complete the senior leaders’ course can earn 18 hours toward a Bachelor of Arts on the global and military issue track. Officers who have completed the Cap- tains’ Career Course can earn nine credit hours toward a Masters degree. Mark Ridley, director of military affairs
at CSU, says the university averages about 700 veterans and their family members at any one time, so the leadership has set up programs to assist them. A certified vet-
erans’ official on main campus manages soldiers and their dependents using GI bill, and twice a week an advisor is also available on Fort Benning. If there is suf- ficient demand, the university will also offer some classes on post. Several courses, including a couple on
the Master’s level, are available online, and Ridley says that since the university is accredited, credits are easily transferable to and from CSU.
The faculty appreciates the military pres-
ence in the classroom. “Tey come to class focused and prepared,” Ridley explains and adds, “They bring lot of maturity that may be relevant to the class.”
Columbus Technical College Columbus Technical College also serves
a large number of veterans, active duty sol- diers, reservists and their families. Accord- ing to Registrar Dr. Sarah Beecham, 850 to 900 military-affiliated students attend the college on an annual basis. “We are in a unique position to serve
veterans who come out of active duty and have skills we can enhance or train with a quick turn around of 9 to 24 months,” Bee- cham explains. For the first time, Columbus Tech is
taking courses popular with soldiers to the installation. Many courses are also offered online or as a hybrid with 50 per- cent or less of the time actually in class. In addition, the college is working with the Warrior Transition Battalion to meet the soldiers’ educational needs while they are undergoing rehabilitation. Beecham points out that the Technical
College System of Georgia has partnered with the University of Georgia and 27 classes at Columbus Tech are transferable within the UGA system, and accredited course are also transferable to other two- and four-year universities. Military and their family members can
also get good financial deals. Georgia is unique, Beecham points out, since fam- ily members of active duty soldiers at Fort Benning are considered to be Georgia resi- dents and qualify for the HOPE scholar- ship. “If you are a military dependent and moving to the area, you can’t get any bet- ter than 90 percent of your education paid for, and you can leave with a diploma in healthcare or in a business area or techni- cal program,” she says.
Chattahoochee Valley Community College
Chattahoochee Valley Community Col-
lege in Phenix City has been recognized as a “military friendly” college by GI jobs for the last three years, according to Dr. David N. Hodge, CVCC vice president and dean. He says, about 11 percent of their students access some sort of military funding. With those numbers in mind, the college
16 Columbus and the Valley August 2012
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