Parents Impressed with Kelley Scholars Program

Marcia and Ken Slivka

Parents of Eric

Eric Slivka and his parents were serious about choosing the right college.

As a student at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, Eric participated in several school-sponsored college tours and even did the circuit with his parents a couple of times. All told, he visited about 30 schools, from Harvard to Duke to Northwestern. Indiana University rose to the top.

“By far, the major reason was the strength of the Kelley School of Business,” says his mom Marcia. “He was very impressed by how friendly and welcoming Kelley personnel were. He'd seen all those other college campuses, but IU was in a really beautiful college town setting with lots of green space, and Kelley just felt so right for him.”

During a campus visit, the Slivkas learned about the Kelley Scholars program and that Eric was a candidate for the prestigious undergraduate scholarship. He applied, and sure enough, Eric was named a Kelley Scholar, much to his parents' delight.

“We're big fans,” says dad Ken. “We want to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Kelley and his family for their foresight and generosity to fund the education of students who are not only academically talented but also engaged in leadership positions in a variety of extracurricular activities.”

Leadership, in fact, is what most impressed the Slivkas: the leadership opportunities available to their son. Eric participates in both the Global Sales Leadership Society and Kelley Ambassadors, and he's planning to join Kelley's undergraduate mentor program because of the excellent relationship he had with his own mentor.

Kelley students have some great leaders to learn from. ‘What's very impressive to me is the leadership of the school and the Undergraduate Program,” says Marcia. "They are very personable, and we feel like they know not just Eric but us as well."

Another major plus for the Slivkas are the close relationships Eric is building with Kelley faculty and staff. He meets regularly with his faculty mentor, Mikel G. Tiller, who gives him advice on courses and answers any and all of Eric's questions. People are clearly looking out for Eric at Kelley—and that makes his parents feel good.

“The couple of times we've gone to Kelley School events people say, ‘Oh, we know Eric.’ That's pretty cool at a major university,” says Ken.

In Brief

Any advice for parents and students looking into colleges?

Says Ken, “I recommend doing the school's general tour and then going back to visit the specific department you're interested in. That's what made the decision for both of our sons.” (Older brother Steve graduated from the School of Journalism in 2006.)

What's your favorite thing about Bloomington?

Says Marcia, “The off-campus student housing is excellent. It's well-kept with a great college town feeling. The whole city feels safe. We enjoy just walking around the campus, and we love going to sporting events, especially basketball.” Says Ken, “We love to sit outside at a restaurant table near the Courthouse Square. You just have to like a place that has a fish on top of the county courthouse!”