MAE 8-2 (March)

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Sailor Counselor Capt.

John P. Newcomer Commanding Officer Center for Personal & Professional Development U.S. Navy

CCME HIGHLIGHTS

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March 2013

Volume 8, Issue 2

Commander Roundtable O Revised Tuition Assistance Program Corporate Partnerships O Logistics & Supply Chain Management

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEBANON JCT., KY PERMIT # 805

MILITARY ADVANCED EDUCATION Features

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Cover / Q&A

CCME Highlights

16

A look back at some of the best moments from this year’s CCME Symposium in San Diego.

BY LAURAL HOBBES

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8

Educators who have leadership experience in the armed forces discuss how their military experience enables them to connect with the servicemembers and veterans enrolled in classes at their school.

MAE had the chance to discuss the changes made to Transition GPS, a key component of the Transition Assistance Program, with Susan S. Kelly, Ph.D., the special advisor for the Transition Assistance Program.

Welcome Advice

March 2013 Volume 8, Issue 2

Revising the TAP

Captain John P. Newcomer

19

Logistically Speaking

22

Commanding Officer Center for Personal & Professional Development U.S. Navy

Back to Work

Logistics, or supply chain management, truly is the lifeblood of both the military and the civilian business sector. And any time you’re dealing with something so essential to an organization’s ultimate success, opportunities for career advancement can’t be far behind.

By J.B. Bissell

Businesses from across the country, in industries as varied as banks, airlines and tech firms, have rolled out veteran employment initiatives, which take the form of training programs, recruitment or a combination of both.

By Celeste Altus

“Education is a key piece of

developing sailors strong in moral courage

who exemplify

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 3 PROGRAM NOTES 4 People 14 CLASS NOTES 25 CCME GRAPVINE 26 money talks 27 RESOURCE CENTER

University Corner Javier Miyares

President University of Maryland University College

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the Navy’s

core values of honor,

courage and commitment, as well as embody equal opportunity and personal and professional accountability.”

- Captain John P. Newcomer

Military Advanced Education Volume 8, Issue 2 March 2013

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember Editorial Editor Laural Hobbes lauralh@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editor Sean Carmichael seanc@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents Celeste Altus • J.B. Bissell • Kelly Fodel William Murray

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KMI Media Group Publisher Kirk Brown kirkb@kmimediagroup.com Chief Executive Officer Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com Chief Financial Officer Constance Kerrigan connik@kmimediagroup.com Executive Vice President David Leaf davidl@kmimediagroup.com Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com Controller Gigi Castro gcastro@kmimediagroup.com Marketing & Communications Manager Holly Winzer hollyw@kmimediagroup.com Operations Assistant Casandra Jones casandraj@kmimediagroup.com Trade Show Coordinator Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com Operations, Circulation & Production Circulation & Marketing Administrator Duane Ebanks duanee@kmimediagroup.com Data Specialists Summer Walker summerw@kmimediagroup.com Raymer Villanueva raymerv@kmimediagroup.com

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE As I write this note, sequestration has recently gone into effect. While it’s too soon to predict the permanent changes induced by a drastically reduced defense budget, the military education community is already beginning to experience the effects of education program budget casualties—as evidenced by the slashing of travel funds for education services officers to attend military education conferences, such as the CCME Symposium. Additionally, after the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—also known as the “Supercommittee”—failed to reach a deal in Congress, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus released a message to Navy and Marine units detailing the Navy’s Laural C. Hobbes response. Among other budget-tightening measures, the memo ordered that Editor new Marine Corps enrollments in voluntary education tuition assistance immediately cease.

At the CCME Symposium, which took place in San Diego, I had the pleasure of sitting in on an education services officer roundtable. Throughout this session, ESOs representing the Army, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps described their recent interactions with servicemembers preparing to transition out of the military. Multiple ESOs discussed the popularity of credentialing among servicemembers, and urged servicemembers to meet with their ESOs as soon as possible to discuss their future plans.

“Across the board, I’m seeing an influx of people coming into the office,” said Coast Guard ESO Brian Streichert. “…Sometimes [servicemembers] come to us a little bit late saying, ‘I have four months left, I’d love to get a college degree.’”

Susan Hannasch, a Navy ESO, testified to the popularity of career interest inventories among the students she counsels. “Testing is one of the fastest things our [servicemembers] can do. Many come in not really knowing what they’d like to do, so the interest inventories are really helpful. … It opens an opportunity for them to at least have something in front of them [that] we can discuss as a starting point.”

While it’s unclear if other branches of the armed services will follow the Navy’s sequestration response of halting new Marine Corps Vol Ed TA, it is unfortunate that voluntary education benefits are among the first on the chopping block. Perhaps the lawmakers in Washington assume that the uproar will be limited, as only 1 percent of Americans are members of the voluntary force. However, as evidenced by gatherings like late February’s CCME Symposium, civilian support of servicemember and veteran education programs is robust.

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PROGRAM NOTES

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Education Department Releases College Scorecard to Help Students Choose Best College for Them Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, in mid-February the U.S. Department of Education released an interactive College Scorecard, which provides students and families the critical information they need to make smart decisions about where to enroll for higher education. The College Scorecard—as part of President Obama’s continued efforts to hold colleges accountable for cost, value and quality—highlights key indicators about the cost and value of institutions across the country to help students choose a school that is well-suited to meet their needs, priced affordably, and is consistent with their educational and career goals.

“Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we’ve made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do,” President Obama said in his State of the Union Address on February 19. “…My administration will release a new College Scorecard that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.”

“We know students and families are often overwhelmed in the college search process—but feel they lack the tools to sort through the information and decide which school is right for them,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The College Scorecard provides a snapshot about an institution’s cost and value to help families make smart decisions about where to enroll.”

The College Scorecard provides students and families with clear information through an interactive tool that lets them choose among any number of options based on their individual needs—including location, size, campus setting, and degree and major programs. Each Scorecard includes five key pieces of data about a college: costs, graduation rate, loan default rate, average amount borrowed and employment. These data will be updated periodically, and the department plans to publish information on earnings potential in the coming year.

The launch of the College Scorecard illustrates President Obama’s commitment to provide consumers with information about college costs and value in an easy-to-read format. After receiving comments on the prototype of the College Scorecard—and following many conversations with leaders of higher education institutions, college counselors, students and parents—the department updated this tool to better meet families’ needs and provide them with the information they found most valuable in making decisions about where to enroll. Consumers can access a College Scorecard for every degree-granting institution at whitehouse. gov/scorecard, and they can email comments or questions about the tool to collegescorecard@ed.gov.

Saint Leo University Introduces Doctorate in Business Administration Saint Leo University announced its first doctoral degree offering, the Doctor of Administration (D.B.A.), during its fourth annual International Business Conference at University Campus, February 13-15.

“Providing leadership in educating business students is critical to creating the sustainable, vibrant economies and world communities that our International Business Conference has been established to help foster,” said Dean Michael Nastanski, Ph.D., of the Donald R. Tapia School of Business. “The D.B.A. was created in response to this need for values-based leadership, stewardship, respect, and inclusion of community— attributes that reflect the core values of Saint Leo and that underlie our teaching philosophy.”

D.B.A. students will be admitted into the Donald R. Tapia School of Business for study beginning in December 2013. The degree is designed with the needs of today’s mobile professionals in mind, specifically three primary populations: those who wish to teach business at the

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college or university level, business professionals who are transitioning to new career goals, and consultants and executives seeking advancement in their respective fields.

