ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Around the Regions
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE:
MILITARY AND VETERAN SERVICES UPDATE Indiana Tech has a long history of providing military and veteran students with support and resources to help them realize their educational goals. The Military and Veteran Services team has one purpose: to come alongside students who have access to military education benefits and help them navigate systems and maximize the benefits available to them. “We try to take on whatever role we need to with the students we serve,” says Ryan Ozbun, director of Military and Veteran Services at Indiana Tech. “Whether they’re recently deployed or transitioning to civilian life after a long military career, we’re here to help navigate that change.” The Military and Veteran Services team works with active duty service members, veterans, military spouses and any family members who have access to GI Bills and other military education benefits. The military tuition assistance system is not always easy to navigate, so Ozbun and his team take an active role in coordinating benefits to ensure students are able to focus on the important things—their careers, their education and their family obligations. “Sometimes that means we’re taking phone calls and answering texts at all hours of the day, but it’s why we’re here,” says Ozbun. While the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on higher education, Indiana Tech’s Military and Veteran Services team experienced
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Winter 2022
one of their best years to date in 2020-21. Indiana Tech enrolled more than 800 military students, and Ozbun says that’s a credit to all the hard work his team put in during the years leading up to 2020. “I attribute our success to what this team does every day—helping military and veteran students and building Indiana Tech’s reputation in the military and veteran community,” says Ozbun. “During the pandemic and in the months that followed, we were able to rely on a strong referral network to keep our enrollment numbers up, and that was a direct result of the work this team put in.” This fall, in-person education fairs and other events at military bases and armories are resuming, and that’s a positive sign for Ozbun and his team. “We’re hitting any and every event we can get into,” says Ozbun. “We were fortunate to be able to participate in virtual events for the past year and a half, but for my team and the audience we serve, face to face is just better for connecting with people.”
The Military and Veteran Services team is gearing up for continued growth, as the team expands into new markets. In addition to a continued growth in Florida and other states in the Southeast, Ozbun’s next target is the state of Texas. He’s making inroads this fall by attending events in the Houston and Austin areas, and expects that growth will continue well into 2022. Another stop in the map is California, with a particular emphasis on the San Diego area. While these are ambitious goals for any university, Indiana Tech’s flexible online certificate and degree programs are a great fit for military and veteran students. Coupled with the skills and expertise of each member of his team, Ozbun is confident they’re up for the challenge.
