Bryn Mawr’s American College of Financial Services and The Honor Foundation, a unique transition institute created exclusively for Navy SEALs and the U.S. Special Operations community, are committed to helping veterans transition from military to civilian life.

To reinforce that promise, the two institutions are joining forces to offer full scholarships to elite military veterans in appreciation of their service and sacrifice.

Scholarships will be awarded to members of the Navy SEAL and Special Operations Forces community to pursue a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from The American College.

“We are assisting some of the best that the military has to offer, to help them attain their educational goals,” said Ted Digges, Executive Director of The American College Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs. “To receive one of these scholarships, these incredible individuals will have been vetted three times.

“Once within the military to become one of the elite, again to be a part of The Honor Foundation’s prestigious transition program, and then finally, within that group, to be selected for this scholarship. So we’re really talking about an exceptional individual.”

To start, one annual full scholarship will be offered. The longer-term goal is to provide multiple scholarships annually, perhaps as soon as next year.

“We are extremely proud to be able to offer this scholarship to a special, deserving veteran,” Digges said. “But what we’d like to do is finance seven full scholarships, at a cost of about $225,000 per year, hopefully by 2017. To do that, we’re looking for individual or organizational donors who want to be a part of this.”