For 2011-12, College Board reported in-state tuition and fees at the nation’s public four-year schools averaged $8,244 a year, an increase of 8.3 percent from the previous year. Out-of-state tuition rates averaged $20,770, a 5.7-percent increase. Costs at private schools are even higher.


Fortunately, the MOAA Scholarship Fund exists to help military children overcome financial obstacles. Since 1948, the fund has provided undergraduate educational assistance to more than 12,000 children of military families, supporting the association’s founding principle that “education is the cornerstone of a strong democracy.” Through contributions made regularly via annual giving, estate-planning efforts, and charitable gift annuities, the fund has been able to offer military children — of both officers and enlisted servicemembers — financial support to overcome those rising costs.


“Military families today have a lot of financial tools available to them to help offset the high and rising costs of college,” says Col. Jim O’Brien, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s chief financial officer (CFO) and director of Finance and Scholarship. “Even with the … Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability benefit, however, there is still a need out there for more assistance.”


 
Future MOAA Member
Name: Joseph B. McGinnis
School: University of Missouri, Columbia
Graduation: December 2012
Major: Nuclear Engineering


“When I become an officer, I plan to join MOAA. It’s a great organization,” says Joseph McGinnis, who anticipates being commissioned in the U.S. Navy upon graduation. McGinnis hopes to be assigned as a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Surface Warfare officer.


“I see myself as a ship’s division officer or standing watch on the bridge,” says McGinnis. He is no stranger to the military life: His father served in the Navy as an enlisted servicemember and then later for 20 years as a biologist and officer in an Army reserve component.


“Growing up with a father in the military exposed me to a strong work ethic and to the concept of discipline. My dad was a great officer. I try to be like him,” says McGinnis.


“My ROTC scholarship covered a lot but not everything. The MOAA scholarship helped me out a whole lot with my housing, groceries, and basic cost-of-living expenses.”


 


Future Chemical Engineer
Name: Ashley Spooner
School: Tuskegee University, Alabama
Graduation: May 2013
Major: Chemical Engineering


“Engineering is a demanding major, and you really have to focus on the work and be dedicated to it,” says Ashley Spooner, a Tuskegee University senior.


Spooner aims to graduate with a high GPA after four years of hard work and then move into a master’s degree program focusing on chemical engineering. She is considering the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University of Texas in Austin for her graduate studies. She hopes eventually to work as an engineer in energy, oil, or the medical pharmaceuticals field.


Spooner’s father served in the Navy Reserve, and her mother worked for the National Guard as a civilian.


“The MOAA interest-free loan that I’ve received for the past three years has really made a difference for me financially,” says Spooner. “I have used the money to pay for my room and board. Without MOAA’s assistance, I would have probably had to get a job to help pay for those things. Instead, I have been able to really focus on my goal.”


 


“I would encourage those eligible to apply for the MOAA Scholarship Fund to pursue it.”
—Joseph McGinnis


 


“There are a lot of challenges to face in college. … Work hard. Find the balance that works for you, and at the end of the day, remember your goals and go for them.”—Ashley Spooner


58 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2012

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84