military education guide
population at Ohio’s public university and community college campuses, covering more than 11,000 students receiving some form of military or veteran benefits. Schupp compared the data during three semesters: fall 2008, fall 2009, and spring 2010, tracking eight variables and how they affected student veteran enrollment, plus how well each campus drew from available resources. He found if a school had fewer than 400 veterans, it would lose en- rollment. “If [veterans] can’t find each other, they’ll drop out. They’ll sup- port each other in a classroom, just like the unit mentality,” Schupp says. He also discovered schools with
Choosing Your School
The VA has assembled some helpful resources for veterans hoping to narrow down their college search. “Factors to Consider When Choosing a School” is an eight-page PDF document that covers six ques- tions to ask about schools you're considering. The VA also offers three
dedicated search functions, one for approved education and job training programs, one for approved license and certifica- tion programs, and one for ap- proved national exams, as well as information about attending foreign schools. To access these and other
helpful resources, visit www
.gibill.va.gov/resources/educa tion_resources/choosing_a_
school.html.
PHOTO: ZHONG CHEN/SHUTTERSTOCK
veteran lounges had large enroll- ment increases. And he found private colleges did better with veteran graduation rates because of their detailed attention to veterans in classrooms. Schupp then de- cided to start an initiative called the SERV Program, in which veterans attended general education classes without civilian counterparts. In one English 101 class, the veterans’ GPAs rose from 2.6 to 3.5. “Their frustration was the lack of discipline in the classroom,” Schupp says. “The vets had disci- pline and wanted focus and to suc- ceed. They’re all about the structure. The civilians’ attitudes are, ‘If I fail, I fail.’ But veterans have a time frame, four years, with the GI bill. Their at- titude is, ‘I can’t mess up.’ ” Meanwhile, at the Metropolitan
State College of Denver, a special ad hoc committee was formed spe- cifically to address veteran-friendly issues. Leroy Chavez, a Gulf War I veteran, is project director of the Federal TRIO Veterans Upward Bound program and started the committee four years ago. “The reason was that there had been a few demonstrations against the Iraq War and a presentation
on atrocities in Iraq,” Chavez says. “There were pictures presented that were somewhat disturbing. We were concerned about the impact on the veteran population.” At the time there were 800 student veter- ans using benefits, he notes. The committee discovered one
way to become more veteran- friendly was to “acknowledge that veterans have their own approach to different situations.” For example, when dealing with the college admissions process, they often are not aware of requirements. “A level of frustration builds up, particularly if they’re transition- ing immediately into a college environment,” Chavez says. “It’s a new behavior they’re not used to. They’re typically used to structure and a team mentality, where they can count on resources to be readily available. At college, there’s some- times a need to find them on your own. They don’t know where to start looking, and that would lead to be- coming irritated with the process.”
Finding a veteran-friendly campus An SVA chapter at the University of Arizona in Tucson has spearhead- ed state legislation to create more veteran-friendly campuses. Two bills introduced in early February received unanimous approval from their respective houses and became law this year. One, similar to Ohio’s GI Promise, grants all veterans in-state tuition, and the other allows Ari- zona post-secondary institutions to become certified as Arizona Veteran Supportive Campuses per state law. “The idea behind the bills was
that veterans perform significantly better when given a support network in which to reintegrate back into society and form individual support networks for both school and other items, such as disability or stress,”
MOAA’ S MILITARY E D UCATION GUIDE NOVEMBER 2011 MILITARY OFFICER F
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108