The program will commence at University Campus at the end of December with one week of classes. It will continue online and with other interactive communications, supplemented by two additional weeklong intersession meetings during the course of study. The coursework and dissertation will generally take three to four years to complete, depending upon the student, though students are permitted to take a maximum of seven years. The coursework will emphasize applied knowledge and practice.

“Students will not only study best practices, but they will learn to apply those practices that can produce immediate results as the students participate in their organizations, whether that be in an academic setting, business environment, or in a personal endeavor,” said Nastanski. “As an example, for those wishing to

teach, an applied mentoring in the classroom will be offered so that students not only learn the discipline, but how to best develop students in their classrooms.”

The addition of the first doctoral offering to Saint Leo’s academic programs is a significant milestone in the university’s history, and at the same time, a natural continuation of the mission of offering “a practical, effective model for life and leadership in a challenging world,” said President Arthur F. Kirk Jr., Ph.D. “Our successful execution of this mission results in Saint Leo students being prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and through the exercise of ethical leadership, to do well, and to do good for God, country and the community.”

He added that other recently developed business degree offerings reflect the same philosophy, including a new Master of Accounting, a new Bachelor of Science in computer science, and a new Bachelor of Arts in multimedia management.

MAE 8.2 | 3

PROGRAM NOTES

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

AMU Partners with Coast Guard for Homeland Security Research American Military University (AMU), part of American Public University System, and the U.S. Coast Guard have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in support of research projects involving maritime homeland security issues.

The MOA is designed to connect AMU students majoring in security and global studies with Coast Guard subject matter experts and research materials for their capstone projects. The applied academic research in maritime homeland security supports the interest of both institutions to participate in joint research projects of mutual interest under supervision. Project outcomes help to support Coast Guard missions in maritime homeland security.

Under the provisions of the MOA, the Coast Guard will collaborate with the students’ faculty advisor to choose a research topic, provide a

description of project outcomes and respond to student inquiries and request for materials. The Coast Guard’s MOA with institutions of higher learning provides a framework for effective collaboration to share expertise between the academic, federal and military communities to provide a “whole of nation” approach to supporting national security objectives.

PEOPLE Sandra M. Stith, director of the marriage and family therapy program at Kansas State University, has been awarded fellow status by the National Council on Family Relations.

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

David Lester Dumonde was named instructional designer for online education at Clemson University.

Jeanne T. Plecenik, who was named vice president of business affairs at Saint Leo University in October, assumed her duties in late January.

Joseph Lakey

New Mexico State University mathematics professor Joseph Lakey was recently named a

4 | MAE 8.2

Kathy Whatley, the former provost of Berry College in Georgia, was named vice president for annual programs of the Council of Independent Colleges. She officially begins on March 4, 2013, and succeeds Ginny Coombs, who is retiring.

Jessica Moore

Corning Community College (CCC), in Corning, N.Y., announced the appointment of Jessica Moore as the college’s first director of residence life.

She will be responsible for developing all programming surrounding CCC’s new residential learning center.

Miller Aims to Extend Veterans Retraining Program through June 2014 On February 6, Chairman Jeff Miller introduced H.R. 562, the VRAP Extension Act of 2013. The bill would extend the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) through June 30, 2014, a move that would make it easier for program participants to finish job-training programs they have already started.

Originally created as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, VRAP provides up to 12 months of education benefits to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35-60, a group comprising nearly two thirds of all unemployed veterans. As the law currently stands, VRAP is scheduled to expire March 31, 2014. The extension would allow veterans using VRAP to continue to receive funding through what is considered the traditional spring semester of 2014 at the institution where they are enrolled, making it easier for more participants to complete training while receiving VRAP benefits.

“VRAP is a tremendous opportunity for unemployed veterans to receive valuable training for in-demand jobs, and I encourage all eligible veterans to apply.” said Miller. “The VRAP Extension Act of 2013 would simply extend the life of the program by another three months to help veterans finish training programs they have already started and continue receiving benefits during that time.”

The bill would also require an interim report to Congress to measure VRAP’s success in helping unemployed veterans find jobs.

“Before extending VRAP beyond 2014 or to additional participants, we need to have an honest conversation about its effectiveness, including the performance of the Veterans Employment and Training Service and the state workforce system in placing VRAP graduates. The interim report required under this bill would give Congress the information needed to decide whether extending VRAP makes sense for our veterans as well as American taxpayers,” Miller said.

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Welcome Advice University faculty members are invaluable resources to new students figuring out the ropes. When these professionals have had prior careers in the service, the guidance they provide to servicemember and veteran students is informed by a unique understanding of military culture.

Military Advanced Education asked education professionals who once held military leadership positions,

“How has your military background informed the guidance you give to servicemember and veteran students?”

Air Force Brigadier General (Ret.) Associate Vice President for Military and Governmental Programs Webster University

Mike Callan Strategically of course, my advice is consistent: Continuing your education is a must. If you’re an active, Reserve or Guard component student, education will make you better by giving you certain academic skills and knowledge that you can apply directly to the art of winning our nation’s wars. For veteran (retired or separated) students, it’s what is universally accepted by the civilian sector as a measure of one’s motivation and credibility, and often what gets you that job interview.

We live in a wonderful time now where military service is once again highly valued by our nation, and Congress has made it possible for many military members to have some degree of educational benefits that offset much—if not all—of those continuing education costs. Do your homework and fully investigate the educational benefits you’ve earned—select the right school for you and keep pushing yourself academically to be more valuable to you, your family, our nation and a future employer.

PHIL JOHNDROW If it was not for Trident University, I would not have been as successful as I was in the Baghdad surge and at finally breaking the back of al-Qaeda in Iraq. As the First www.MAE-kmi.com

Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Director of Military Relations, Business Development Trident University International

Cavalry Division and Multinational Brigade Command Sergeant Major during the surge in Baghdad, and three deployments, two leadership lessons come to mind: “seek self-improvement” and “set the example.” Learning about yourself and improving your character MAE 8.2 | 5

are infectious. When soldiers saw me taking classes, they knew that they needed to take classes too—not one of them was busier than me, and they knew it!

These values were particularly important during the surge in Baghdad. It was such a chaotic time in Iraq where the enemy was changing tactics every day. It seemed like a dramatic chess game. As soon as we planned how to better protect ourselves and find the enemy, they would find a better and more efficient way to harm us and avoid detection.

One of the enemy’s most effective ways of hurting us was to use improvised explosive devices that worked on an infrared beam.

Once that beam was broken, a high-explosive molten projectile would rip through the vehicle, often causing a fatality or maiming many of the crewmembers. Our soldiers, just everyday members of the team, countered this by putting a device out in front of the vehicle to prematurely cause the beam to be broken, causing the EFMP to destroy the front of the vehicle and not the crew compartment. Within a few months, [the enemy] altered the beam to delay for a few seconds and then explode, thus destroying the crew compartment. We in turn extended the device a few more inches out front.

In order to play this kind of real-time battlefield chess game, you need to be a fast analytical and critical thinker. This made me work extremely hard every day at improving my critical thinking skills. Taking classes with Trident University helped me not only decompress and pull my mind out of the rigors of combat but it also helped me learn to look at problems from different perspectives. Developing these fast-paced analytical and critical thinking skills helped me solve many of the challenging problems commands in Iraq faced.

