Future Directions for Student Veterans and Military Services: Broadening our Perspectives

Meeting the Needs of SUNY Veterans—Syracuse, NY May 23rd, 2013

Mention Dr. Corey Rumann, Assistant Professor of Practice

Department of Educational Administration

Introductions

• Increased calls for accountability (e.g., graduation and retention rates)

• Student veteran advocacy efforts (e.g., SVA) • What does “military friendly” mean? (e.g.,

Military Times Edge rankings) • CAS Standards for Veterans and Military

Programs and Services • Need for assessment and evaluation of

programs, policies, and initiatives

Accountability

• Mental health and transition issues • Career and academic advising for veterans and

military service members • Identifying best practices while trying to find

what works best at our individual institutions • Involving faculty members (and others) in the

process (e.g., awareness training) • Need for more research • Focus on the positive!

(Re)Emerging Issues

Veterans Retraining Assistance Program

• VRAP offers up to 12 months of retraining assistance to veterans who meet the criteria which includes: – Unemployed and at least 35 but no more than

60 years old – Other than a dishonorable discharge – Not eligible for other VA education benefits – Not in receipt of VA compensation due to

unemployability – Not enrolled in a federal or state job training

program

VRAP

• Eligible programs must meet the following criteria: – Be offered by a community college or

technical school – Lead to an Associates Degree or Certificate – Provide training for a high demand occupation

• Active Duty • National Guard and Reserve Troops • Combat versus Non-Combat • Graduate Students • Family Members • All Veterans • Non-traditional Students • Others?

Who are student veterans?

• Student veterans’ intersecting social identities – Race – Disability – Sex – Gender – Age – Sexual Orientation – Religion – SES

Broadening Our Perspectives

Veteran Identity Resources • OutServe—SLDN • Transgender American Veterans Association • American Veterans for Equal Rights • American Women Veterans • Black Veterans for Social Justice • NABVETS • The Society of Hispanic Veterans • United Mexican-American Veterans Association • Center for Women Veterans • University of Arizona Disabled Veterans

Reintegration and Education Project

Implications

• Need to be proactive in efforts to support student veterans and military service members—think outside the box!

• Campus wide approach—responsibility not left up to a few people (e.g., awareness training for all employees)

• Clearly identify student veterans and military servicemembers on your campus

• Involve family members in activities (e.g., family counseling)

Implications, cont. • Create partnerships with other campus offices,

departments, and organizations (e.g., Womens’ Center, LGBTQ Center, Disability Support Services, Counseling Center)

• Create partnerships with community programs and services

• Advocate for student veterans and military service members (but consult with them first!)

• Conduct needs assessment and evaluate current policies and programs (start by talking to student veterans)

• Increased research efforts

Your thoughts?

• What do you see as emerging issues? • What do we need to do to broaden our

perspectives?

Key Resources • American Council on Education (ACE) Military

Programs • Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges (SOC) • Student Veterans of America (SVA) • NASPA’s Veteran Knowledge Community • Veterans in Higher Education National

Clearinghouse at the University of Arizona • Association on Higher Education and Disability—Special

Issue of JPED

Key Resources, cont. • Center for Deployment Psychology—Preparing

Professionals to Support Warriors and Families • Center for Deployment Psychology—University

Counseling Center Core Competency (UC4) Courses

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs • Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) • Joint Services Support • Military OneSource • Student Veterans Advocacy Group

Resources, cont. • Ackerman, R & DiRamio, D. (Eds.) (2009). Creating a veteran-friendly campus: Strategies for transition and success. New Directions for Student Services, no. 126. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Bauman, M. C. (2009). Called to serve: The military mobilization of undergraduates (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

• Cook, B. J. & Kim, Y. (2009). From soldier to student: Easing the transition of service members on campus. Retrieved from the American Council on Education website: http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=HENA&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=33233

• DiRamio, D., Ackerman, R., & Mitchell, R. L. (2008). From combat to campus: Voices of student-veterans. NASPA Journal, 45(1), 73-102.

• Hamrick & Rumann (2013). Called to serve: A handbook on student veterans and higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

•

Resources, cont. • Iverson, S. & Anderson, R. (2013). The complexity of veteran identity:

Understanding the role of gender, race, and sexuality. In F. Hamrick & C. Rumann (Eds.), Called to serve: A handbook on student veterans and higher education (89-113). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Kraus, A. & Rattray, N. (2013). Understanding disability in the student veteran community. In F. Hamrick & C. Rumann (Eds.), Called to serve: A handbook on student veterans and higher education (116-137). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Livingston, W., Havice, P., Cawthon, T., & Fleming, D. (2011). Coming home: Student veterans’ articulation of college re-enrollment. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48(3), 315-331.

• McBain, L., Kim, Y., Cook, B., & Snead, K. (2012). From soldier to student II: Assessing campus programs for veterans and service members. Retrieved from the American Council on Education website: http://www.acenet.edu/higher-education/Pages/Military-Students-and-Veterans.aspx

Key Resources, cont. • National Survey of Student Engagement. (2010). Major differences:

Examining student engagement by field of study—annual results 2010. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.

• Rumann, C. B. (2010). Student veterans returning to a community college: Understanding their transitions (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Iowa State University, Ames, IA.

• Rumann, C. B. & Hamrick, F. A. (2010). Student soldiers in transition: Re-enrolling after war zone deployments. The Journal of Higher Education, 81(4), 431-458.

• Rumann, C. B., Rivera, M., & Hernandez, I. (2011). Student veterans at community colleges. In E. Cox & J. Watson (Eds.) Marginalized students: The view from the community college periphery. New Directions for Community Colleges. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Vacchi, D. (2012). Considering student veterans on the twenty-first-century college campus. About Campus, 17(2), 15-21.

• Contact information: Dr. Corey Rumann

University of Nebraska—Lincoln 402-472-8928

crumann2@unl.edu

Questions?