vkc veterans day newsletter

VETERANS KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY

Our Salute to VeteransNovember Newsletter

John Mikelson, ChairDavid Vacchi, Research and Publications RepresentativeCristin Goss - G.I. Jobs Magazine, Newsletter Design

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A MILITARY SUPPORTIVE CAMPUS

he term “Military Friendly” is probably one of the most overused phrases in higher education today. The only problem with calling ourselves Military Friendly is that the term itself is somewhat misleading. Being “friendly” could mean something completely different at each institution you visit. I prefer to use military supportive since we are in the business of providing not only an education to this new group of returning service men and woman but also provide support to ensure they are better prepared to transition from the military commu-nity to our campus community. Every institution wants to say…HEY YOU! We are a military friendly school, so enroll here and let us provide you with a quality education…ohhhh, and while you’re at it give us your GI Bill benefits too! It might sound a little harsh, but it’s the truth. Every school wants to lower the discount rate and get full tuition and fees from each student. With the current economic conditions that is becoming more difficult each year; however, veterans who are 100% eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill provide the school with the most financial gain (along with International students of course). My personal philosophy in regard to serving the stu-dent veteran community transcends the type of institu-tion in which those individuals are enrolled. I believe that whether the student is taking courses in a Com-munity College or at a 4 year private or public institu-tion the ground work for serving this group essentially remains the same. The overarching goal of every college and university should be to provide the student veteran and their dependents with the easiest transition from military service to a student in the classroom. Obviously a larger institution will have various resources at their disposal to assist the student compared to a small Com-munity College; however, many services require little to no cost to the school trying to implement them. After many years of military conflict higher education has faced a wave of military service members requiring more consistent approaches to meet their unique educa-tional needs (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2010). The Council for Advance-ment of Standards in Higher Education recently released new standards for higher education when responding to military service members, veterans, and their families transitioning from military service (Council for the

Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2010). As the number of student veterans enrolling in higher education continues to rise, the institu-tion has a responsibility to allocate resources specific to the needs of this group. “Resources for military veterans in colleges across the country are lacking, according to a study released by researchers with the National Survey of Student Engagement” (Ingles, 2010). Veterans require an extensive support system both inside and outside the classroom. Blumke (2009) discussed the various types of barriers that student veterans face when transitioning into col-lege life. Social, administrative, and psychological barriers confront this student group with issues that the traditional college student may never have had to consider (Blumke, 2009). In order to implement programs that meet the unique needs of this group, student affairs professionals must continue to edu-cate themselves on this student population both now and well into the future. Veteran students come to college with a different outlook on life from the traditional undergraduate student causing a barrier for these two groups to relate to one another (Hadley, 2010). Most college freshmen are 18 years old and entering college fresh out of high school. When student veterans arrive at the institution it is usually a number of years since they graduated, most have families, and many have had life altering experiences on the battlefield. The creation of learning communities and/or a Peer 2 Peer Mentorship Program for student veterans is a way in which this problem could be alleviated (Hadley, 2010). It allows the student veteran the opportunity to interact with other students that may have shared some of the same experiences, but also understands the military community. Student Veterans appreciate the opportunity to take part in community service. In most instances it allows the veteran to feel as though they are giving back to the community which evokes similar emotions to when the veteran served. The military is a unique culture that revolves around the idea of camaraderie. Allow-ing these students to maintain some of the character-istics that were so much a part of their lives will assist with their success in the classroom.

VKC FALL NEWSLETTER / NOVEMBER 2012 / www.naspa.org/kc/veterans1

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by Lauren Williams, Marywood University

On your enrollment application don’t just ask if they are a Veteran; rather, ask if the individual has ever been affiliated with the US Military and in what capacity: (active, veteran, reserve/national guard, spouse, or dependent). This is typically a 2-3 part question.

Ensure students are aware of the name and location of the VA Certifying Official. Try to connect new student veterans to older student veterans and faculty and staff known to be veterans.

Encourage your student veterans to create a Veteran Club. As part of this allow the maximum self-direction for this organization, but provide a mentor. Ensure this club does not serve to isolate student veterans on your campus; find ways to get this club involved in community and campus work done by other clubs as well.

If your institution does not have a counseling center or is not equipped to provide counseling for military-related PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or reintegration issues of veterans, reach out to your local VetCenter and create a partnership to provide FREE counseling services to veterans.

If none of the examples above are doable on your campus contact your student veterans and ask them what they want changed on your campus. Create a Task Force and get involved! Your support is usually the catalyst needed to spark a campus-wide initiative!

