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Fortifying the Front Lines in Serving Student Veterans

Fortifying the Front Lines in Serving Student Veterans. November 7, 2013 Amy Sherman AVP, Policy and Strategic Alliances. Today’s Presentation. Introductions Overview Collaborative Models for Veteran Students’ Success VHEAG UIC-VA partnership AIMS. Veterans’ Challenges.

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Fortifying the Front Lines in Serving Student Veterans

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  1. Fortifying the Front Lines in Serving Student Veterans November 7, 2013 Amy Sherman AVP, Policy and Strategic Alliances

  2. Today’s Presentation • Introductions • Overview • Collaborative Models for Veteran Students’ Success • VHEAG • UIC-VA partnership • AIMS

  3. Veterans’ Challenges

  4. Veterans’ Challenges

  5. Education as Anti-Poverty Strategy Percentage of Veterans in Poverty by Educational Attainment, 2000 and 2010

  6. More Veterans with Some College and No Degree

  7. Federal Investment in Veterans’ Higher Education • $30 billion in federal investment under the Post-9/11 GI Bill • Almost one million veterans, service members and their familieshave used benefits provided through the Post- 9/11 GI Bill to attend college

  8. CAEL’s Role • Promoting a system-based approach • Building capacity of regional higher education institutions to better serve student veterans • Engaging employers in supporting veteran employment

  9. Veterans Higher Education Affinity Group • McCormick Initiative • Representatives from over 25 Chicago area colleges • Frontline service staff/veterans services coordinators • Collaboration to address challenges

  10. Affinity Group Goals The Veterans Higher Education Affinity Group’s goals include: • Share best practices • Troubleshoot issues and challenges • Provide professional development • Identify joint advocacy opportunities

  11. Sample Affinity Group Topics • Veteran student orientation • Career/education advising • Education benefits • Student Veterans of America • Prior Learning Assessment

  12. Workshops • Career/education advising • Prior Learning Assessment • Behavioral workshop • Faculty (in development) • Returning to Learning

  13. Advising Workshop Topics • An overview of the veteran population • Transferability of military skills • Prior learning assessment • Veterans and behavioral health • Academic success strategies for veterans

  14. Buy In From the Top:Valuing Veterans Event 23 College and University Presidents signed a pledge affirming their commitment to serving student veterans

  15. Other Group Outcomes • Veterans Resource Centers • Career Advising • Job search assistance • Counseling or Workshops on "Re-Entry" for Veterans Returning from Service

  16. A Statewide Approach:Illinois Joining Forces

  17. Education Working Group • Higher education, government, and non-profits • PLA pilot • Faculty training • Student career summit (with SVA and employment working group)

  18. “Investing In Veterans: The Need for Career and Education Advising”

  19. Information Overload

  20. Timing is Everything • Especially needed at three transition points: • Separation from the military • Post-military transition • Enrollment in postsecondary institutions

  21. What Education and Career Help Do Veterans Need? • Translating/cross-walking military experience to civilian jobs and college-level learning • Navigating postsecondary education • Gaining recognition of their military learning for credit • Developing job readiness and employer referrals • Securing transition jobs

  22. Examples of advising models for each transition point

  23. What Is PLA? Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a term used by educators to describe the process of evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college credit for learning from:

  24. Relationship between PLA and College Graduation

  25. What is LearningCounts? • CAEL’s One Stop Online PLA Portal • Access to the College Credit Predictor and a College Credit Specialist • Portfolio Development Courses • Individualized Expert Assessment

  26. Jason

  27. Value of Supports in Veterans’ Education • Tillman Study: • Examined the status of student veterans at 9 universities with “solid supports for military students” • Compared their experiences with traditional undergraduates Source: Wang, W.A. and Powers, J.T. (November 2011). Completing the Mission: A Pilot Study of Veteran Students’ Progress Toward Degree Attainment in the Post-9/11 Era. Pat Tillman Foundation and Operation College Promise.

  28. “Solid” Military Supports The Tillman Study looked for: • Office/coordinator • Veterans’ organization • In-state tuition/other scholarships • Transfer policy (SOC) • Separate orientation • Expedited readmission • Veterans’ website • Ceremonies • Veterans’ housing • Career counseling/peer mentoring Source: Wang, W.A. and Powers, J.T. (November 2011). Completing the Mission: A Pilot Study of Veteran Students’ Progress Toward Degree Attainment in the Post-9/11 Era. Pat Tillman Foundation and Operation College Promise.

  29. Return on Investment in Advising and Student Support Services A study by the Pat Tillman Foundation of student veterans with access to on-campus support systems from fall 2010 to spring 2011 found: Source: Pat Tillman Foundation: Completing the Mission 2011 http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Completing-the-Mission.pdf Source: Wang, W.A. and Powers, J.T. (November 2011). Completing the Mission: A Pilot Study of Veteran Students’ Progress Toward Degree Attainment in the Post-9/11 Era. Pat Tillman Foundation and Operation College Promise.