Taking college courses also helped me with my negotiating skills and my ability to give advice to units on how to build services and infrastructure in the provinces in Baghdad. I was able to use many of the same business approaches I was using in my classes to organize and to settle contract disputes and other impediments to building infrastructure within the city. I was surprised to see how my business degree was helping me win hearts and minds by helping them help themselves.

Today, I am able to use my education to show servicemembers that they can take college courses even while deployed, and they can then compete at the highest level in the military and civilian job market.

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Army/Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Director of Military Programs and Veteran Affairs Post University

ED LIZOTTE My military experience and leadership background provide me the ability to relate to servicemembers and veterans on multiple levels regarding their civilian education. As a higher education professional with military experience, I fully understand that for the vast majority of servicemembers, going to college was not top of mind when they decided to join their branch of the service. So, when they decide to begin their collegiate career, many servicemembers and veterans are filled with anxiety as to what college will be like and whether or not they will do well.

One of the things I do is advise them they are already successful students, as they have completed some of the most rigorous training in the world to become a soldier, sailor, Marine, airman or Coastie; this usually puts them at ease. The second discussion I have with servicemembers and/or veterans is helping them understand that getting their college degree is one of the keys to success—both in the military

and civilian life. The training and experience provided by the military is incredibly valuable. But when it comes to career advancement, both in the military and in the civilian workforce, college credentials are a key to success.

Equally important, I explain that it is essential that they earn a degree they can use after they leave the service, and not just a general studies degree that will help them get promoted more quickly while in the service. They need to pursue a degree in a field that they can see themselves in long after they leave the service.

Another thing I advise servicemembers to consider is how much credit they will be able to carry over from their military training and experience into their degree programs. This can make a tremendous difference in how long it takes them to complete their degrees. O For more information, contact MAE Editor Laural Hobbes at lauralh@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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Susan S. Kelly, Ph.D. Special Advisor for the Transition Assistance Program Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy

How will the revised Transition Assistance Program help departing servicemembers establish new careers?

On August 1, 2011, Susan S. Kelly, Ph.D., was selected as the Special Advisor for the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness). Kelly is a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Kelly is responsible for DoD TAP oversight and policy development for DoD transition assistance-related initiatives. In this capacity, she will also manage the transformation of DoD TAP in order to meet the transition needs of the next generation of warriors and their families. Kelly has an extensive history of helping organizations successfully transform and excel in meeting performance management goals based upon key strategic priorities.

Prior to serving in her current position, Kelly served as the special assistant, Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO). She led DCMO’s response to the Secretary of Defense’s direction to infuse risk into decision-making processes in DoD. Her first senior executive level position in the Defense Department was as director, Office of Strategic Planning and Performance Management, Executive Secretariat for Joint Executive Council/Senior Oversight Committee for Wounded Ill and Injured. Prior to this, Kelly served in policy and strategic planning roles in DoD while assigned to the Pentagon. Kelly also served as the acting director for the new Defense Language Office and authored the Department’s Language Transformation Plan.

Kelly holds a doctorate in marriage and family from St. Louis University; a Master of Arts in education and counseling from the University of Georgia; and a Bachelor of Arts in social and behavioral science from the University of South Florida.

8 | MAE 8.2

She has been awarded various awards and meritorious citations including the USAFE Commander’s Award of Excellence and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Kelly was interviewed by MAE editor Laural Hobbes.

Q: How does the revised Transition GPS improve servicemembers’ transition experiences?

A: Within the redesigned TAP is Transition GPS, which stands for ‘Goals, Plans, Success.’ These are the services that the installation staff will be delivering to military members, those programs that military members must participate in and the programs that commanders need to ensure that their military members complete so they can meet career readiness standards. Career readiness standards are the pivotal point for the TAP redesign. Just as we’ve had standards for mission readiness that military members must meet, such as physical fitness, training and equipment, for the first time we’re requiring them to meet career readiness standards before they separate.

That’s the key difference for the servicemember—and it’s a big difference. It’s a cultural change. We have never looked at the mandate for when a military member separates. If you recall, in the previous TAP, there was only one piece that was mandatory for all servicemembers to receive: pre-separation counseling. Now, with the VOW [to Hire Heroes] Act, every military member must go through pre-separation counseling and the VA benefits briefing, which immediately connects them to the bevy of services and benefits that are provided by VA when they become veterans. Those two pieces are now mandatory—no exception. www.MAE-kmi.com

The third mandatory piece is the DOL’s employment workshop, which the large majority of military members will be going through. It’s a three-day curriculum. There are a few exceptions; the law did allow us to provide some exceptions to military members and we’ve applied those in the recent decision-type memorandum that we published in November.

There are very few exemptions, and even when military members can receive an exemption, they have to opt out of the services. It’s always a choice for the military member, and that opting out has to be documented formally in their official paperwork.

[In addition to these core mandatory pieces, military members also have to go through a financial planning seminar.

They [must] create a 12-month post-separation budget, and have that prepared before they separate. They also [must] develop an MOC [military occupational code] crosswalk, which they can finalize with a gap analysis between what levels of hours they have and what credentials they’re leaving the military services with—and how that applies to civilian occupations, licensure and credentialing in the civilian workforce. In that workshop we also take them one step further and ask them to look at the geographic location to which they’re relocating and look at its job market to see if those credentials are in demand there. If they’re not in demand in that labor market, what’s their Plan B? The gap analysis sets the stage for them to begin to choose and plan what further curriculum they would like to take. [They can choose the] higher education track if they want to use their Post-9/11 GI Bill to go to community colleges, colleges, or universities; further their credentials or their licensing; or start out on a whole new pathway. They can choose the technical training track, which helps them choose appropriate technical training institutions, and also apply their Post-9/11 GI Bill and fill the gap between the credentials they have coming out of the services and what career they want to pursue in a civilian workforce. And finally there’s an entrepreneurship track, if they’re interested in starting a small business. The two core curriculum pieces of the Transition GPS help them to start doing some planning for the next step. Those two pieces are all new, so those are great improvements in the TAP, along with the optional tracks that they might choose.

Each servicemember must complete an individual transition plan, a very holistic plan they have to think through and complete. With that individual transition plan, they also develop some very concrete deliverables for review before they get out of the service. Those concrete deliverables include the 12-month budget, the MOC crosswalk and the gap analysis. If they chose the higher education track, it includes an application for the institution that they’ve chosen, or acceptance from one of those universities, colleges or community colleges that they’ve applied to. If they’ve chosen technical training, it’s also that acceptance from that technical training institute, or an application. Because they’ve gone through the employment track, they also have to produce a job application packet which includes a resume, personal references and professional references, so they have that all ready to go into the civilian workforce. Or they can have a job acceptance letter. www.MAE-kmi.com

The improvement is that they’re planning with more time and developing concrete documents that are going to smooth their way into the civilian workforce. We think those are some pretty significant improvements to the TAP. And the last piece of that, which is supposed to occur 90 days before they separate, is a verification of their career readiness standards through the evidence of the documents that they’ve produced, which the commander and the transition assistance staff verify they meet. Then there’s also a warm handoff to the VA or DOL, or to other helping agencies that that particular servicemember may need when they separate.

