Grantham University & EANGUS Present Scholarship to Member of VA Army National Guard

Nov. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Kansas City, Mo. – Grantham University, a 60-year-old institution delivering accredited online degrees to working adult students around the world, joined together with the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) to present the first annual CSM Virgil R. Williams Scholarship to Sergeant Daniel Retz at the EANGUS National Conference in Charleston, WV. SGT Retz currently serves with the Virginia Army National Guard.

To qualify for the scholarship, applicants had to be an EANGUS member, or dependant, and submit an essay stating why the applicant wanted to continue his/her education and why financial assistance was needed.

“Grantham and EANGUS are both passionate about promoting the importance and benefits of education for our nation’s service members and veterans,” said Joe McGrath, president of Grantham University. “By awarding SGT Retz with the CSM Virgil R. Williams Scholarship, we are able to help a truly deserving Guardsman achieve his dream of earning a college degree.”

In his winning essay, SGT Retz shared that he initially started pursuing his college education in 2006 while in Kosovo on deployment, but was unable to continue upon returning home due to time constraints. When he and his wife celebrated the birth of their only son in 2008, they dedicated all their time, energy and financial resources toward him.

SGT Retz was reactivated in 2010 for deployment to Iraq, and started looking into pursuing his education with Grantham University due to its online degree programs. Unfortunately, work hours and base-wide Internet issues interfered with his educational plans once again.

“Since I graduated high school,” SGT Retz said, “it was always my desire to get a college degree. I was able to get an amazing start on a degree with the military, and I wanted a strong finish. I couldn’t let the credits I had earned go to waste.”

When Grantham and EANGUS came together to award the scholarship, SGT Retz saw his opportunity to finish what he started and applied.

“When I was first contacted and told I was the winner of the scholarship,” SGT Retz said, “I couldn’t believe it. I’m finally getting the chance to finish what I started. Right now, I am anxious to get the first set of classes underway.”

The full scholarship to Grantham University, valued at $36,000, covers the cost of tuition, required textbooks and software needed for SGT Retz to finish his Multidisciplinary Studies degree.

In addition to the annual scholarship opportunity, members of EANGUS and their families can take advantage of a special tuition grant at Grantham University that includes a Textbook and Software Grant which covers the cost of required textbooks and software. To learn more, visit: http://www.grantham.edu/alliances/eangus/.

Grantham University’s accredited online degree programs are flexible and portable, allowing students to fit education into their life instead of arranging life around their education. The University offers 38 different associate, bachelor and master’s online degrees in a wide variety of disciplines such as Business Administration, Business Intelligence, Business Management, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Human Resource Management, Information Systems Security, and Medical Coding and Billing.

For more information about Grantham University and its degree programs, visit: http://www.grantham.edu or call 800-955-2527.

About EANGUS:
The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States was formally organized in 1972 with the goal of increasing the voice of enlisted persons in the National Guard. As such, EANGUS is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the status, welfare and professionalism of Enlisted members of the National Guard by supporting legislation that provides adequate staffing, pay, benefits, entitlements, equipment and installations for the National Guard.

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About Grantham University:
Established in 1951, Grantham University specializes in online education for the working adult student. Its mission is to provide accessible, affordable, professionally relevant online degrees in a continuously changing global society. Grantham University’s online undergraduate and graduate degree programs include: Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Medical Coding and Billing, Nursing, Human Resource Management and Business Intelligence. Grantham University offers military scholarships for active duty, reserve, guard, veterans and military family members, as well as scholarships for law enforcement professionals. Accredited since 1961 by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, Grantham University has compiled a distinguished record as a respected and accredited distance learning university.