Santiago Canyon College

Program Review

2012 – 2016

I. Signature Page

Santiago Canyon College Program Review

Veterans Services Office

______________________________________________________ __________________

Steven Salcido Date

Assistant Dean – Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans

______________________________________________________ __________________

Syed Rizvi Date

Dean – Enrollment Services

_______________________________________________________ __________________

Ruth Babeshoff Date

Vice-President – Student Services

II. Program Description

Vision and Mission

MISSION

The Veterans Services Office was created to assist Veteran students transition from soldiers to

scholars. Veterans, Active Duty, Reservists and their dependents/spouse are assisted with accessing

their VA education benefits to succeed in their educational goals.

Overview of Services-Functions

Currently the Santiago Canyon College (SCC) Veterans Services Office (VSO) offers assistance to

students with the following programs:

VA Education Benefits Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill

Served on active duty on or after 9/11/01

Honorable discharge from service

Served a minimum of 90 aggregate days (excluding entry level and skill training)

Eligibility can also be established if served at least 30 continuous days of active duty and discharged for a service-connected disability

Active duty members eligible on 90th day after completion of entry level training

Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (Pre 9/11)

First entered active duty on or after 6/30/1985

Had $1,200 deducted from the first 12 months of military pay for participation in MGIB

Completed Initial service obligation

Have a high school diploma, GED, or complete 12 hours toward a college degree before applying for benefits

Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation

Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable

Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)

Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Vet Success services

Benefit amount information can be obtained from the Vocational Rehab Counselor

To Apply or Receive Information and Assistance: Submit the completed Form 28-1900 Form to the nearest VA Office

Chapter 32 VEAP

Entered service for the first time between January 1, 1977 and June 30, 1985

Opened a contribution account before April 1, 1987

Voluntarily contributed from $25 to $2,700

Completed first period of service; and

Discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable

Chapter 35 Dependent Educational Assistance

A veteran who died or is 100% disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the Armed Forces.

A veteran who died from any cause while such service-connected disability was in existence

A service member missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force

A service member forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power

A service member who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability

Chapter 1606 Montgomery GI Bill-SR (Reservist)

Have a 6-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve

Complete their Initial Active Duty for Training

Serve in a drilling Selected Reserve unit and remain in good standing

Obtained a HS diploma or equivalency certificate. Completing 12 credits towards a college degree before applying meets this requirement.

Chapter 1607 Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)

DOD and DHS determine eligibility, not VA

No payment is required to participate in this program

Must have been activated by Federal authority for a contingency operation as determined by the President or Congress

Must have served 90 continuous days or more on or after September 11, 2001

Funding Source Statement

Currently, the Veterans Services Office receives funding from the general fund and Equity funds.

III. Organization Chart

Current Staffing

Santiago Canyon College

Student Services

Veterans Service Office

Steven Salcido VSO Assistant Dean

Elizabeth Bergara VSO Student Services Coordinator

Alex Vega Student Services Specialist

Organization Chart

IV. Summary of Progress

Major accomplishments for Veterans Services Office

operations from 2012-2016

SCC has created a unique collaboration by merging the Scholarship Program Office and

Veterans Service Office into one. The Scholarship Program Office does an exceptional

job at establishing and maintaining relationships with the donors as well as students.

The program has continued to grow. Since 2012, the Scholarship Program has disbursed

over a half a million dollars in student scholarships. The Scholarship Program has just

purchased a software (Academic Works) that will allow the scholarship application

process to become more automated.

The Veterans Service Program was established in 2012. Since inception the program has

assisted over 500 veterans or their dependents/spouses with support services. During

the first year, 86 students were certified for GI Bill benefits. This year (2015-16), so far

166 students have been certified to date and the year is not over. The growth this

program has experienced thus far has strictly been from word of mouth. The department

has already outgrown its office space two times since its inception and has now become

the Veterans Service Office (VSO). The VSO believes in walking the veterans through

their transition from Soldier to Scholar. This individualized support helps veterans

develop the tools and skills necessary to complete the process on their own in the future.

Having a knowledgeable staff has been key to a successful program.

Support of the campus Student Veteran’s Club startup and continued success. The

Student Veteran’s Club was newly launched and the VSO was there to support the

growth of the club. Club meetings are held in the VSO.

Over the range of these years, the VSO has had a steady increase of Veteran participants.

Participant activities include certification of education benefits, attending the Veteran’s

Club meetings, and utilizing resources such as computers, study center, snacks, coffee,

advice and more.

Assessment

The Veteran’s Service Office is relatively new to SCC and has accomplished a very robust

foundation. It is now time to build on this foundation and become branded as SCC’s VSO. The

office has a unique collaboration with other departments, its student Veterans, and the

community, as they all support each other and want to see the office develop and succeed. This

is definitely an identifiable strength.

