The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could turn out to be a terminal blow, not just to the economy but to an entire way of life in Louisiana's coastal parishes. Still only just beginning to inhale its first gasps of recovery after nearly five years of post-Katrina trauma, the livelihood of these coastal communities has once again been stifled for breath by the spill. Many of the small business owners have seen their revenues plummet to nil in the wake of beach closures and fishing bans. While government aid and compensation money has been trickling in, it's not nearly enough to cover the losses. People's long-term life plans have been left ruffled.
"MUST sees itself, not just as a member of the community, but as a responsible and caring member of the community," says Brian Reeves, the Communications Director for MUST University. "We thought this is the time for us to step up and fill in the gaps for those in need. We want to extend not just a helping hand, but a length of hope to the community - to those who might be feeling completely down and out on their luck right now."

That helping hand is up to $530,000 in full and partial tuition waivers MUST University is offering to residents of the Gulf Coast affected by the oil spill. "If you live in any of the affected parishes, all you have to do is call 866 533 6878 or go to http://www.mustuniversity.com/must/scholarship.aspx. Give us your contact details and zip code and one of our counselors will get in touch with you," says Mr. Reeves. "He will walk you through our easy-to-use and flexible education system, and will show you how you can avail the waiver, and earn yourself a bachelor's degree in less than two years from the comfort of your home."

The ten full-tuition waivers will be up to $8,000 each for completion of bachelor's degrees, the hundred partial-tuition waivers will each be up to a value of $4,500 or 50% of the total program fee, whichever is higher. "We will consider academic achievement as well as financial circumstances when selecting students for full scholarships," Brian says. "What we want to do is invest in the community, and invest in the people who have the potential to help the community back on its feet once they've completed their education."

For many of coastal Louisiana's out-of-work small business owners and blue collar workers struggling to send their kids to college, this could turn out to be a real godsend. As Brian says, "Times may be tough, but all human beings need is a reason to look forward to better days. This could be that reason."

About MUST University:
MUST University is an online university, offering self-paced and self-study, degree, diploma and certificate programs from 16 specialized schools. To learn more, visit http://www.mustuniversity.com.