Avijit Ghosh - Dean, College Of Business, University Of Illinois At Urbana - Champaign Ghosh Screws Veterans: Reneges on Veteran Scholarship Program ripoff Champaign Illinois

I served in Vietnam in the early 1960s and then took about 10 years to get my degree part time. Ive worked in law enforcement most of my life. My youngest son graduated from UIC and is a Marine who served his tours in Afghanistan. I brought Michael to an open house last year at U of Is Executive MBA Program to hear about the veteran scholarship program after reading about it on Lt. Governor Quinns web site for veterans, operationhomefront.org.

I have never witnessed such arrogance and deception by senior officials of a public institution.

Michael called probably 10 times last year. He sent in his application. One person said they lost it and to send it again, but nobody called him back. He looked into the scholarship again this year but couldnt find any information about it. He was eventually told it may or may not be offered. I thought this was odd, so I read up on things myself.

Now Im not the academic type but I know spin when I hear it. They could learn a thing or two about integrity and honor from my son.

Its hard for me to understand why U of I changed their mind when the money to fund this comes mostly from Joe and Mary Taxpayer through the Illinois Veteran Grant. This is a state law, a benefit program for Illinois veterans, right? Veterans from Illinois get this benefit no questions asked if they qualify for a degree program at state schools. My son has served 8 years on active duty and has lived in Illinois his whole life. U of I is a state school. It receives hundreds of millions of dollars from the State of Illinois in general funding. It receives additional Federal funding for research. It is one of the schools listed in the Illinois Veteran Grant Program. What am I missing?

Ive read the Daily Illini articles, press release by Lt. Governor Quinn, various blogs and a rebuttal by public relations posted on the Colleges web site. They give so many different explanations for why they are not honoring their commitment but none of it makes a lick of sense to me. They say they dont have space or enough professors.

They blame the guy who started the scholarship program. Next its about the funding problems with the Illinois Veteran Grant program. And the weirdest excuse was that professors have many more valuable things to do with their time because they work for a land grant university. What the hell does that mean? Does that sound arrogant or what? Sort of reminds me of excuses I get from speeders. Hopefully by the 4th or 5th excuse they think Im going to buy one of them and let them go on their way.

Shame on you, Avijit Ghosh.

Vetdad
Chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.