The real culture change is the third piece of the plan, and that’s to move all of this preparation for separation into the civilian workforce throughout their military lifecycle. That starts at the point of their first permanent duty station, where part of the military lifecycle is to begin developing an individual development plan, meaning this is what you have to do in the MOC that you have been assigned to—this is the training you have to get—and then matching that up with the set of skills you want to pursue once you separate. Everyone, if they’re fortunate, will separate from military duty at some time; whether that’s at the four-year mark for most of our Marines, or after a 25-year career—everyone separates.

It is a very deliberate planning process, [and involves] thinking about that throughout your military lifecycle, ensuring

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that you complete the curriculum, and developing planning documents throughout your military career.

At the time when we can embed this in the military lifecycle, which is 2014, we see that individual development plans that military members have as part of their normal military career would morph into the servicemember’s individual transition plan. Those two documents will start to meld into one another.

We’ve timed this TAP redesign in a phased roll out in alignment with the mandates of VOW Act. Pre-separation counseling, the VA benefits briefing and the DOL employment workshop are being executed across the 206 installations in the military. We’re rolling out the full Transition GPS curriculum by the end of 2013. Once we have that curriculum refined we’ll embed that curriculum across the military lifecycle. The timeline for putting that in place is by the end of 2014.

That’s the curriculum. There’s a whole backbone of efforts going on to support that Transition GPS to make sure the redesigned TAP stays relevant to the needs of military members. We’re establishing a permanent assessment process where our military members go in and give us feedback about each piece of the curriculum. We will also track the level of learning and the standardized learning objectives in each piece of the curriculum. We’ll also ask servicemembers, “How much more do you feel prepared by going through this part of the curriculum? To what level did this improve your confidence as you planned to go into the civilian workforce?”

Q: You mentioned you were in the process of receiving feedback. Is it too soon to see a correlation between the program and veterans experiencing greater success in getting civilian jobs or earning a degree?

A: I think it’s much too early because we have until the end of 2013 to get the full Transition GPS curriculum offered across all of the military installations. But I can tell you we piloted the Transition GPS core curriculum—that was the MOC crosswalk, financial planning, DOL employment workshop, VA benefits briefing and transition overview. We piloted those at seven installations over the summer and we assessed them very carefully. Servicemembers and facilitators provided evaluations. We had a cross-interagency team observing each one of those five-day pilots and used those assessments to get feedback from all three of those groups. We then modified the curriculum and made some recommendations and further changes to logistics and how the program is offered. We took all of those recommendations and are implementing them right now.

As part of that pilot, we asked military members about their levels of preparation and confidence. Ninety-five percent of them reported an increased level of preparation and confidence in meeting the challenges of transition. We also assessed their level of learning on the learning objectives—and again, a very high level of increase. We were very pleased with the pilot, and are rolling the core curriculum out now. We’ve scheduled the piloting of the education track. VA is going to be offering the technical training track.

We’re actually running that first pilot in February on one 10 | MAE 8.2

of the installations before we roll out as a larger group of pilots. The Small Business Administration, to whom we’re very grateful, is actually piloting their entrepreneurship track right now.

By the end of 2013 we’ll have all of those curriculums across all of the installations. We’ll have that assessment process in place, and we’ll be going full blast. Then we’ll be looking at the long-term trend indications of increased employment rate of veterans through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the long-term implications of the number of military members who complete their course of study for certification at both technical training or institutions and colleges or universities, as well as the number of military members who complete their associates degrees and B.A. degrees by using their Post-9/11 GI Bill at the institutions they’ve chosen through the training track.

Of course you understand once our military members separate and they’ve done that four-year course of training in college and universities, [we’ll] actually see when they graduate, etc. We’re very much aware that we will have short-term indicators for the curriculum, the learning of the military members and their confidence levels, as well as mid-term and long-term outcomes that we’ll be monitoring with our interagency partners. I want to make sure all of those partners are recognized and include DOL, VA, SBA, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management. Each of these agencies want to see our military members succeed as veterans and are contributing to the redesign. This is an unprecedented collaborative effort.

Q: Is Transition GPS tailored at all to the difference branches of the services, or is it standardized throughout?

A: The curriculum and learning objectives are standardized.

Most importantly, the career readiness standards are standardized. The concrete deliverable outcomes of going through those courses are standardized and monitored through career readiness standards.

Of course, it’s more based on the servicemembers’ choice since they choose the path they’re going to pursue—whether that’s the higher education, the technical training or the entrepreneurship track. It’s very much tailored to the servicemembers’ individual goals. That’s another change in the program. Before, it was a one-size-fits-all pre-separation counseling, there were VA benefits and the DOL employment workshop—the last two being voluntary. Only pre-separation counseling was mandatory. Now all three are mandatory but you have choices after that. As well as the individual transition plan—no two will be the same; they’re very personalized.

Q: After a servicemember has completed Transition GPS, what career services resources are still available to him or her? And how long after separation are these resources available?

A: Part of the career readiness standards include some of the documents you have to produce that lead to those postseparation services. For example, in the DOL workshop you receive a Gold Card, which provides you priority services at all www.MAE-kmi.com

of DOL’s American Jobs Centers that are across the nation in every state. I don’t know the amount of centers by heart, but with the Gold Card you can walk into an American Job Center and get priority services for six months after you separate. That Gold Card is one of the career readiness standards.

In the VA benefits area, one of the career readiness standards is registration in VA’s e-Benefits. Each servicemember goes in and gets an e-Benefits account which connects them to VA for the rest of their life. VA is then able to push out emails to each of the servicemembers at certain touch points. From that point on, they are part of the veterans family. The undergirding of the Transition GPS is to build a bridge between the services and the VA, the community services at the DOL, and the other helping agencies. That’s one of the threads that is woven throughout the Transition GPS. Q: What advice do you have for servicemembers transitioning out the military, and what additional resources do you recommend that they consult?

A: At this point, I’d tell them to go to their transition assistance office to ask how they can tap into some of the virtual curriculum that’s already available to them as well as ensure they get signed up for that pre-separation counseling—that’s quite an informative process. They should ensure they get that counseling as soon as possible as well as attend the VA benefits briefing because

that will help them choose a path and give them some invaluable information as to what’s available to them as veterans. [I’d also advise them] to use the DOL employment workshop. The DOL revised their entire workshop and that new curriculum [has been in place since] January 2013. It has been made extremely relevant to the job market of today. It introduces the servicemember to a whole suite of very helpful websites, where they can track down information in the local communities to which they’re relocating. Those are three of the pieces I’d recommend that they do right now. During the summer curriculum pilots, servicemembers told us the financial planning workshop was a real ‘eye-opener’ and even though they thought they had prepared, the worksheet provided made them consider additional facts of civilian life. Ditto for the MOC crosswalk workshop.

Many determined they indeed needed a Plan B! That feedback led us to post those documents on a website for early access and downloading. Take advantage of these workshops as soon as you can.

I can tell you that we’re continuing to refine this program to ensure that servicemembers have a much easier transition, and we want to get their feedback so we can continue to refine the program to meet their needs. O For more information, contact MAE Editor Laural Hobbes at lauralh@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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A recap of some of the 2013 CCME Symposium’s most memorable moments.

Not even the countdown to the enforcement of the Budget Control Act could subdue the mood in sunny San Diego the week of February 25 when military educators convened for the 40th annual Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) Symposium. Despite tightened travel budgets, approximately 1,000 members of the military education community—including education services officers (ESOs), voluntary education experts, government representatives, affiliates of military population-serving colleges and universities, and students stationed at nearby bases—trekked to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel to learn more about subjects of vital importance to veteran and servicemember students.