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Quick and Simple Examples to Make Your Institution

More Military Supportive

In Pursuit of Education:Honoring Those Who’ve Used the GI Bill

ith the stroke of a pen, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a promise to our country’s Veterans by signing the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. With the Act’s passage, the idea of obtaining a higher education didn’t seem so farfetched. The ability to move up the social and economic ladder wasn’t just a dream anymore for those who served our country during wartime. Instead, the Act, simply known as the GI Bill of Rights, was a sign of hope for a brighter future. Since the GI Bill of Rights was passed, the number of Veterans enrolled in college and universities across the country has grown throughout the years. Forty-ninepercent of World War II Vets used their benefits, forty-three percent of Korean Vets dipped into the funds, and seventy-one percent of Vietnam Vets took advantage of their education benefits. Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill rolled out in 2009, VA has awarded more than $22 bil-lion in benefits to over 822,000 individuals. Something worth celebrating! Now, we want to honor all of those who have used their education benefits in pursuit of a higher education. We here at VA need your help to recognize the Veterans who’ve gone on to transcend the battlefield and successfully complete an undergraduate or graduate degree, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, and entrepreneurship training. Here is how you can help: Please send a photograph of yourself for a new Flickr set we’ll be creating—or a Veteran you’d like to acknowledge—on graduation day. We’d love to see the cap and gown, holding the diploma shot! You’ll need to include name, branch of service, dates served, school attended, what you received your degree in, and date of graduation or receipt of the licensing or certification. Please send all information to [email protected] by Friday October 12.


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by Kate Hoit, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

Successfully Transitioning from the Military to College Academics

ilitary veterans who start college may struggle to complete their degrees, compared with their non-veteran peers. Billions of dollars are lost annually on college attrition and wasted G.I. Bill benefits. Such staggering figures do not even begin to address the number of students simply underachieving (i.e. B students who could be A students). Our government is doing a great job providing financial resources to veterans for college; but what about teach-ing them how to actually succeed upon arrival? While the life transition for veterans goes far beyond academics the likelihood of overall success is significantly increased if stress associated with the academic transition is lessened. If veterans are reached before they actually begin classes we can teach them necessary skills to implement in their curriculum. Why do so many students struggle during their first year in college? The main reason is their inability to effectively transition from military to college academics—yet this struggle has little to do with one’s level of intelligence or discipline; it has everything to do with the lack of educa-tion on this transitional period. Let’s view this through the veteran’s eyes. The average veteran student entering college after military service is in his or her mid-twenties. She has a wealth of management experience but not much that is academically applicable. She has not written a paper, conducted research, or studied for an academic test in approximately 5-8 years. To magnify this problem, the veteran’s academic frame of reference is high school, which is a completely different learning environment than college and requires different skills. This is akin to training for a football game by playing soccer five years prior. It’s actu-ally unfair that we expect success. Believe it or not though this actually is good news because skills can be taught and veterans are great learners. The cultural transition also affects the veteran’s academic journey. He moves from an incredibly selfless environment to a much more self-centered environment. This is a major source of discomfort to a veteran. College academics are a very solo pursuit. How many students share the exact the same schedule of classes? Probably none. Veterans have had the team-concept imbedded in their training from day one and when they start school, they are largely on their own. This team-mentality differentiates veterans in a very positive way. Keep this in mind if you are a hiring manager. That said, this mentality runs in direct conflict with the solo pursuit of a college degree. The solution is twofold: Joining a team of some kind (sports, music, volunteer, job, etc.)

