300 ‘Six Sigma Wings for Heroes’ Scholarships Available on Leatherneck.com
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) August 12, 2013 -- The country’s largest Marine-only website – Leatherneck.com – has been asked to award 300 scholarships. The donor is Dr. Mikel J. Harry, a retired Marine and the creator of the Six Sigma Wings for Heroes (SSWH) Scholarship Program.
Leatherneck.com invites Marine veterans, reservists, active duty personnel and family members to apply. The scholarships will help recipients become Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.
In the early 1980s when Harry was with Motorola, he and a fellow Motorolan developed Six Sigma as a way to design products and processes as a methodology to improve business. It worked so well that Random House approached Harry and his business partner about publishing a book. A few weeks after publication, the book was named to The Wall Street Journal’s and New York Time’s national best sellers’ list.
It’s not Karate …
Six Sigma creates a special infrastructure of people within an organization called "Champions," "Black Belts," "Green Belts,” who are experts in the methods used in Six Sigma.
General Electric implemented Six Sigma under Jack Welch who said it was the biggest opportunity for growth, increased profitability, and employee satisfaction in the history of GE. In 2006, MIT’s Sloan Management School of Business completed a study of more than 100 key management advances since 1880, and Six Sigma was named in the top ten.
Today, Six Sigma is a proven methodology used in more than 82 percent of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies.
As a Vietnam-era Marine Corps infantry officer, Harry experienced professional challenges while re-entering the job market in search of a well paying position that offered security and mobility.
“From first-hand corporate experience, I know Lean Six Sigma can deliver unparalleled results,” Harry said. “That’s why I am working to make sure everyone has the opportunity to benefit from this training, especially those who have served to ensure the defense of our great nation.”
The current median salary for a Black Belt is $98,000 in a market where there are more than 17,000 job postings for Lean Six Sigma skills.
Personnel from The Six Sigma Wings for Heroes program contacted Leatherneck.com and offered 300 scholarships. It was made very clear that SSWH was not asking for any type of donation, matching contribution or economic pledge. Rather, Harry has dedicated himself to fund the scholarships as his way of making a difference to those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.
Leatherneck.com is asking interested Marines to submit a personal letter via email, stating the reason(s) they want the scholarship and how they feel it would impact their chances at finding work and advance their post military careers. Letters should be sent to SixSigmaWingsforHeroes(at)leatherneck(dot)com. Leaders at Leatherneck.com and SSWH will review all submissions and award the scholarships based on the impact and creativity of the entries.
The program will begin September 1, 2013. It will continue until all 300 scholarships have been awarded.
“We are honored Dr. Harry has selected Leatherneck.com to award so many scholarships,” said Gary Weisbaum, Chief Operating Officer of Leatherneck.com. “The Six Sigma Wings for Heroes Scholarship will allow Marines an opportunity to take this ‘Career and Life Changing’ program at a fraction of the cost. We cannot thank Dr. Harry and his Six Sigma Wings for Heroes staff enough for their help and support in making this opportunity possible.
Leatherneck.com serves as the “gateway to America’s active duty Marines and Marine Corps veterans.” The site has more than 500,000 visitors each month. In addition, 100 percent of the content on Leatherneck.com is generated by the Marines, families and friends who visit the site. Leatherneck.com has 102,000 registered members, 109,000 threads, 866,000 posts and 250,000 unique visitors every month. There are 7.2 million page views per year.
For more information, visit: http://www.leatherneck.com.
Andy Richardson, Ginny Richardson Public Relations, http://www.gr-pr.com, 630-789-8899, [email protected]
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