COAST GUARDConnecting the U.S. Coast Guard to MIT Sloan
For the past 50 years, the Coast Guard has nominated a senior officer to apply to the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA program. “When you leave MIT Sloan, you want to change the world,” says one alumnus.
Jim Ellis II SM ’80 first learned about a special opportunity for members of the U.S. Coast Guard while stationed in Alaska.
“My commander had received a notice from headquarters about this opportunity. They were asking for recommendations for an officer who might be interested,” says Ellis.
The opportunity in question was the MIT Sloan Fellows program, today known as the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA (SFMBA) program. Every year for 50 years, the Coast Guard has nominated a service member to apply to the program. Fifty Sloan Fellows and two Management of Technology participants have graduated since 1976, and the 53rd student is currently enrolled.
With his tour nearly over, Ellis followed his commander’s recommendation to apply. The Coast Guard nominated him and his application to MIT Sloan School of Management was accepted. In 1980, Ellis became the fifth-ever Coast Guard Sloan Fellow to graduate due to the special arrangement.
“My experience at MIT Sloan has been instrumental throughout my entire career,” says Ellis, who, with his wife Margaret Brady, established the Ellis/Brady Family Fund to support the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative and graduate fellowships through the MIT Sloan Veterans Fund.
“The success of the people who have been through the program is a testament to why the Coast Guard continues the program,” he adds.
The Desire to Change the World
Throughout its 163-year history, MIT has maintained strong relationships with the U.S. military through programs like the MIT Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the 2N Graduate Program in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and more.
The long-standing collaboration between MIT Sloan and the Coast Guard adds to this history. According to Johanna Hising DiFabio, assistant dean for executive degree programs at MIT Sloan, it demonstrates the Coast Guard’s dedication to leadership development, as well as the unique benefits MIT Sloan has to offer service members.
This is especially evident in the careers of the 52 Coast Guard Sloan Fellow alumni, many of whom the program often invites to speak to current students. “It is inspiring to hear our alumni reflect on how this education has significantly influenced their careers and the considerable impact they have had on the Coast Guard and the global community,” says DiFabio.