and succeeding in the classroom. Success in the classroom creates a feeling of comfort and when a veteran is making the grade in the class-room he becomes more acclimated in his environment and is reminded of the leader he still is. Time-management may be the biggest hurdle for veterans to overcome. We assume because veterans pos-sess great discipline (and they do) that this discipline can be directly applied to academics. It’s not that simple. In the military, especially at the junior level, (which is where most students came from) these men and women were told where to be, when to be there, what to do, and how to do it. Orders are clear and if they are not, there is a senior leader (think Drill Sergeant or Chief Petty Officer) very close by to crack the whip. Not only does this leader not exist in college but the problem is magnified by the fact that most of college is self-guided. Self- guided you say? What do you mean? We have all these wonderful professors and advisors, right? True, but once again let’s look at the student’s perspective. If a student is taking 15 credit hours, a normal course load, and we very roughly assume that a student needs to study 2-3 hours per class hour, we are asking them to study up to 45 hours a week. This directly implies that almost 75% of college academics is self-guided! This is huge leap for a military veteran who is coming from an extremely structured environment. To compound the issue, most veterans aren’t taught the skills to imple-ment during that external 45 hours. This would be like assigning a soldier a tank to drive but not teaching him how to operate it. More good news though, time-man-agement can be taught; veterans can easily learn how to estimate necessary study-times, set goals, and track progress. Once they do this, they add structure to col-lege and guess what else happens? Their grades improve and the success cycle continues to spiral in the positive direction. The bright side is that failure is preventable and suc-cess in the form of a high grade point average (GPA) is achievable for almost every student regardless of his or her natural aptitude or academic background. We as educators simply need to reach our veterans prior to ar-rival and teach them crucial academics skills. Once we do this, and then foster a community on campus, not only will we see veterans succeed but we will also see a group of students still dedicated to service contribute something very positive to campus.


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David Cass is the author of “The Strategic Student: Successfully Transitioning from the Military to College Academics”. He is also the founder of Uvize, an education technology company, a former Navy Officer and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

David can be reached at [email protected]

by David Cass, University of Colorado, Boulder

LIFE WITHOUT DOG TAGSefore a returning soldier arrives home from deployment they are told that it is their responsibility to readjust to civilian life, return to that person they used to be before wearing a uniform in service of their country. This should be a period of acclimation and discovery of who they have become, a period of understanding, while cel-ebrating and re-connecting with family and friends and not a time to transition to who they used to be. Soldiers often encountered life changing situations while serving. These contribute to the new individual (new normal) they have become and this affects all of their relationships. There is an old Indian saying, “You can never step in the same river twice,” because the river keeps flowing regardless of you being there or not. The soldier’s homecoming is to a different place than the one they left and coping skills are required. While the homecoming is anticipated with feelings of happi-ness and relief, it comes with the sense of re-entering a conversation that is uncomfortable. It is also com-monly associated with difficulties readjusting to living and thinking in a civilian life and accepting their new normal as a veteran and not the old civilian they used to be before service. While in the service, soldiers gain skills and competen-cies that few civilians will ever achieve and need to learn how to be productive with them.

A veteran who tries to remove them will not improve their situation. The skills they learned allowed them to survive and to be effective on the battlefield. Now that they are home, this knowledge should help them adapt to civilian life - same skills, different situations. Although returning to civilian life, they might look like and act like the person they used to be but they are not; they are veterans without dog tags. Veterans must risk the opportunity of engaging with civilians though there is a risk that they might be misunderstood, the value outweighs the choice of being silent. As a community, we want our soldiers back home, just as much as the return-ing soldier wants to be back here. There must be an understanding of the difference between the civilian and the veteran and there must be a level of trust. It is a win-win situation for us all. Every day is a celebration for someone who has hung up their dog tags and assimilated to an active life. Many people and organizations want to help the veteran become the new normal; to realize with pride and assuredness what the veteran has done, experienced, and achieved while in uniform. Though many don’t often say it, we are all proud of our veterans and want to welcome you home.

“Welcome Home.”


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by Jack Head, Combat Veteran - Vietnam War

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN: WHAT ABOUT WOMEN?

emale veterans face their own unique challenges.

Here are some ways one school is making a difference.

Catherine Ward, coordinator of Veterans Student Services at California State University-Fullerton, has helped target services for women veterans at her campus. She created the following checklist to help other schools become more accommodating for women veterans.

Opportunity to Connect Providing an opportunity for female veterans to gather and share their stories, build friendships and feel safe among their peers is invaluable. Provide this opportunity by organizing support groups and meeting times through-out the week, specifically for women on campus. Also, pro-mote women veteran community network opportunities.

Mentoring Program Creating a mentoring program for female veterans can help familiarize the new student veteran with campus life, academic and student affairs offices, and campus resources. The friendship that develops between mentor and mentee has a lasting positive impact on their school experience and academic success.

Leadership and Empowerment Although there are more women in the military than ever before, they are still in the minority and remain under-served and under-represented in most arenas. Connecting women veterans with leadership opportunities through campus organizations, leadership training and confer-ences, and through community service can boost feelings of empowerment and assist in personal and professional development.

Counseling with a Female Provider According to a 2010 article published by the Office of Women in Higher Education and the American Council on Education, female veterans returning to college are “… less likely to seek services if their only option is a male coun-selor.” Having a woman academic or personal counselor available can assist in putting the fear and hesitation of seeking services at ease.

