Illinois State MBA

Awards and Scholarships

Qualifying MBA students are encouraged to submit an application to be considered for one of the Annual Student Recognition awards for the current year.  Multiple Outstanding MBA Student awards are available each year.  The Distinguished Student Leadership Award is the most prestigious of our awards.  A committee comprised of MBA Staff and the prior year’s Outstanding MBA Professor review the applications and select award recipients based on three specific criteria:    

• Academics
• Service Activities
• Professional Activities

MBA Outstanding MBA Student Awards

To qualify a student must:

• Be currently enrolled in the traditional MBA Program 
• Be completing the program during the current calendar year 
• Have an established cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher
• Provide a current résumé
• Provide letter(s) of support noting community/university service and special academic or professional achievements while enrolled in the Illinois State MBA
• Complete and submit the Outstanding MBA Student Award Application and supporting documents 

 Outstanding MBA Student Award Application

MBA Distinguished Student Leadership Award

To qualify a student must:

• Be currently enrolled in the traditional MBA Program 
• Be completing the program during the current calendar year 
• Have an established cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher
• Have demonstrated a strong leadership quality in the areas of business sustainability, environmentalism, corporate social responsibility, ethics, and/or other social impact issues through academic, professional, community, and/or university activities while enrolled in the Illinois State MBA Program
• Provide a current résumé
• Provide two letters of support, one of which must acknowledge above mentioned leadership qualities
• Complete and submit the MBA Distinguished Student Leadership Award Application and supporting documents

 MBA Distinguished Student Leadership Award Application

Award recipients and their guests will be invited to attend the MBA Recognition Program traditionally held in April each year.

Robert Crowell MBA Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is provided through a generous endowment gift from 1995 MBA alum, Mr. Robert Crowell.

The selected recipient(s) of this scholarship will receive a monetary award of no less than $750 which can be used toward future tuition and fees.  Each awardee will have their name engraved on a wall plaque displayed in the MBA Office.  A student selected to receive this scholarship, along with other MBA award recipients, will be recognized at the Annual MBA Student Recognition Ceremony in April. 

Qualified students are strongly encouraged to apply for this scholarship. 

Application Deadline: November 15th 

Candidate Qualifications

1. GPA of 3.5 or better.  An Incoming Student should have at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate academic coursework and a GMAT score of at least 550.  A Continuing Student should have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above for all MBA coursework
2. Submit a 250-word essay describing:
   
   • Applicant's background
   • Career goals
   • How the scholarship will impact applicant's future and career goals
3. Provide two (2) letters of recommendation
4. Provide a current resume
5. Preference is given to students with a minimum of three years full-time post undergraduate work experience

Note : Only students in the traditional on-campus MBA Program qualify to be considered for this scholarship.  Award must be used in the current academic year, recipient may choose to have funds applied to the current Fall term or the upcoming Spring or Summer terms. Students who already have full tuition waiver privileges through a graduate assistantship or other financial assistance programs, do not qualify for this scholarship.

Robert Crowell MBA Endowed Scholarship Application

Catherine Chaplais MBA Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is provided through an endowment gift from 1988 alum, Ms. Catherine Chaplais.  

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance to graduate students enrolled in the Illinois State MBA program meeting the following criteria:

• Be currently enrolled in the traditional MBA Program in academic good standing expecting to complete the program in the current academic year - recipient may choose to have the funds applied to the current Fall term or the upcoming Spring or Summer terms.
• Have an established cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher
• Have demonstrated dedication and achievement in the areas of social responsibility, ethics, and/or other social impact issues through academic, professional, community and/or university activities while enrolled in the Illinois State MBA Program
• Preference is given to female students

Applicants for this award should complete the application form and provide:

1. a current resume
2. one or more letters of support highlighting his/her social responsibility achievements
3. a personal essay describing his/her act(s) of giving and the impact it had in the community

The Catherine Chaplais MBA Endowed Scholarship Application

Application Deadline:  November 15th 

Thomas Byker MBA Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is provided through the generous endowment gift from Thomas Byker, MBA '76.

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance to a fulltime Traditional MBA student who meets the following criteria:

• Student must be enrolled full-time in the Traditional Master of Business Administration program.
• Student must be in good academic standing.
• Student must be a resident of Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, or Florida.

The scholarship will be automatically renewable for a second year provided the awardee continues to meet all criteria. 

Qualified candidates will have the opportunity to apply for this scholarship in summer 2023, with an award term of fall 2023.

Tanyi Family MBA Scholarship

The purpose of the Tanyi Family MBA Scholarship is to encourage and reward international students in the MBA program.

Paul Ntaka Tanyi moved to Bloomington‐Normal from Cameroon, Africa in 2004 to begin the MBA program. Even though Mr. Tanyi did not know a single person living in the area, he chose Illinois State University because of this initial welcoming experience. Mr. Tanyi so enjoyed his years at ISU that, with encouragement from his professors, he decided to continue his education and earn his Master of Accountancy. In honor of his exceptional academic experience at ISU, he decided to create a Master of Business Administration scholarship for students who may share a similar story.

Provide financial assistance for students meeting the following criteria:

• Student must be enrolled in the MBA program
• Student must be at a grade level of: Graduate
• Scholarships will be awarded for the following term: one‐time award
• Preference to international students

Rebecca Hines Back-a-Bird Scholarship

Illinois State University provides a variety of opportunities for students to learn about community needs and reflect upon the impact of civic action. These experiences are desicommunity needs and reflect upon the impact of civic action. These experiences are designed to meet the varying needs of college students through campus speakers and partnerships with agencies, governmental bodies, and school districts. This is the purpose of the Rebecca Hines Scholarship, to encourage a student to excel academically to achieve career goals, while simultaneously understanding the importance of strengthening community through volunteering and leadership.

Students must meet the following criteria:

• Student must be enrolled in good standing in the MBA Program at Illinois State University
• Scholarships will be awarded for the following term: two-year renewable annual award
• Student must provide a personal statement of 300 words or less demonstrating civic and/or community involvement

2022 Award Winners:

• Katie Callahan - Outstanding MBA Student
• Mahamudul Hasan - Outstanding MBA Student
• Saljook Khan - Outstanding MBA Student
• Joshua David John Sahayam - Outstanding MBA Student
• Taylor Schwass - Outstanding MBA Student

2022 Outstanding MBA Faculty Award

• Richard Ringer

2022 Rebecca Hines Back-A-Bird Scholarship

• Nathan Elmore

2022 Robert Crowell MBA Endowed Scholarship Recipient

•  Ayaskant Rout
• Olimjon Tursunov

2022 Catherine Chaplais MBA Endowed Scholarship Recipient

• Tanveer Ahmad