V. SLO & SAO Data

Data set: 2015-2016

Santiago Canyon College

Student Services

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Report

2015-2016

Department Name – Veterans Services Office

Department Mission Statement – The Veterans Services Office was created to assist Veteran

students’ transition from soldiers to scholars. Veterans, Active Duty, Reservists and their

dependents/spouse are assisted with accessing their VA education benefits to succeed in their

educational goals.

Student Leaning Outcome - In our present veteran student population some veteran students

are aware of the Veterans Service Office, the resources it provides, and SCC’s policies as it pertains to

them. To help out students become familiar with the VSO aspects and help them retrain the

information, the VSO has semester orientations.

As a result of attending the SCC Veteran Orientation, student veterans will understand their G.I.

education benefits, SCC academic policies, academic responsibilities, and support services available to

develop collegiate competence as they transition into the life of a civilian.

Methods - The Veterans Service Office utilized the following tracking mechanisms to monitor

students increased knowledge:

Veteran Education Benefit Certifications Veteran Affairs reports and studies Surveying Veteran Students

Those students who attended a Veteran’s Orientation were assessed for the student learning outcome.

Implementation of Assessment Process - In order to accomplish our SLO, we conducted a

staff meeting and established the following methods, tools and resources needed to implement our

SLO:

List common questions, both new and repeat questions, Veteran students ask when interacting with the VSO team.

1. Designated computer workstations for students to utilize in the VSO. The purpose of the “in office” workstations is to provide a place for the veterans to concentrate on homework, any type of research, one-on-one counseling, certification of GI education benefits.

2. Planned and conducted the Veteran Orientation meeting per semester and present the students with a paper survey.

o VSO dispersed the survey to all students who attended the workshop.

o Submitted data to Research & Development for a calculated result report and proceeded to analyze the data.

Results - Generally, respondents were knowledgeable of the resources, however were unfamiliar of

SCC’s specific policies that may affect them.

Decisions and Future Recommendations - This has been the 2nd academic year conducting

this particular SLO and survey. As the data outcome is relatively unchanged, it may be time to relook

at the SLO and survey questions for future improvement.

It is apparent the Veteran’s Orientation is a success and the Student Veterans are not only reinforcing

their already acquired knowledge, they are also acquiring knowledge of SCC’s specific polices that

affect them. The VSO will continue to hold the Veteran’s orientations.

Conclusion - Our staff is offering our Veteran Services the student services needed. They will

continue to provide the services and also look for new and innovating ways to reach out to our

Veteran students.

It is the responsibility of the Assistant Dean of Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Veterans and the

Veterans Service Office staff to review the results of this study and attempt to implement any

recommendations that they deem desirable and manageable.

Santiago Canyon College

An Evaluation of Veterans Services Orientation

June 2016

The Veterans Service’s Office (VSO) designed and implemented an orientation to better assist

veterans about G.I. Education benefits as they navigate their educational journeys at Santiago

Canyon College (SCC). As part of the assessment plan, the staff implemented pre- and post-

assessments of the information they hope to impart to veterans during a two-hour orientation.

Included in the orientation is information regarding benefits available to them, academic policies

and responsibilities, and an introduction to the many support services available to help veterans

develop self-advocacy skills as they transition to civilian life.

Participants complete a survey prior to the orientation to identify their knowledge of topics to be

covered. At the conclusion of the orientation, the same survey is administered to assess what has

been learned (gains). Input from Fall 2015 orientation participants who completed both the pre-

and post-assessments (n=29) are included in this analysis.

Summary of Findings:

Generally, participants increased their knowledge in all areas (academic policies, responsibilities

and support services) as a result of attending the orientation. Other findings include:

Topics of Greatest Knowledge:

• Most participants identified three advantages of attending the VSO’s orientation as: 1)

receiving information about the GI benefits, 2) priority GI certification, and 3)

introduction to the different support services offered to them at SCC (93% pre- and 100%

post-assessment; 7 percentage point gain).

• Participants know that they must identify themselves as a veteran when seeking

assistance at the various SCC support services centers (90% pre- and 97% post-

assessment; 7 percentage point gain).

• Many veterans understood that they are allowed to "double-dip" in receiving financial aid

and GI benefits at the same time (86% pre- and 93% post-assessment; 7 percentage point

gain).

• Veteran participants were able to identify “SCC Certifying Official” as the contact to

certify unit enrollment necessary for Veterans Benefits (79% pre- and 79% post-

assessment; no gains/losses).

• More than three-quarters of the veteran participants understood that enrolling at SCC

does not automatically qualify them for Veterans benefits (72% pre- and 66% post-

assessment; 6 percentage point loss).