Childcare Options Women veterans are often the primary caretakers of their children. Providing affordable childcare on campus, reserv-ing spaces for last-minute reservations for returning

veterans, and/or collaboration with nearby community organizations can be a great help during their transition.

VA Reps on Campus Due to work and school schedules, it is often difficult to make an appointment at the VA. Invite VA repre-sentatives to visit your campus to “get the word out” regarding services and benefits that are provided for veterans, and especially benefits that are specifically available for female veterans.

Career Counseling Veterans often need assistance translating the skills and abilities they acquired in the military into language that is meaningful on a résumé and significant in an in-terview. Assistance with job searches, résumé-building and interview skills can help female veterans boost their self-confidence, self-efficacy and career preparedness. Offer special dates and times for veterans to schedule an appointment with a career counselor who is especially trained to translate their military experience to civilian career language. Other efforts might include organizing group visits to the campus career center and locating a community educator who would be willing to do an on- campus workshop designed for female veterans.

Brightwell’s advice: Be aware of your audience. As a military veteran, you are used to dealing with other military folks. Civilians, especially younger college students, may not be as ma-ture and as focused as you. Also, older civilians seem to really respect your service to our country. But younger people, like the folks you’ll meet in the classroom, may not look at your military service the same way, so don’t assume that they will show you the respect you may feel you’ve earned.

Administrator’s Advice: Robert Shields, coordinator of Cleveland State Uni-versity’s Veteran Student Success Program, offered the following three tips for new military students:

- If you need help, ask. You are not alone.- Embrace the potential and opportunities that come with attending college.- Do not doubt your ability to learn and succeed. You already understand mission and hard work. These skills will help you succeed.


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by Matthew Pavelek, G.I. Jobs Magazine

RUTGERS:Where the Success of Veterans and Military is a Priority

n September of 2008, two student veterans attended the first University Senate meeting of Rutgers University’s academic year. At that meeting, they politely challenged the president of the university to do more to attract veterans and service members to Rutgers and to do more to ensure their success during their tenure. Un-fortunately, no one at Rutgers knew exactly how many veterans and service members were attending Rutgers or what their graduation rate was. However, as a result of events that have unfolded because of those students’ challenge, the student veteran population at Rutgers has grown dramatically and the university has been ranked 3rd in the nation by the Military Times Edge Magazine for having the success of veterans and military as a priority. Soon after that Senate encounter, the president estab-lished a university-wide committee not only to answer those specific questions but also to evaluate services for veterans and recommend additional programs to better address the needs of student veterans and active duty service members. The committee consisted of representatives from each of the university’s three campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, including senior administrators and deans, faculty and staff, service providers and student veterans. The committee’s report contained 14 recommendations and was sent to the president in January 2009. Recommendations that were implemented include: appointing a Coordinator of Veterans Services on each of the University’s three campuses; conducting a veterans and military breakout session as part of the University’s overall student orientation program; establishing a student veteran organization on each cam-pus; and, most important, establishing the Office of Veterans and Military Programs and Services with the

mission to ensure the development, coordination, and quality of policies, programs, activities, and services for veterans and service mem-bers across the university. The success of these veteran service initiatives, the status of Rutgers as a Level 1 research university, and the strong support of the president, faculty, staff and students have yielded a huge increase in the veteran and military student population. During the 2008-09 academic year, Rutgers had only 396 veterans using VA Educational Benefits. When the Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services was established in July 2010, 446 student veterans used these benefits. By Fall 2012 that number had grown to 1,277. A vital contributor to this growth is word-of-mouth testimonials. Rutgers’ student veterans and military are telling the men and women in the units they left that Rutgers is a university that appreciates their service and that the veterans who staff the Of-fice of Veteran and Military Programs and Services will assist them with the enrollment process and re-solve any and all issues once they arrive on campus. As President Robert L. Barchi recently stated on the Rutgers website, “Members of our nation’s armed forces deserve our immense respect and admiration. They put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect us and our freedoms, and we owe them our lasting gratitude. Here at Rutgers, we seek to honor these brave men and women by helping those who are seeking to pursue a college degree as they re-enter civilian life. We strive to provide veterans with the services they need to thrive at Rutgers.” Our veterans and service members clearly under-stand, Rutgers is a school where their success is a priority.


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by Colonel Stephen G. Abel, U.S. Army Retired, Rutgers

vkc veterans day newsletter

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military friendly school

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