Duke Establishes Leadership-Focused Partnership with West Point

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University's Fuqua School of Business has established a partnership with the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point to provide leadership scholarships to top military officers attending business school as part of their leadership training.

"We believe the Fuqua partnership will result in outstanding synergies for Duke and West Point," said Colonel Thomas Kolditz, Ph.D., professor and head of the West Point Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. "Without exception, our officers who graduate from Fuqua seem to be especially well prepared to educate, develop and inspire cadets to serve the common defense of our nation."

Beginning in fall 2004, the scholarship program will allow two active duty Army officers to attend Fuqua on the Army's advanced civil schooling allocation of $16,000 per year, which is approximately half of the annual tuition. To date, this is the only scholarship the Army has established with a Top 10 graduate business school.

Liz Riley, Fuqua assistant dean and director of admissions, said these officers will go through the normal application process to be admitted. "However, once admitted, Fuqua will offer the Leadership Scholarship to offset the tuition difference," Riley said. "We have had tremendous success with West Point graduates who have enrolled at Fuqua. They are actively involved in the Fuqua community in various positions and set a wonderful leadership example to their peers. This agreement reinforces what Fuqua and West Point define as 'exemplary' leaders."

The majority of the officers are distinguished company commanders who have served in Afghanistan, Kosovo and other international combat and peacekeeping zones. Only officers with the highest performance and leadership potential are offered MBA opportunities.

Three active duty officers have graduated from Fuqua in the last two years, with all three earning top leadership awards during their matriculation. "Fuqua prides itself on producing students who become leaders in their respective professions and communities," Riley said. "Our hope is that the partnership with the USMA will serve to build on that tradition."

The USMA partnership is Fuqua's latest effort to strengthen its overall commitment to leadership. The Fuqua/Coach K Center of Leadership and Ethics (COLE) is being launched this month and will be a multi-million-dollar center to support research and training on leadership.

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, a 1969 West Point graduate who began his civilian career as the head basketball coach at Army, has joined Fuqua's faculty as an executive-in-residence, teaching and writing on leadership and ethics during the off-season. He said he is pleased with the USMA partnership. "I believe military leadership and business education is a brilliant and innovative relationship to build at Fuqua," Krzyzewski said. "I look forward to the growth of this program that makes so much sense. It is this type of cooperative effort that makes Fuqua one of the nation's top business schools."

COLE faculty director and professor, Sim Sitkin, agreed. "Duke and Fuqua have a longstanding tradition of producing exceptional business leaders. To have the nation's top military academy partner with us will only serve to strengthen our program as we continue to teach practical models of leadership."