The University of Dallas and Ave Maria University have recently partnered to offer their undergraduate students a new scholarship opportunity for graduate school.
Dr. J. Lee Whittington, dean of the College of Business at UD, said, “Not all schools have graduate programs, so the schools that don’t have graduate programs – we want those kids to come here. Ave Maria has graduate programs, so it’s a reciprocal agreement. So students from UD, if they wanted to, could go to Ave Maria, and students from Ave Maria could come here.”
Dr. Jonathan Sanford, president of the university, said,“It’s a recognition of mutual admiration. And we think that students graduating from Ave Maria University would be in a strong position to take advantage of courses and programs that we offer on the graduate level. And for their part, they would welcome University of Dallas graduates who are interested in the programs they offer.”
Lauren Gowans, senior business major, said, “I think it is wonderful that UD is partnering with other schools. I hope it benefits many students as it is an amazing opportunity to save money and receive a great education. Scholarships are always welcome to many a broke student.”
According to Whittington, this scholarship coalition began at the Newman School Conference in Houston last summer, when Roger Nutt, the provost at Ave Maria University, approached him and suggested the idea of creating a partnership between the two schools.
Whittington said, “[Nutt] said, ‘If a student’s not going to come to Ave Maria for their graduate degree, I would prefer they go to one of your schools.’ I took that up, and then we drafted a letter and sent it out to all the Newman Guide schools, and Roger responded the next morning.”
The partnership states that if students attend either Ave Maria University or the University of Dallas for their undergraduate studies, they get a 20% discount on tuition for graduate school.
Whittington said, “Students that are alums from the University of Dallas have an alumni discount. We also have a program with corporate and community partners. We have an agreement with Christus Health so that employees of Christus Health can come here. If you’re a member of Young Catholic Professionals, there’s a discount for members of Young Catholic Professionals. We already had the corporate and community partnership, which is just us extending to these Newman Guide schools.”
According to Whittington, Ave Maria wrote the discount as a minimum of 20% in case they want to give an even greater discount to an exceptional student they are trying to attract.
“Graduate school is expensive, and you’ve already got undergraduate debt,” said Whittington.
“If somebody graduated from one of the Newman Guide schools, we know what their formation was like. We know how well they’re prepared. We also want to support people’s continuous personal and professional development and we also want to support people’s goals to be lifelong learners.”
According to Whittington, other Newman Guide schools have reached out about potential partnerships with the University of Dallas.
“We want to support personal, professional growth and development and lifelong learning,” said Whittington. “And students from other Newman schools know what to expect when they come to the University. They know that they’re going to get an education that not only equips them with skills but helps character formation.”
UD is hopeful that this partnership will provide greater opportunities for both UD and Ave Maria students alike.
“It’s one of the many approaches that we’re taking to expand enrollment and raise the reputation of the University of Dallas and the quality of education we have here, making it available to more and more people,” said Whittington. “It’s an enrollment strategy, but it’s never only about enrollment. It’s about providing an education that transforms people’s lives.”
