Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--When Capt. Donna Phillips graduated with a business degree from Belhaven College in Jackson, she planned to continue her education. In spite of her best intentions, she saw life get in the way with military service, wartime deployments and a child.
Last weekend, however, Phillips and two of her National Guard colleagues marked a milestone by earning their master's degrees in business administration as the first graduates of the Mississippi State University Distance MBA National Guard Program.
Phillips, of Brandon, along with 1st Lt. Amanda Villeret of Madison and Capt. Gregory Cato of New Hebron, were the first graduates of a program implemented by MSU President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong in 2006. It is designed to give military personnel in Mississippi the opportunity to continue their education while making it both convenient and affordable, said Barbara Spencer, MSU business professor and director of the graduate studies in business.
"The Distance MBA Mississippi National Guard program requires the same academic coursework as the equivalent degree earned on campus and online," she said. "But, members of the Mississippi military qualify for reduced tuition costs."
Courses are taught by College of Business and Industry faculty at the Starkville and Meridian campuses.
"The beauty of the distance MBA is that you can come into the program regardless of academic background, learn basic business skills and have the flexibility to develop any career," said Spencer.
She added: "It is ideal for active-duty military because they can start the program in any semester, complete the coursework from anywhere in the world with Internet access, and take up to six years to finish."
The first three graduates are part of a group of about 25 members of the Mississippi Army National Guard who have participated since the program's inception.
Phillips said she had often thought about returning to continue her education, but it wasn't until learning of the distance MBA program's convenience that she decided to pursue her master's degree.
"I had thought about going back to school, but things just never fell in place," said the 35-year-old mother of one. "When I heard about this program, it was a lot more affordable and convenient because of the agreement between the National Guard and MSU."
The year-old program is an outgrowth of MSU's successful distance MBA program, which allows students to earn their master's degree in business administration completely online.
Villeret said the convenience of an online degree backed by a credible institution is what lured her to the program.
"I had looked into getting my master's degree, but money was really a consideration and this came along at the right time," said the 28-year-old Greenwood native. "The reduced cost made it easy, but I also liked that it was being offered from an established university and not some online college."
For more information about MSU's distance MBA or National Guard program, contact Tamra Swann, coordinator of the program, at (662)325-2655 or http://www.distance.msstate.edu/mba/.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.