Developing a Comprehensive State-wide Veterans Re-Entry Education Program

Rapidly Growing Veteran Population on Campus

Over the past several years, colleges and universities have experienced a rapid increase in the presence of veterans and service members on campus.  Nationally, the number of individuals funded through the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs has increased by 51% with the advent of the new 9-11 GI Bill, Chapter 33 (National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics).  In the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, a system of seven state universities and 24 community and technical colleges located in 54 communities, there has been a similarly sharp rise in students who are veterans and service members.  Overall, the system has seen a 43.7% increase in enrollment from fiscal year 2008 to 2010, with much of that increase coming from a 54% increase in the veterans and service member enrollment in the technical and community colleges alone.  The numbers swell even higher when family members are added.

Minnesota is ranked 21st in population nationally but has the fifth largest National Guard in the United States, although it has no military bases. Since 2001, the Minnesota National Guard has grown more than 12% with over 13,500 Soldiers and Airmen serving. In 2009, deployed Minnesotans comprised 54% of the Guard and Reserve and 46% of the active duty while the national average for states was 72% of deployed serving in Active Duty and 28% originating from Guard and Reserve forces (Department of Defense, 2009).   Since 9/11, more than 22,000 National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and –Airmen from Minnesota have been deployed in support of this federal mission. (Minnesota National Guard, 2011) 

Colleges at the Heart of Veteran Support

When these Minnesotans return from their deployments, they spend less than a week on a military installation and then return to their hometown.  Their point of reintegration is their hometown, not a major military installation with support services, and the local college or university is often at the heart of their support network.  The same is true in varying degrees for states and communities across the country, and colleges and universities must be prepared to invest in supporting their learning.

The rapid increase in this population of students brings challenges and assets (like other student populations).  Veterans, service members and their families are a very diverse group –age, gender, ethnicity, politics, personal health, attitudes, mental health, interests and abilities.  Yet, their military experience forms a bond that creates and solidifies the group.  As colleges and universities strive to make their campuses more veterans friendly, the first step in developing welcoming campuses is to listen to these students to hear their learning and support needs.  The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities have been working with the University of Minnesota to generate data representing the voice of our student veterans.  Healthy Campus surveys have been conducted with data analyzed for participating campuses and  aggregated for the state to look at the physical, mental health, financial, social and personal behaviors and needs of students who are veterans compared to the those of the full population.  These studies, rich with data on student needs, are available at www.bhs.umn.edu/surveys/index.htm .

In Minnesota, colleges and universities have heard a need for a support team and an infrastructure that facilitates a friendly environment.  Nationally, a number of writers have described the elements of a veteran’s friendly campus (Ackerman & DiRamio, 2009).  Second, and foremost, is a need for faculty and staff awareness and sensitivity training.  All employees at a college or university can say or do things that could be insulting, and sometimes this happens.  Yet almost all of those offending words or deeds are said or done without malice, intent or without knowledge.  Over the past several years, hundreds of hours of employee training sessions have been conducted, most in partnership with a veterans affairs and /or a military staff person.   Training sessions on campus can help to bring an awareness of possible concerns and is a base level step. 

Next, before an institution gets very far down the veterans friendly road, the campus should develop a veteran’s center.  The experience in Minnesota indicates that veterans need, appreciate and use a veteran’s center on campus.  This is a place to get information, to get and give support and to feel safe and comfortable.   Minnesota with its statewide partnership focused on the Minnesota National Guard’s groundbreaking “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program” for the reintegration of our returning veterans, has been fortunate to have a statewide network of 12 regional Higher Education Veterans Coordinators that serve all public and private institutions.  This program, passed and funded with bipartisan support from the state legislature and the governor in 2006, has provided the impetus for the development of campus veteran’s centers throughout the state.  Currently there are 52 veteran’s centers on the 54 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses and other centers at some non-System campuses.  None of these centers has received additional state or federal dollars for establishment or for on-going operational expenses.  They have been developed and maintained with local college and university support. 