  30. A Collaborative Process UIC Student Veteran Affairs

  31. The University of Illinois at Chicago • With an enrollment of over 27,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest university in the Chicago area. • Veterans are less than 5% of the student population

  32. UIC Student Veteran Affairs • Function began 2010 • 1 Full time dedicated staff member • How is the institution currently serving and how do we wish to serve student veterans?

  33. Developing Critical Partnerships • Internal: Counseling Center, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Registrar, SVA, Current veteran students • External: Jesse Brown VA

  34. Jesse Brown VA • Students currently use the facility • Easily accessible to campus • OIF/OEF/OND Clinic • Women’s Clinic

  35. Veterans Integration To Academic Leadership (VITAL) • VITAL is a joint effort between the VA and universities that helps facilitate the transition from soldier to student. • UIC has partnered with JBVAMC to provide this service to our student veterans • Official start date: January 2013

  36. UIC/VITAL Partnership • Impact the university community and the veteran student community • One on One Counseling for Veteran Students • Increase awareness of VA services • Educate faculty and staff on veteran student issues

  37. Importance of Faculty and Staff Training • Faculty and Staff training is useful in reducing confusion and stigma related to the student veteran population. • Raises awareness among faculty of available institutional services for veterans.

  38. Stated Objectives of Staff Training • To orient staff to the OEF/OIF/OND experience and military culture. • To describe this demographic and the issues they face. • To provide basic information about PTSD and TBI. • To suggest effective means of support/intervention/ accommodations for student veterans.

  39. Topics • Military Culture • OIF/OEF/OND Experience • Transitioning Home • Understanding the Student Veteran Experience

  40. Outcomes for Participants • Increased knowledge • 85% of participants rated the workshop as good or very good • 75% stated they had a better understanding of military culture

  41. Institutional Benefits Increase retention rates and academic success of your student veteran population. Train a large number of people on military competency and mental health Increase the number of student veterans experiencing post-deployment stress who are referred to on- and off-campus support services. Build awareness of the universities commitment to support veterans.

  42. Lessons Learned Partnering with internal stakeholders: • Creates buy-in from the campus community • Assists in moving your agenda forward • Allies sometimes come from the most unlikely places

  43. The Beginning • El Paso Community College and The University of Texas at El Paso • Shared student body – approximately 80% of UTEP students have taken one or more classes at EPCC • Shared Student Information System / Portal • Financial Aid Consortium Agreement • Common Student ID #s • 2 + 2 Degree Plans, Reverse Transfer

  44. El Paso Community College and The University of Texas at El Paso • Fort Bliss and the Military Affiliated Student Population • 1,700 square miles • Army’s 2nd largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range • 30,000 – 40,000 active duty soldiers • Home to 1st Armored Division, 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 212th Fires Brigade, and the 402nd Field Artillery Brigade • UTEP MAS: ≈ 1,500

  45. El Paso Community College and The University of Texas at El Paso • Fort Bliss and the Military Affiliated Student Population • Top in-and-out transfer posts from Fort Bliss • Fort Benning • Fort Gordon • Fort Leavenworth • Fort Lee • Fort Sill Other top transfer spots: • Korea • Home

  46. El Paso Community College and The University of Texas at El Paso • Fort Bliss and the Military Affiliated Student Population • Partner Institutions Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX El Paso Community College UTEP Ft. Benning, Columbus, GA Columbus State University Ft. Gordon, Augusta, GA Georgia Regents University Ft. Leavenworth, Leavenworth, KS Kansas City Kansas CC Ft. Lee, Petersburg, VA Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Virginia State University Fort Sill, Lawton, OK Cameron University Fort Stewart, Hinesville, GA Armstrong Atlantic State Univ.

  47. Vision Enrich the lives of military affiliated students and their families through increased and improved access to higher education opportunities at public colleges and universities through a model that will be nationally and internationally recognized for academic institutions to work together in a way that will promote innovative collaboration to meet the growing educational and workforce needs of the United States.

  48. Goals • Build a network of public colleges and universities near top Fort Bliss transfer posts • Assemble an inventory of programs, consortiums, and designations to create a common core of familiar opportunities for military affiliated students as they move from post to post • Create alignmentbased on popular degrees so that students can declare any of the Network institutions as his/her home and transfer courses efficiently • Identify and market on-campus opportunities for military-affiliated students in a way that positively impacts both their experience and the campus at large • Inventory existing technology for efficient use of current resources and create synergy to promote communication, advising, and promotion of the degree completion goal

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