• Some respondents understood that they must repay some of their GI benefits to the

Veterans Affairs Administration if they repeat a course already successfully completed

and certified at another institution (69% pre- and 86% post-assessment; 17 percentage

point gain).

Topics of Least Knowledge: These topics have the lowest understanding among students-veterans; however, they also had the

highest gains in knowledge at the conclusion of the orientation.

• Some veteran-respondents were able to identify the Veteran Affairs (VA Muskogee, OK)

as their source of contact if they have questions about their GI benefits payments; there

was a significant gain in those who understood this after orientation (52% pre- and 86%

post-assessment; 34 percentage point gain).

• Slightly more than a quarter of the participants thought that all veterans receive priority

registration at SCC, regardless of their academic standing; this also had a significant gain

of those understanding at the conclusion of the orientation (28% pre- and 86% post-

assessment; 58 percentage point gain).

• Few participants knew that they have two semesters to receive GI benefits before they are

required to submit their official transcript to Veteran Affairs; this showed a significant

gain after orientation. (28% pre- and 48% post-assessment; 20 percentage point gain).

• Prior to orientation, about one-quarter of the participants (28%) were able to list three on-

campus support services available to assist them. This increased to 45% post-assessment

(a 17 percentage point gain).

• Very few participants knew that the Admissions and Records academic policy affects

veteran GI benefits (3% pre- and 41% post-assessment; 38 percentage point gain).

Topics of Lowest Gains:

These two topics have the lowest gains or losses and may be areas staff could continue to

emphasize to student-veterans.

• Veterans-participants were able to identify “SCC Certifying Official” as the contact to

certify unit enrollment necessary for Veterans Benefits (79% pre- and 79% post-

assessment; no gains/losses).

• More than three-quarters of the veteran-participants understood that enrolling at SCC

does not automatically qualify them for Veterans benefits (72% pre- and 66% post-

assessment; 6 percentage point loss).

Participant feedback shows that the Veterans Services Office's orientation is beneficial in

providing details to incoming veterans of benefits, requirements and, most importantly, college

services that support learning at SCC. Orientation topics for which low ratings in knowledge

were identified could be areas of focus for staff to address in future orientations and/or

conversations with student-veterans. It is also recommended that additional assessments be used

to better evaluate the effectiveness of the program based on the small number of program

participants.

VI. Data Analysis Section

Veteran Student Education Benefit Certification Count by year

Target

Population Vet

Program 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Veteran VRAP 3 4 0 0

Veteran 30 4 1 2 0

Veteran 33 60 84 92 96

Veteran 31 1 2 4 5

Reserves 1606 6 2 8 2

Reserves 1607 0 0 0 0

Dependent 35 8 12 12 14

Dependent 33TOE 0 0 2 2

Total Cert 82 105 120 119

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

VRAP

30

33

31

1606

1607

35

33TOE

TOTAL CERT

VSO Veteran Education Benefit Certifications

2015-16 2014-15 2013-14 2012-13

VII. Student Equity Prompt

Core Services provided that impact key student equity indicators

Access The Veterans Service Office (VSO) recognizes that student veterans have difficulty accessing

quality education. The VSO had been successful over the last few academic years as identifying

itself as SCC’s fully operational VSO. It partnered with the Financial Aid Office and received

startup funding from BFAP. Now it is receiving some General Funds funding and Equity

funding. This is important as Veterans identify this as an institutional commitment to

providing access exclusively for them.

Course Completion Student veterans have been identified as a risk group for Academic or Progress probation. The

VSO works with each student developing academic plans, certifying their veteran education

benefits and encouraging them with their course completion. We are working on developing

additional VSO exclusive programs intended to improve course completion. For example, a text

book library where student veterans can check out current text books each semester, and return

the books at the end of the semester at no cost. Our goal is to eliminate one barrier at a time and

clearing the path toward success.

Transfer Rate Student veterans can face challenges the rest of the student population may not face. They are

usually older than the traditional college students. A Veteran will enter college after serving

their country, and many will have established families already. Add to this, they may have

experienced military operations beyond the imagination of most civilians. These multiple

stressors which in general differ from the traditional college student, can affect student

veteran’s transfer and graduation rates. The VSO provides support by working with

community partners such as Strength In Support. Strength In Support is a non-profit

organization that provides onsite counseling for Veterans and their families. The VSO also

provides a network of resources available to Veterans that they may need off campus, for

example legal assistance or relocation services.

VIII. Future Direction &

Anticipated Changes

Challenges

New Veterans Services Office staffing

The lack of staffing has hindered our progression in both programs. Currently, the office is

staffed with one full-time coordinator and two short term staff members that are limited to

working a maximum of twenty-five hours a week for thirty-nine weeks out of the year. If the

Scholarship/VSO had more staffing, the office would be able to have more flexible office hours.

