Anderson announces Executive MBA UNM Staff Scholarship for Fall 2026

The Anderson School of Management is accepting applications for the Executive MBA (EMBA) UNM Staff Scholarship for the Fall 2026 cohort. Through this opportunity, eligible UNM employees can pursue an Executive MBA with the help of a scholarship designed to ease the financial burden beyond what tuition remission covers. The scholarship application deadline is July 1.

Interested applicants must first apply to the EMBA program before submitting a scholarship application. Scholarship Applicants are asked to submit a brief essay outlining how they intend to use the program's leadership training to positively impact the University of New Mexico and the broader New Mexico community.

The priority deadline for EMBA applications is May 15. Scholarship recipients will be selected and notified prior to the start of the Fall 2026 semester.

The Executive MBA program is designed for working professionals seeking to advance their careers and strengthen their leadership skills. The program's structure enables participants to immediately apply classroom learning within their current workplace, creating a direct and meaningful impact.

"Providing staff scholarships for UNM employees to pursue our Executive MBA degree is a strategic investment in both UNM and our community," said Matthew Vallejos, Anderson manager of Student Success.

A current scholarship recipient and assistant professor in the neurosurgery department at the UNM School of Medicine, Matt Robinson has spent his career focused on patient care. But as medicine continues to evolve, he's increasingly drawn to the decisions happening behind the scenes - where strategy, finance, and leadership shape how that care is delivered.

"Given the direction of medicine over the last few years, there is a tremendous importance in physicians being in executive leadership to help guide how we deliver healthcare in the future," said Robinson. "Generally, a hurdle has been that physicians don't have the business background many current executives do, which can make it challenging to be in the room and help dictate the direction of a healthcare organization."

For Robinson, pursuing an Executive MBA is about closing that gap.

"The EMBA helps me build that fund of knowledge so I can have a seat at the table and help drive the direction of healthcare delivery," he said.

He expects to complete the program in fall 2027, bringing with him not only clinical expertise but a broader understanding of the systems that sustain modern medicine.

"Although medicine is fundamentally about taking care of patients, there is so much that goes into keeping a hospital staffed, stocked, and running around the clock. Complex financial decisions underpin everything, all in service of delivering the best care possible. Every system I've been part of has taken a different approach, some better than others and at the core of that difference is the strength of its leadership and their ability to ensure patients are taken care of and that the lights stay on."

The EMBA program offers a cohort-centered experience offering a diverse and collaborative environment where lasting connections are made.

"I have a great cohort. People come from very different backgrounds some with far more leadership experience than me and even the other physicians bring entirely different perspectives. I find myself learning as much from them as from any course material," said Robinson.

For more information about the Executive MBA degree and application process, please visit the Anderson website.