$5.4M grant awarded to business school for 70 student scholarships

A $5.4 million grant to the Kelley School of Business will help benefit 70 undergraduate and graduate students at IU. The gift, from the Mitte Foundation, is one of the largest business scholarship programs in the country. \nRoy F. and Joann Cole Mitte created the program 10 years ago for six universities across the country, including IU, and it now funds more than 625 scholarships. \nThe scholarships award undergraduate students $5,000 per year during a four-year period. For the graduate students, the business school doubles the fellowship funds to $10,000 per year for both years the graduate students are enrolled at IU.\nBoth groups of students must meet certain requirements to reapply for the scholarship each year.\nWith emphasis on business leadership, educational excellence and community service, the Mitte Foundation expects scholarship recipients to maintain their grades while taking on leadership roles in the classroom and providing some type of service in the city, according to a press release. \n"You have to keep a 3.5 grade point average or better all four years and actively engage in community service," said Ethan Bradley, a freshman finance major and scholarship recipient. "I am a literacy volunteer at the Bloomington Library." \nAccording to the foundation, the purpose of the money is to help students with school expenses and provide support for continuing their education.\nFreshman Erin Bruner, who recently accepted the award, said the Mitte family is very interested in the success of the students. She added that a member of the family will occasionally come to campus to check on the progress of the students.\n"The Mitte family is pretty close with the people they give scholarships to," Bruner said. "A family representative is coming to campus later on in the year to talk with us."\nMarketing and strategy graduate student David Landers said the requirements for graduate students are very similar to that of undergraduates. \n"When we reapply for next year, we have to have maintained a 3.5 and continued to volunteer in the community," Landers said.\nThe students who have received the scholarship are encouraged to make an effort to stay connected and help each other when they can.\nBruner said she meets once a month with the IU Mitte Society, which includes all those who have received a scholarship. She said they also assist each other with volunteering and try to meet socially.\n"We plan community service together and try to meet up to talk outside of school," Bruner said. "We planned a tailgate together, but we were rained out"