 10 of whom were affiliated with the military, the most of any of the five cohorts.

Terry McGovern is getting ready to graduate this year. He served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and chose the USF DBA program because the degree is from an AACSB accredited college. When he applied, McGovern already was working as an associate professor at a small private college, so he was familiar with the academic culture. That USF was named the 鈥渕ost military friendly university鈥� in the nation by Military Times contributed to his decision to come here. His commute is more than most. He lives in Iowa and flies to Tampa to attend class each month.

鈥淎s a vet, this was important and I can say with no uncertainty that USF more than lives up to its ratings,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have a deep gratitude for the way USF looks out for its vets.鈥�

What he takes away from the program most is the 鈥渋nnovative approach towards traditional dissertation projects,鈥� he said. 鈥淚've already completed a traditional dissertation, so based on that experience I can attest that USF's approach is spot-on for 21st century education.鈥�

McGovern's two-decade career in the military included stints as a research division speech writer for the chief of staff and security of the U.S. Air Force, as well as the U.S. Air Force Strategic Command's director of Global Operations. In 2011, he retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Having military leaders adds so much to the classroom discussions, he said. 鈥淩eflecting on our professional experiences in course discussions, not just military but our colleagues from the corporate and non-profit sectors as well, has helped ground the learning to real world situations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is usable knowledge, valuable for creating better business professionals.鈥�

His advice to colleagues considering the program is this:

鈥淏e prepared. Being an adult student takes a lot of self-discipline,鈥� he said. 鈥淜now what you are getting into and be prepared to change your life for three years if you want to finish the DBA program at USF. I would also tell them it is worth it. The personal and professional learning and contacts are outstanding.鈥