It would also be able to provide outreach to the veterans in the community and provide more

services to the veterans who are already on campus. This would assist us in increasing our

retention rate. The office is also in desperate need of supplies. The printer, copier and shredder

were all very old hand me downs from another department. The Scholarship/VSO is relying on

limited staff and old equipment to provide exceptional support to the men, women and family

members of our veterans also our scholarship student population.

At the beginning of the Spring 2016 semester the Veterans Service Office (VSO) went through a

total change of new temporary staffing. It is anticipated that the hiring process of a Student

Services Coordinator and Student Services Specialist will be completed by September of 2016,

however the institutional learning curve will have to be accounted for. It should also be noted

the Administrator, Assistant Dean of Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans, is also new to the

institution.

Familiarizing with Federal Veteran’s Department Regulations

With a new team in place, it is essential that the team work together to become acclimated with

the Veteran’s Education Benefits regulations, ensuring low to no risk to the institution and its

students.

SCC VSO Unique Identification

The VSO is beginning to develop their own unique identification and branding. It is important

that this is supported, while also exploring new mission and vision statements, developing new

goals, new student learning outcomes, and allowing the department freedom to grow.

Veterans Services Office Planning

Continue to partner with Equity and send newer staff to trainings and conferences that

focus on compliance

Balance oversight of the VSO and allow new staff and students to develop their office,

becoming that unique SCC VSO.

Facilities: Fall 2017

Larger office that includes 4 dedicated offices. An office for the following people:

1-Director/ Coordinator

1-Fulltime support staff

1-Part time support staff

1-Psychologlical Counselor (off campus partnership)

1- Academic Counselor

Technology: Fall 2018

Software to track veterans and their performance (Datatel does not have a screen for veterans so

the staff must rely on spreadsheets in order to track veteran information).

Equipment: Fall 2017

Flat screen TV

13 new computers

Industrial copier/fax (the Scholarship/VSO does not have a fax)

5 printers

2 shredders

Personnel: Fall 2018

Add the following permanent staff members:

1-Director

1- Counselor Academic

1 Full-time staff

1 Part-time staff

Appendix A

Map your department goals with the RSCCD 2013-2016 Strategic Plan. Using the table below, indicate the Board goals or objectives which your department supports. Explain briefly.

RSCCD Goal & Objectives Supporting Department Goals From

DPP

RSCCD will assess the educational needs of the

communities served by RSCCD and will adjust

instructional programs, offerings, and support

services and will allocate resources as needed to

optimize the alignment of students’ needs with

services and fiscal resources.

Continue to determine the needs of the

community

Develop sustainable, alternative revenue

streams to student educational needs

Continue to monitor student educational

preparation

The VSO departments holds Veteran

Orientations so that students are

familiar with the VSO and the services

it provides, including educational

success. Students will be coached and

supported through their Veteran

Educational Benefits and encouraged

to stay on track.

RSCCD will assess the educational needs of the

communities served by RSCCD and then pursue

partnerships with educational institutions, public

agencies, nonprofit organizations, and

business/industry/labor to collaboratively meet

those needs.

Strengthen outreach and recruitment;

develop new and sustain current

relationships with key partners and

stakeholders

Support regional development by

becoming the primary local source of

skilled employees for high demand

occupations

The VSO is in a unique position where

the community values and is willing to

support SCC’s veteran students. They

receive program support, furniture

donations and much more. The VSO in

turn lets the community know about

the work done by both the VSO and the

office as it services our Veteran Student

population.

RSCCD will annually improve the rates of course

completion and completion of requirements for

transfer, degrees, certificates, and diplomas.

Consistently and accurately measure

educational goal completion for

university transfer, degrees, certificates

and diplomas

Support integrated approaches to student

success and achievement

Identify economic barriers to student

achievement

The VSO ensures that Veteran Benefits

are being certified in a timely manner

and in compliance with Federal laws.

By doing this the VSO has a one-on-one

relationship with their students, aiding

with their success through guidance

and encouragement.

RSCCD will support innovations and initiatives

that result in quantifiable improvement in

student access, preparedness, and success.

Maintain and enhance the RSCCD’s

technological infrastructure

Support faculty development in the areas

of innovative pedagogies and curriculum

design

Examine course success rates by

population served and promote strategies

that foster student equity.

RSCCD will use a cycle of integrated planning

that will demonstrate the effective use of

resources.

Support and encourage focused green

practices

Utilize current processes to inform

program, facilities, human resources and

technology allocation

Evaluate the cycle of integrated planning