The theme of the symposium, “Building Bridges to Success through Education for the Military Community,” recurred consistently throughout the week, evident in presentations by renowned speakers and concurrent sessions detailing how servicemembers can prepare for second careers in the civilian sector.

To celebrate 40 years of providing support to military educators and students, the conference also served as an opportunity for past presidents of CCME to reunite. “It really was fabulous to have some of those who were part of this effort back in the

By Laural Hobbes MAE Editor

1970s attend this year,” said Joycelyn Groot, CCME president. “They were overwhelmed as to the extent of our growth in membership and the quality of speakers.”

Tuesday, February 26’s schedule included a panel discussion of the President’s Executive Order led by representatives of the Departments of Defense, Education and Veterans Affairs, as well as a panel presentation that featured ESOs from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. Moderator Jeff Cropsey asked, “With the possibility of reduction in the size of the armed forces, are you finding that more people are coming in to your offices about education needs?”

The unanimous answer was yes. “We [ESOs] will all sit down with [transitioning servicemembers] and show them what [options] are available,” said Navy ESO Susan Hannasch. “...We explain to them, ‘Listen. This is where you are; this is what you can do before you get out. Take a look at tuition assistance.’ Even if [servicemembers] can take one class before they get out, that’s going to save them time and money.”

Grey Edwards, Ph.D., an Army ESO, acknowledged the appeal of certification programs to transitioning servicemembers. “We are seeing more people looking at certifications. We have Troops to www.MAE-kmi.com

7 Teachers—Troops to Troopers—Troops to Cooks; the number of vendors and corporations is amazing. ... We want people to be able to find their passion.”

On Wednesday, February 27, attendees—which included servicemembers, veterans and their families—enjoyed a presentation by veteran entrepreneurship expert Larry Broughton; a panel on the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act that included Deputy Under Secretary Curtis Coy; and concurrent sessions in which military education professionals demonstrated their considerable knowledge. After the day’s events, symposium-goers—now decked out in their best 1970s leisure suits and go-go boots—attended a awards banquet, which that evening recognized 15 students who received Joe King, veteran and spouse scholarships.

Thursday’s highlights included a panel presentation of military and veteran students and education updates from the Army and Navy. Unhindered by the three-hour time difference between California and the Pentagon, Major General Michael Tucker addressed CCME’s audience via videoconference regarding the Army’s support of education for soldiers.

The feedback for this year’s symposium was overwhelmingly positive. “Not only did I receive numerous comments saying ‘best CCME ever,’ but many came from those who are long time attendees of CCME,” said Groot. I would have to agree with that assessment, and look forward to attending next year’s conference in Savannah, Ga. O For more information, contact MAE Editor Laural Hobbes at lauralh@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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1. Special Guest Speaker Larry Broughton, former U.S. Army Elite Special Forces (Green Beret), addresses the attendees at CCME. Broughton is the president and CEO of Broughton Hotels. 2. From left to right: George Vukovich, associate vice president, strategic relations, veterans and related communities, American Military University; CCME board member; John Aiello, a WWII veteran and the father of Joycelyn Groot, who is to his right; and Jack Hawkins Jr. 3. Sandy Lehmkuhler, president of the Warrior Foundation. 4. CCME President Joycelyn Groot cuts the ribbon at the opening ceremony, signifying the official commencement of the 2013 CCME Symposium. 5. CCME President Joycelyn Groot acknowledges the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego Color Guard. 6. The board of CCME. From left to right, first row: Karen Conlisk, Chermaine Harrell, Ginny Newman, Cynthia Andrews, Joycelyn Groot, David Umlang, Linda Frank, Margaret Reed, Mike Heberling, Jeff Cropsey. 7. Military and Veteran Student Panel Presentation. From left to right: Moderator Chermaine Harrell, director of military and veterans relations at Brandman University; students Anthony Qualtiere, James Sanders, John Craig, Jodi Commiato, Ian Hammett and Aretha Southwell. 8. Keynote Speaker Dan Clark, founder and CEO, Clark Success Systems. 9. Major General Michael S. Tucker briefs the CCME audience from his office in the Pentagon. 10. Michele Spires, director of military programs, American Council on Education. 11.

Carly Holloway, who was recognized for receiving a student scholarship, served in the military for eight years and is pursuing an MBA at the University of Phoenix.

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CLASS NOTES Penn State World Campus Shows Robust Growth as It Turns 15 In January 1998, Penn State became one of the first universities to offer online education, launching its World Campus with just 41 students in five academic programs.

As it celebrates its 15th anniversary, the World Campus boasts nearly 12,000 students, studying more than 90 undergraduate, graduate and professional education programs.

“For 15 years, we’ve led the way in the online delivery of high-quality degrees from a high-quality institution,” said Wayne Smutz, executive director of Penn State World Campus and associate vice president for academic outreach.

“This is accomplished by working in partnership with Penn State’s academic colleges and faculty to offer programs to adult learners who may be balancing career, family and education.”

Today, World Campus students come from every state in the nation and the District of Columbia, as well as three territories and 54 countries.

The popularity of the World Campus has led to five straight years of double-digit enrollment growth. Enrollment of veterans and active duty military personnel has also risen significantly in recent years, reaching 15 percent in 2011-12.

A major factor contributing to the growing enrollment is a vigorous commitment to academic quality and student support services. These efforts have been widely recognized, including Top 25 rankings of several online degree programs by U.S. News & World Report and the Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education by the Sloan Consortium.

“Veterans in Society: Changing the Discourse” Conference Scheduled at Virginia Tech Virginia Tech’s Veteran and Military Student Support Initiative will host a conference called “Veterans in Society: Changing the Discourse” on April 14-15, 2013, at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. The goal of the conference is to call attention to the emerging research and growing need for interdisciplinary efforts relating to all aspects of veterans’ experience, from access to higher education, health care and employment; the efficacy of psychological and medical services; veterans’ identity, diversity and inclusion; higher education; to veterans’ engagement with civil society.

In the 11 years since 9/11, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of veterans, particularly those with combat experience. With Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Afghanistan drawing to a close, our troops are returning home and finding their places in society. As a result, the topic of veterans’ reintegration into society has become both a key priority and a challenge for federal and state governments and educational institutions of all types.

Scholars and researchers conducting research related to veterans’ reintegration

into society are the intended audience for the conference. This audience includes university professors, doctoral students and researchers affiliated with institutions of higher learning. Research tracks are: • Depicting veterans through films, memorials and public discourse • Listening to and studying language about women veterans • Healing the wounds of war: motive, motivations and interventions to assist veterans • Teaching and learning: pedagogical strategies and programs for veterans • Integrating veterans: an investigation of veteran-specific needs and policies • Connecting spheres: veteran engagement with their communities To date, no other university has convened an academic conference solely focused on veteran-related research. The VSC2012 planning committee envisions this conference as an annual event and the first step towards making Virginia Tech the leader in the emerging field of veterans’ studies.

ACE Announces Launch of Association of Chief Academic Officers American Council on Education (ACE) announced plans in February for the launch of the first national professional organization representing chief academic officers from all sectors of higher education.

The Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) held an initial organizational meeting during ACE’s 95th Annual Meeting, March 2-5 in Washington, D.C. The new organization, which will represent chief academic officers (CAOs) such as provosts and vice presidents for academic affairs from all accredited higher education institutions, will provide a forum for discussing important academic affairs issues, as well as an environment where CAOs can communicate with, inform and educate one another.

