KU News Release

May 15, 2009
Contact: Toni Dixon, School of Business, (785) 864-4449.

School of Business, Command & General Staff College program celebrates first grads

LAWRENCE — Ten U.S. Army officers and one international officer will be the first to graduate from a coordinated program offered by the University of Kansas School of Business and the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. The unique master’s program will allow the officers to apply business practices from the civilian sector to the military theater.

The graduates have earned master’s in business degrees with concentrations in supply chain management and logistics through the new program, which began in August 2008. The degree is geared for Army majors and major-eligible captains.

Retired Col. Greg Freix, lecturer in business and program director, said the degree complements existing military supply chain education and adds the broader civilian business focus.

“KU is pleased to give officers the opportunity to expand their future potential with this new specialized graduate degree sponsored by the School of Business,” he said. “We are glad to see the first class of students complete the program and, from the growing interest, we are expecting a larger class for the next session.”

Each of the new graduates has seen combat or peace-keeping duties, with service in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraqi, Kosovo and elsewhere, and several will be returning overseas. Most of them have earned Bronze Star Medals, in some cases more than one.

Maj. Nathan Swartz has had four combat deployments, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, earning four Bronze Stars.

Maj. Matthew McCulley is a U.S. Army engineer officer with more than 12 years of service who was deployed twice to Iraq.

“After talking with friends in the civilian sector about the growing importance of supply chain management in the business world, I knew this was the degree that I wanted to pursue,” McCulley said.

Maj. Al Zehnder of Colorado Springs, Colo., has 14 years in the Army as a logistics officer.

“I was very excited to find a program applicable to my specialty and one offered by a major university,” he said. “The combination of the two programs, KU and the Army course, has been challenging but well worth the effort.”

Maj. Leonardo Zarza of San Isidro Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the lone international officer in the first class of graduates. He has 23 years of service in the Argentine Armed Forces as an Army aviator. He has served in Kosovo with NATO forces.

“This course, in the future, will open other doors for me, not only for my military career but also for the current world of business.”

Maj. Brian Smith of Decatur, Ill., is a logistics officer with nearly 20 years of service and has earned a Bronze Star. He said the course provided the “what I wish I knew 18 months ago moment” in his life. He added that being a student again was a challenge.

“This program was the only one that focused on what I do daily in the military for a living, and KU was the most well known of all the schools offering a masters program,” he said. “The fact that it was a pilot program was an exciting allure that made me feel I was being part of an historic event.”

Maj. Joseph R. Caldwell of Duncanville, Texas, has served in the Army for 20 years including a 15-month deployment in Iraq. He said the program taught him standard business practice for the civilian world that he felt he could apply to his military career.

Zarza added praise for Freix, who was instrumental in guiding the program, saying Freix deserved recognition for “giving the opportunity to soldiers who are fighting for their countries.”

Smith said, “I’ve already recommended KU to prospective students and I am sending e-mails to former bosses urging them to tell the students to look into the program. I really want to see the program succeed and reach new levels. It’s really worth it. I feel I’ve gotten a great product for the money spent.”

“They have worked very hard.” Freix said. “We understand that for several it has come at a time when they have the rare opportunity to be with their families. It has represented a real commitment on their parts.”

“We are very proud of this special class,” said Bill Fuerst, dean of the KU School of Business. “The interest in this special master’s degree is growing rapidly, so we especially appreciate their involvement as we have launched this unique program.”

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