VU’s Bass Military Scholars Program is on track to be the preeminent graduate studies scholarship program for U.S. veterans. Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Scott Brower, who directs the program, delivered a presentation about the program’s impact to the Tennessee House Education Administration Committee in February. House committee members were highly engaged in the presentation and very interested in hearing how programs such as this can be emulated in Tennessee to support our veterans.
Now in its fourth year, the program is unmatched in the U.S. offering 34 veterans up to $30,000 a year to pursue graduate degrees at one of five Vanderbilt Schools: School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Law School, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, or Owen Graduate School of Management.
While pursuing their career goals, scholars are asked to share their military experiences with the larger VU community, inside the university and beyond. The scholars become mentors and role models in the community.
The program was made possible through a $25 million endowment by the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation of Fort Worth, Texas. The majority of Bass scholars are U.S. Army veterans who were stationed at Ft. Campbell just north of Vanderbilt in Clarksville, TN.
The scholarship is meant to supplement the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program, groundbreaking programs that help veterans pay for college, graduate school, and other training.