A steering committee of the planned ACAO, chaired by New Mexico State University executive vice president and provost emerita Wendy K. Wilkins, has been laying the groundwork for the launch.

“While there are professional associations that serve presidents and deans and others in the higher education community, there has

14 | MAE 8.2

been a void when it comes to serving the professional development and networking needs of CAOs across sectors,” said Jayne Marie Comstock, director of ACE’s Executive Leadership Group. “ACE, in our role as a convener for higher education associations, is pleased to be able to assist in the start-up of this important new organization. This is consistent with ACE’s mission to support, prepare and inspire higher education leaders.”

“Chief academic officers strive as part of their primary mission to promote academic quality, set the academic vision of their institutions and ensure student success,” said Wilkins. “This exciting new organization will be a fulcrum for higher education innovation and a place where CAOs can support each other and pursue professional development.”

Interested CAOs are welcome to attend the initial organizational session, at which their institutions will have the opportunity to become charter members of the association.

The formation of the ACAO is supported by a generous contribution from a leading independent academic and professional publisher SAGE.

www.MAE-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Illinois Patriot Education Fund Awards $9,000 to Scholarship Partner Pat Tillman Foundation The Illinois Patriot Education Fund (IPEF) announced in early February that it awarded $9,000 in scholarship support to the Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF). The award is one of several being made by IPEF this year as a result of its 2012 fundraising efforts. The two organizations began their partnership in 2011.

Established in 2004 following Pat Tillman’s death while serving with the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan, the Foundation is a national leader in providing educational support and resources to veterans and their spouses. Inspired by Tillman’s attributes of leadership, passion for education and spirit of service, the Pat Tillman Foundation annually awards educational scholarships through the Tillman Military Scholars program.

Created in 2009, the program is dedicated to supporting educational opportunities for veterans, servicemembers and their spouses by filling the financial gaps in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Recognizing the unique needs of these nontraditional students, the Tillman Military Scholars program covers direct study-related expenses such as tuition, fees, books, room and board, and other basic needs, including transportation and child care.

The contribution from IPEF was raised during its 2012 fundraising efforts and is earmarked to support Tillman Military Scholars with connections to the state of Illinois.

IPEF’s mission is to provide educational financial assistance to support Illinois military families. IPEF is a registered 501(c)(3) that supplements educational needs beyond benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Those benefits include school supplies and materials, professional tutoring programs, funding to help offset charter school costs, and scholarships.

“The Pat Tillman Foundation is honored to continue its strong partnership with the Illinois Patriot Education Fund to provide educational support to veterans and military spouses in the state of Illinois and we are humbled to be selected to receive funds raised through its efforts,” said Marie Tillman, president of the Pat Tillman Foundation. “It is through the generosity of donors like IPEF that we are able further the Tillman Military Scholars program and impact lives by providing the financial and educational resources needed to prevent undeserved debt, increase economic stability and establish a foundation for greater career opportunities.”

“The Pat Tillman Foundation and its Tillman Military Scholars program are very worthy of our ongoing support and an important educational effort we all need to make on behalf of our Illinois military families,” said Mark Slaby, founder and executive director of Illinois Patriot Education Fund. “We look forward to continuing our partnership as we stand together as an educational resource for those who have given so much for all of us.” www.MAE-kmi.com

IVMF Launches Comprehensive Employer Toolkit to Support Veteran Employment The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University launched its digital toolkit for employers in February. One of the first milestone deliverables from Get Skills to Work, “Veteran Employment Leading Practices: Tools for Engaging Talent” provides practical tools and online resources to empower the nation’s employers to hire veterans and will be continually updated.

“America’s employers play a critical part in helping U.S. veterans as they return from service and seek private sector opportunities,” said Kris Urbauer, program manager, Veterans Initiatives at GE. “However, possessing a desire and willingness for such support does not always lead to action. Marrying a company’s aspiration to be ‘veteran friendly’ with the ability and the preparedness to recruit, hire, train and develop veterans is imperative to maximizing the effectiveness and the longevity of veteran-hiring initiatives.”

GE is lead corporate sponsor of the toolkit and an IVMF flagship partner, supporting the institute’s work to improve the employment situation of veterans and their families.

The toolkit brings together key insights and resources from employers, public and private sector organizations and key stakeholders to support veteranfocused career initiatives. Part of the larger Get Skills to Work coalition effort, spearheaded by GE, the toolkit includes information and resources regarding veteran hiring, onboarding and orientation, acclimation, retention, promotion and advancement, and leveraging veteran experience for business advantage. A secondary focus is on veterans and their preparedness for the civilian workforce.

Building on IVMF’s JPMorgan Chase & Co.-sponsored work on veteran employment, the “Guide to Leading Policies, Practices & Resources: Supporting the Employment of Veterans and Military Families” released in June 2012, the

toolkit simplifies employer access to veteran hiring information and practices.

“Toolkit information is packaged succinctly, and in a number of different formats, so that it can easily be adopted by businesses and organizations for a seamless process of hiring and retaining veterans,” said James Schmeling, IVMF managing director and co-founder. “‘Veteran Employment Leading Practices’ can be utilized by companies and organizations on a wide range of levels regarding the veteran workforce—from employers just learning about veterans to those who are tapping into veteran employee groups for a competitive advantage.”

“Business and industry recognize the value of the veteran in the workforce,” says Mike Haynie, IVMF executive director and founder. “This toolkit presents a onestop shop to leverage veteran talent and for veterans to become better acclimated to the post-service, civilian workplace.

We are thrilled to have GE as a leading corporate partner in this effort.”

The toolkit is a collaborative effort of the IVMF and more than 30 private sector employers, including GE as well as Accenture, AstraZeneca, AT&T, BAE, Bank of America, CINTAS Corporation, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, Google, Health Net, Humana, JPMC, Merck, PepsiCo, PLC Global Solutions, Prudential, TriWest, Walmart and WILL Interactive.

Companies willing to share their practices regarding veteran employment may contribute to the toolkit through a simple submission form on the website, or may contact the IVMF directly to share their information. All companies who collaborate on the toolkit are prominently featured on the site, so that veterans can see those in the public and private sectors who value their contributions to the civilian workforce and to help veterans gain an understanding of the employer perspective regarding veteran hiring, retention and advancement.

MAE 8.2 | 15

Sailor Counselor

Q& A

Executing and Refining Voluntary Education Programs

Captain John P. Newcomer Commanding Officer Center for Personal & Professional Development U.S. Navy

Navy Captain John P. Newcomer was raised in New Jersey and enlisted in the Navy in December 1977. Upon completing initial training at Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill., he attended Aviation Boatswains Mate Fuels “A” School in Lakehurst, N.J. His subsequent enlisted assignments up to the rank of chief petty officer included two aircraft carriers; Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev.; and instructor duty at Fleet Training Center, San Diego.

Newcomer received his commission through the Limited Duty Officer program and was commissioned as an ensign in October 1989 while on instructor duty. His tours as an officer include assignments aboard five aircraft carriers; Naval Air Forces Pacific Fleet aviation fuels maintenance officer; officer in charge of Naval Air Maintenance Training Group Detachment Mayport, Fla.; Program Executive Office, Aircraft Carriers, Flight and Hangar Deck Systems manager, Washington Navy Yard; executive officer and also commanding officer of Center for Naval Air Technical Training Unit Jacksonville, Fla.; and deputy director, Test Division, Naval Air Systems Command, Lakehurst, N.J. He assumed command March 28, 2012, of the Center for Personal and Professional Development in Virginia Beach, Va. Newcomer’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (6 awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2 awards), Good Conduct Medal (3 awards) and several unit commendations.

