Working With Student Service Members & Veterans
A Class For Vets, Not By a Vet: Developing a Veteran-Friendly Composition Course at City College of San Francisco (2013), by D. Keast
This qualitative study illustrates how complex perceptions of identity influence the community college experience for student veterans who have been in combat, creating barriers to their overall persistence.
Easing the Transition from Combat to Classroom: Preserving America’s Investment in Higher Education for Military Veterans Through Institutional Assessment (2012), by K. Griffin and C. Gilbert
The U.S. government has traditionally shown its commitment to veterans through investment in higher education. The financial support veterans received for college through the 1944 Servicemen’s Readjustment Act,1 widely known as the G.I. Bill, was a transformational piece of legislation that made college accessible for more than 2 million veterans in the 10 years following the end of World War II.2 The first G.I. Bill is credited with increasing the number of college students threefold during the 1940s and 1950s.3
While much has been written about college persistence and retention related to traditional college students (18-22 year-olds matriculating immediately after high school graduation), substantially less has been written about adult students, particularly those whose jobs and family obligations make it difficult to attend college in a traditional face-to-face classroom structure. Many of the published research papers about non-traditional or online student persistence have been single-institution studies, offering little ability to make comparisons between studies because of the lack of common definitions and benchmarks.
As we conclude close to a decade of involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, colleges and universities are experiencing a steady increase in the enrollment of student veterans. As a result, many institutions have developed specific programs and services designed to enhance veteran success in higher education.
Student-veterans often say their first year of college is the most difficult part of the transition back to civilian life. Veterans enter college with advanced skills, including a solid work ethic and motivation, yet often struggle to succeed. While some college campuses offer cutting-edge support, the overall landscape of student-veteran services is highly uneven. Here are five important support resources for student-veterans to look for when selecting a college.
Like many institutions of higher education, Virginia Commonwealth University has seen an increase in the number of military students. Ann Nichols-Casebolt describes one strategy the university has implemented to respond to the needs of this important group.
This study examines how post-secondary educational attainment among young veterans of the first gulf war affects their mental health status. The all-volunteer military attracts recruits by offering them veterans' educational benefits. Education should help veterans adjust to civilian life. Few studies have shown whether education following military service helps improve veterans' mental health, however.
Promising Practices for Engaging Student Veterans (2014), by M. J. Kirchner, L. Coryell, S.M. Biniecki
Service members transitioning into post-secondary schooling face a new, unfamiliar challenge from previous battles. Student veteran graduation rates are being questioned as are their education benefits. Across the country, student veteran organizations and resource centers are being established, though their contribution on campus for military-students needs to be explored.
Demographic Information
A total of 82 student veterans responded to the survey and 85.4% of them were male.
43.6% of student veterans were between 25 – 29 years of age and 23.3% were between 20 –24 years
The vast majority of respondents (70.9%) were combat veterans and 31.6% were disabled.
This chapter outlines the birth and growth of a veterans’ program in Salt Lake City, Utah, and discusses next steps in spurring additional innovations and advancements to improve service for student veterans in community colleges.
With the recent authorization of the GI bill and the continued military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, institutions of higher education in the United States are expected to experience an influx of returning student-veterans, many who may have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of the current study was to examine faculty perceptions of returning student-veterans who may have symptoms of PTSD.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been defined as “an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force.” In the general population, TBI results mainly from falls, motor vehicle/traffic accidents, assaults, and other instances in which the head is struck by or strikes against an object. In military servicemembers, TBI may also result from improvised explosive devices, mortars, grenades, bullets, or mines.
Twenty‐five students who served in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars were interviewed. The findings suggest that combat veterans are a student population with special needs and require support from both policymakers and program providers.
Trauma-Informed Practices for Post-Secondary Education: A Guide, by S. Davidson and the Oregon Student Success Center
Over the past 30 years, researchers have built a strong evidence base for trauma-informed approaches in medical and judicial fields. Awareness of trauma and its wide-reaching negative impacts is also becoming more widespread in education, and educators are developing their own approaches to help break the cycle of trauma for students.
Understanding Student Veterans in Transition (2013), by K. Jones
In this research report the author details a phenomenological study documenting identity development in student veterans making the transition from active military service to higher education. This study took place at a doctoral granting proprietary university with a significant veteran population and consisted of in - depth interviews. This analysis illustrates how student veterans construct and achieve more complex senses of self that incorporate their experiences as service member, veteran, and civilian student into a coherent identity
VA Campus Toolkit from the Department of Veterans Affairs
This toolkit provides faculty, staff, and administrators resources to support student Veterans. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is bringing student Veterans to campuses in record numbers. Our aim is to help campuses welcome these men and women by recognizing who they are, and understanding their unique experiences, adjustments, and needs.
VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted.
RCC Green Zone PPT 3_2021.pdf