Effective advising is a concern especially for veterans and service members whose funding is often complex and sometimes requires careful maneuvering.  Advising can be difficult at the college or university since this information is not always well known by campus advisors.  The Higher Education Veterans Coordinators who are employees of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, are hosted at campus veteran’s centers, and are able to fill this gap.  The coordinators are a major resource for higher education veterans’ benefits information along with a program website, www.MyMilitaryEducation.org.  This website is funded by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and operated by the support center of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Minnesota Online.  Over 33,000 contacts from almost 4,000 cities worldwide were made by Veterans, service members and families to MyMilitaryEducation.org. Veterans, service members and their families can obtain information on educational opportunities, military benefits and personal concerns.  A team of advisors, including a credentialed counselor, are available and the system has extended work hours and international communication capabilities both electronic and in person.  In 2009, Minnesota Online also began serving as the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs electronic help site www.Minnesotaveteran.org  for the range of veteran’s services in addition to higher education.

Campuses might strive to provide services that create a comfortable climate, but find that their policies might be unfriendly.  In 2006, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities conducted a systematic review of its policies for possible barriers to veterans, service members and their families.  This study was conducted as a part of the statewide “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program” and was mandated for all state agencies including higher education.   Several changes in legislation and System policy provided the state level support for campus operations.  For example, legislation and System policy provides guidance to business offices to defer tuition, fees and book charges for veterans who are awaiting the arrival of federal or state education benefits.  System policy allows veterans, service members and their dependents and spouses to be eligible for in-state tuition rates at any of the System’s 54 campuses.  Perhaps most importantly is law and policy that protects service members who are deployed, on training or attending required service related medical appointments. 

Academic credit is at the very core of being a veteran’s friendly campus.  Recognizing and honoring the training that military members receive is both an imperative and a very complex challenge.  Awarding credit for military training and experience is complex because the analysis of curriculum in comparison with the military training is time consuming, even with the assistance of the excellent materials produced by the American Council on Education.  In listening to the voices of veterans and service members, and involving campus transfer specialists and faculty, a new electronic system has been developed to determine how military training will relate to specific majors and programs at Minnesota colleges and universities.  By accessing the interactive Veterans Education Transfer System (VETS) www.veterans.mnscu.edu created through a congressionally-directed federal grant, veterans and service members are able to enter their military training information by using their military occupation code  (i.e. such as Army Military Occupational Specialty, MOS).  They then receive a listing of programs awarding credits and those programs that are most closely related.  Program descriptions, labor market information and a degree audit report are also available through this site.   This system is fulfilling the request of those returning soldiers who asked for better information and processes for awarding credit for their military training and experience.  In addition, System colleges and universities are using VETS to analyze and record credit requests of veterans and service members (AARTS, SMARTS, etc). 

Another technological innovation inspired by the voices of our veterans and service members is MyMilitary GPS LifePlan,   www.gpslifeplan.org/mnscumilitary.  Prior to a 2009 deployment to Iraq , officers from the Minnesota National Guard requested assistance from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for the development of a career, education and life planning tool that could be used in country with soldiers.  MyMilitary GPS LifePlan is based on a life planning websites developed and tested at 20 System campuses. In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota National Guard, My Military GPS LifePlan has been developed and is being used by veterans, service members and their families.  The five areas for planning resources are career, education, finance, leadership and personal.  Each of these areas is the front page for a multitude of planning resources and materials developed and tested by faculty and counselors and validated with veterans, service members and their families. 

Becoming a veteran’s friendly college, university or higher education system requires a fully comprehensive program of services, policies and programs.  Direct specialized services on campus are important and necessary for the success veterans and service members.  Beyond direct services, policies and procedures that recognize and honor service members and veterans must reach into the business office, administration, classroom, advising, transfer and credit awarding policies.  The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and the Minnesota National Guard are full partners in the veterans reintegration program called “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.”  The resulting outcomes of those partnerships have included the development of innovative technologies that provide:  1. information on credit awarded for military learning, 2. Career, education and life planning tools, 3, education benefit and resource information for veterans, service members and their families, 4. an information and service delivery system for veterans, service members and their families attending higher education institutions, and 5. a national reintegration model.

References

• Ackerman, R. & DiRamio, D. (Eds.) (2009).  Creating a veteran-friendly campus: strategies for transition and success. Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
• Department of Defense data. (2009).  Retrieved from dva.state.wi.us/WebForms/Data_Factsheets/ResDistribution_Jun09.pdf
• National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (2010). Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Annual Benefits Reports, 2000 to 2010.
• Minnesota National Guard (2011). Minnesota National Guard Annual Report 2010: New Directions.