Q: Captain Newcomer, could you please explain your responsibilities as the commanding officer at the Center for Personal and Professional Development?

A: Our mission at CPPD is “to develop and deliver education and training opportunities that build personal, professional and leadership competencies to achieve fleet readiness.” What this boils down to is that we provide the Navy workforce with products and services designed to help them grow personally and professionally.

These products and services include general military training, Navy instructor training, alcohol and drug awareness program training, suicide and sexual assault prevention, bystander intervention and personal responsibility classes. We are also responsible for leadership training that sailors receive numerous times throughout 16 | MAE 8.2

their careers. CPPD administers the Navy’s Voluntary Education [VOLED] program, which provides sailors with the opportunity to earn college degrees, and we also run the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program [USMAP], which offers sailors the opportunity to earn civilian Department of Defense trade certifications.

As you can see, we have a broad range of responsibilities at CPPD, and we take seriously our work to help equip sailors to think critically, act responsibly, and lead proactively to meet ever-changing global challenges now and in the future.

Q: How have your past professional experiences informed your leadership style?

A: I have been lucky to have had some really great Navy leaders guide and mentor me throughout my career, and I’ve taken these lessons to heart. My first mentor was a chief petty officer who took me under his wing when I first came in the Navy as an airman [E-3]. His leadership from more than 30 years ago set the tone for the rest of my career in terms of caring about people and helping them succeed. I was also fortunate enough to work a little later in my career for a warrant officer 4, who also took great care in helping me develop my leadership skills and challenging me daily to improve. These two leaders are the major reason why I’m here today as commanding officer [CO] at CPPD. I’ve additionally had really great officers I’ve learned a lot from, such as the CO during www.MAE-kmi.com

my last department head tour on a ship. I still remember the lessons from all the leaders, officer and enlisted, who have left major impressions that I’ve remembered for the rest of my life. I believe that you can learn something from all leaders—good and bad—and these lessons are invaluable in helping you become the best leader you can be.

A: I wouldn’t say CPPD has changed as much as it has taken on a broader sense of mission regarding our personal and professional development offerings. Since I’ve been CO, we’ve looked at our training in diversity, inclusion, leadership, and sexual assault prevention and response. We’ve been talking with Navy leaders across the fleet to help them understand the complex issues surrounding these and other sensitive topics and to inform them to the point of these leaders being able to have conversations about things their sailors may not be comfortable talking about. But we’ve got to facilitate those tough discussions to increase workplace trust and an environment of professionalism, respect and trust.

We’ve also been working hard at CPPD to create and launch a branding and marketing project to communicate with our customers—the fleet—about the value CPPD brings to the table. We’re committed to helping sailors develop to their fullest potential as maritime professionals. This absolutely includes things like professionalism, respect and trust, but it also includes moral courage to make the best possible decisions whether that sailor is wearing a uniform standing a watch or heading out on the town for the night with buddies. Critical thinking skills, responsible action and proactive leadership apply to all walks of life. Sometimes it’s hard for an individual to choose the correct action, and we hope that with the right training, they’ll be prepared to make the tough, right decision.

Q: What are your priorities as commanding officer in regard to Voluntary Education?

A: My first priority for CPPD’s administration of Navy voluntary Education is to provide top-quality counseling to all sailor and Marine Corps servicemembers who want to pursue higher education. Another high priority is to continue to execute, monitor and continually refine all our VOLED programs. These include Tuition Assistance [TA], Navy College Program for Afloat College Education [NCPACE] for our fleet sailors, United Services Military Apprenticeship Program [USMAP] for those seeking trade certificates, Officer Special Education Programs [Law Education, Graduate Education Voucher, Advanced Education Voucher, and Scholarship] for those selected to participate, and available testing options.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense. 9/2011.

Q: How has the Center changed under your command?

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Q: Percentage-wise, how many sailors typically participate in voluntary education? Are there certain trends appearing regarding what courses they’re electing to take?

A: Approximately 20 percent of active-duty enlisted sailors participate in voluntary education programs in any given year. A big trend we’re seeing is increased interest in distance learning courses and degree programs. The most obvious advantages of distance learning courses are accessibility and flexibility, which allow active duty personnel to select courses tailored to fit operational schedules. www.MAE-kmi.com

In New York State, DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Managementoperate as DeVry College of New York.

DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, www.ncahlc.org. Keller Graduate School of Management is included in this accreditation. DeVry University operates as DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. DeVry is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. DeVry University is authorized for operation by the THEC. www.state.tn.us/thec.

Nashville Campus – 3343 Perimeter Hill Dr., Nashville, TN 37211. AC0060. Program availability varies by location. ©2013 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved.

MAE 8.2 | 17

Sailors are finding they can meet mission requirements and still pursue their education through the flexibility of distance learning degree programs.

Q: Your Virtual Education Center opened in 2010. How does it support sailors, and how has the center expanded since it first opened?

A: The Virtual Education Center [VEC] is a state-of-the-art call center with highly trained professionals who not only authorize tuition assistance and fees for sailors enrolled in college courses, but also authenticate completed degrees to sailor personnel files, and help update the Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcripts [SMART]. SMART is scheduled to change over to Joint Service Transcript this spring, by the way. The VEC operates two shifts covering 15 hours a day, five days a week and uses systems to allow sailors to see their counselors and establish an education plan, like they would do at any Navy College Office.

Today, the VEC’s operations have expanded and been standardized with a continued focus on providing great customer service. Specifically, the VEC responds to around 32,000 inquires each month.

These inquires include helping update about 3,200 SMART documents each month for sailors, Marines and veterans. In fiscal year 2012, the VEC processed 134,351 course enrollments for 46,512 unique participants. VEC team members also support their education colleagues at our 35 Navy College Offices that are providing services for military personnel located worldwide.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education? What institutions of higher learning offer courses? Do there seem to be preferences for either instructor-led classes or distance learning classes?

A: Navy College Program for Afloat College Education provides sailors a seamless opportunity to continue their college education while on a sea-duty or an individual augmentation assignment. This program is unique to the Navy. Central Texas College has the current contract to administer instructor-led and distance learning courses to personnel while in the deployed status. NCPACE accommodates sailors’ mobile work life, and we’re seeing trends toward more distance learning course enrollments in this program.

Q: I understand that the Command Leadership School prepares senior officers, enlisted sailors, as well as their spouses, for command-level leadership and leader support roles. What does this preparation entail?

A: Officers selected for duty in command leadership positions are required to attend the applicable course at the Command Leadership School [CLS] en route to their first command assignment.

CLS provides prospective Major Commander, Commanding Officer, Executive Officer [XO], Command Master Chief [CMC]/Chief of the Boat [COB], Commanding Officer Spouse and CMC/COB Spouse courses. The school’s mission is to prepare the Leadership Triad [CO/XO/CMC or COB] and the command support team for their unique roles as leaders of a Navy command. Every lesson/ seminar we conduct is an opportunity for us help command leaders develop their leadership knowledge and skills and the attitude 18 | MAE 8.2

necessary to operate forward and accomplish the mission as a leader. We discuss core principles of Navy guidance, which emphasizes leadership by example and being a positive influence on our Sailors. We share ideas that build the standards that enforce authority, accountability and responsibility. Our tradition in the Navy is a hundred years old of being strong, positive leaders. This proactive approach fosters positive command climate.

