Courtesy Our Lady of the Lake University recently announced its initiative to aid active-duty personnel and their spouses in their goal to earn bachelor´s and master´s degrees at discounted rates.

T-shirts, flags, stickers, magnets, country music — they’ve all been used as a means for showing support for our troops since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But the yellow ribbon on your car won’t help a soldier get a bachelor’s degree.

Our Lady of the Lake University wants to help in that department. The university recently announced its initiative to aid active-duty personnel and their spouses in their goal to achieve bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The OLLU Salutes Our Military Scholarship Program was proposed in January during a strategic planning session. It took three months to get approved, but the scholarship program will be in place by this fall.

“One of the faculty members spoke up and said we ought to do something with the military,” said Robert Bisking, dean of the school of business and leadership studies at OLLU.

The new program offers active-duty military personnel and their spouses a discounted tuition.

What normally would cost a student $628 per credit-hour will cost $250 dollars for military members, the normal government reimbursement offered by the military, Bisking explained.

“The only out-of-pocket expenses will be for their fees and their books,” he said. The fees consist of general fees and technology fees which can vary from class to class but will amount to less than a $100.

Helping military members hit home with many OLLU staff.

“I’m actually a retired Navy officer, and we have several other people who are retired military,” Bisking said.

Jonathan Munson | 210SA contributor