MBA scholarships receive a boost at QSB
Applicants to QSB’s full-time MBA program have even more reasons to choose Queen’s. 2015 is shaping up to be the best year in the program’s history for scholarships, with a range of financial awards valued from $7,500 to full tuition. Awarded for academic excellence and leadership skills, financial awards help QSB attract strong candidates from across Canada and around the world. They have become an important incentive in an increasingly competitive global recruiting environment.
The most recent, and largest, award is the D&R Sobey Atlantic Canada Scholarship, open to applicants from the region. A total of $150,000 in scholarships will be funded from a $4M endowment established in October 2014 by Visionary Donor Don Sobey (BCom’57) and his son Rob Sobey (BAH’88).
The Jim Leech MBA Scholarship, established in Dec. 2013, celebrates the career of the former President and CEO of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Jim, an MBA’73 grad, was installed in November as Queen’s 14th Chancellor. The $2M endowment will fund several significant scholarships each year.
“These types of investments have really made a significant difference in attracting quality candidates to the Queen’s MBA program,” says Teresa Pires, the program’s Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions. “When a candidate is comparing two top-tier schools, a scholarship is often the deciding factor.”
Another recent scholarship targets applicants who have academic or employment backgrounds not typically associated with MBA aspirations. The MBA Opportunities Scholarship provides $60,000 for one or two candidates each year. Recipients with an arts or humanities background are prime candidates for consideration, with preference given to those from communities with populations of less than 500,000.
Unique to Queen’s MBA is a regional award geared towards Costa Rican citizens in financial need. The anonymous funder of this award hopes that the recipient, equipped with newly acquired business acumen, will return to Costa Rica upon graduation to help grow the country’s economy. This award is worth $100,000 for one candidate.
Women in leadership
“Scholarships also play an important part in attracting qualified women to the program,” says Teresa, explaining that gender disparity is often an issue in MBA programs around the world.
In 2007, Queen’s was the first Canadian business school to sign on as a partner with the Forté Foundation, a not-for-profit organization aimed at helping women succeed through access to business education. As part of its membership with Forté, QSB offers four separate awards of $30,000 to qualified women. Recipients become Forté Fellows and have exclusive access to networking and career events.
A scholarship established in 2011 by businessman Len Morrow, MBA’72, is open exclusively to female applicants to support women in pursuing leadership roles.
“I’m often commended by recruiters at competing schools for all that Queen’s does to attract women to its MBA program,” says Teresa. And the efforts are paying off, with the Class of 2015 set to graduate a record 42 per cent women.
Read more about Queen's Women in the MBA program.
Commemorative awards
Most scholarships are made possible through generous donations by QSB alumni. Some use the opportunity to honour the memory of a cherished professor, while others have marked a milestone reunion.
A scholarship established by Jos Wintermans, MBA’72, commemorates Professor Norman Macintosh, a highly respected accounting scholar whose career at Queen’s spanned 40 years. In returning to celebrate their 25th anniversary reunions, the MBA classes of 1980 and 1981 directed significant class gifts to establish named entrance scholarships. All three scholarships are awarded annually.
“Scholarships make a difference in the lives of students — especially outstanding individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford to come to Queen’s,” says Teresa.
All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships when they apply to the Queen’s MBA program. The final decisions are made by the MBA Admissions Committee.
Read more about MBA scholarships.