Courses at CLS are provided in a seminar format, as I just mentioned. Discussions emphasize the importance of a positive command climate, trust and the critical role of the command triad team. This is not a graded activity—it’s peer-to-peer learning. We focus on a team approach because command isn’t a solo event—it’s a team sport.

This team also includes spouses, who fulfill key support roles.

Spouses of officers and senior enlisted leaders attending CLS are invited to attend the Command Spouse Leadership Course or Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat Spouse Leadership Course. These are complementary courses designed to run in conjunction with the Command Leadership Course [CLC] and CMC/ COB Course. The courses provide spouses with an awareness of leadership and management skills that can enhance positive contributions to the family, command and community environments.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since assuming this position?

A: Honestly, I’ve been applying a lot of lessons from the leadership courses I attended at CLS. Things like operational stress control, health and wellness, and the value of talking with others in command to maintain balance. It’s no secret that there’s nothing like being in command, but the stress can get to people who don’t put in place the mechanisms to manage the job, the people, the problems and the stress. I have several things I do to keep my balance: I exercise and eat right, maintain clear communication channels with the CPPD team, and rely on my leadership team and my family to help me stay on an even keel. I’ve been here just under a year, and I’m still having fun!

Q: Do you foresee any changes to Navy Voluntary Education to accommodate the present budgetary climate?

A: You can look at any news media report right now and hear about the military services’ challenges with operating in the current budget environment. Given the great uncertainty we all face, we are exploring possible measures that will allow us to operate VOLED programs the best we can to ensure as many sailors as possible have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals.

Q: Do you have any closing thoughts you’d like to share?

A: We truly believe that a well-trained and educated sailor is a force multiplier. We need sailors who are technically proficient, but we also need them to be able to assess risk, think on their feet, be responsible leaders and make sound decisions both on and off duty. Education is a key piece of developing sailors strong in moral courage who exemplify the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment, as well as embody equal opportunity and personal and professional accountability. Yes, it can sound like a tall order. And that’s what we work toward every single day at CPPD. O www.MAE-kmi.com

Pursuing a degree in logistics or supply chain management can help servicemembers advance in both the military and civilian worlds.

By J.B. Bissell MAE Correspondent

and options for improvement are presented,” Raney said. “Two recent You have surely seen at least some of the television commercials consulting projects were with Big Brother Big Sister [BBBS], an orgafor a certain parcel delivery service that detail how their brown-clad nization that partners adult mentors with children to help the kids trucks and employees make a positive impact on business-world logisrealize their potential and build their futures. The consulting projects tics. They include catchy songs, whiteboard diagrams and enlightendone by our students were instrumental in establishing the BBBS ing office-worker conversations all about how the company can help program for the military community at Fort Lee, Va.” create smarter supply chains, reach new markets and generate higher margins. Surprisingly, even with those lofty claims, they’re probably still underselling themselves.

The Standard Syllabus “Whether military or civilian, nothing happens without logistics,” declared Terry W. Raney, site director for the Generally speaking, the supply chain manageFlorida Institute of Technology’s Extended Studies Division ment curriculum is fairly similar from institution at Fort Lee. “It’s the science of determining what is needed to institution. Gary Gittings, the director of online and then getting it to the right place at the right time.” graduate programs and the Department of Supply It’s an easy enough fundamental concept to underChain and Information Systems for Penn State’s stand, but the importance cannot be overstated. LogisSmeal College of Business, explained that his tics—or supply chain management—truly is the lifeblood institution’s curriculum is based around the SCOR of both the military and the civilian business sector. And model. “That’s the supply chain operations referany time you’re dealing with something so essential to an ence model,” he said, “which looks at the major Terry W. Raney organization’s ultimate success, opportunities for career processes in the supply chain.” advancement can’t be far behind. Of course, the best way Penn State offers a Master of Professional traney@fit.edu to gain access to those opportunities is by furthering one’s Studies in supply chain management, as well as an education. online graduate certificate in supply chain manageThe Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) at Fort Lee ment for learners who may not be quite ready to offers Master of Science degrees in acquisitions and confully commit to an advanced degree. Fortunately, tract management, logistics management, and logistics “the certificate program really is part of the gradumanagement-humanitarian and disaster relief logistics. ate program. It’s embedded,” Gittings added. And There’s also a cooperative program conducted by FIT Fort the three for-credit classes—supply chain manageLee and the Army Logistics University designed specifically ment, transportation and distribution, and strafor military officers. tegic procurement—that make up the certificate “The attending officers are competitively selected by requirements introduce and establish the importhe Army to take the theater logistics course,” Raney tance of the complete SCOR model. explained. “That class counts for 12 credit hours toward Similarly, at Webster University, the path to a the FIT master’s degree. The officers are on duty full time Master of Arts degree in procurement and acquisiGary Gittings as students with the Army, and then complete three more tions management requires that “students examine semesters with Florida Tech to earn their diploma.” the entire acquisition lifecycle, beginning with the glg@psu.edu During that time, they will explore case studies that legal framework for private and public purchasincorporate problem identification and developing various ing,” said John Johnson, procurement program possible means for improvement, and take classes that include proleader. “They learn the legal framework through which the contractgram management, managerial accounting and managerial statistics. ing process is conducted and the importance of methodologies needed “The degree then culminates with a consulting project for a civilto translate needs assessments into statements of requirements and ian client during which an analysis of logistics operations is conducted specifications. www.MAE-kmi.com

MAE 8.2 | 19

The program concludes with a capstone course, Case “Considerable emphasis also is placed on the Studies in Logistics, that synthesizes concepts from study of modern manufacturing processes and their previous classes and helps students crystallize and apply supporting inventory management practices.” their knowledge to new and emerging problems.”

Approaching logistics from a more modern perspective definitely is a growing trend. At the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB), where servicemen Project Based and women can earn various certificates or even pursue an MBA through IDB partnerships with Indiana These final projects, whether they’re of the capstone University’s Kelley School of Business and the Univervariety or more similar to Florida Tech’s recent Big sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Brother Big Sister initiative, are highlights of logistics Business School, one of the more popular academic education. Not only do they provide students an acaMark Cramer options is Logistics for the 21st Century (Log21). demic forum during which they can demonstrate the cramer@idb.org “It was developed for early career logisticians knowledge and skills they’ve gained, but these big finawhose careers would potentially span a significant les also afford soon-to-be-graduates the opportunity to part of the 21st century,” explained Mark Cramer, tackle some real-world problems with those skills. president of the Institute for Defense and Business. “It “Prior to the beginning of classes, our students all is designed to ‘open the aperture’ of recently minted identify challenges they have where they work,” said logisticians—even if logistics may be a second career IDB’s Cramer. “Those problem statements are then field for some—to give them a look at cutting-edge synthesized and assigned to groups of students and on private sector practices and technologies, innovative the final day of the program, each group will brief out to ways to think about and approach challenges, and a panel of faculty and/or retired senior military officers. exposure to logisticians from other services, agencies These working groups challenge the participants’ anaand the private sector.” lytical and critical thinking skills, collaboration effectiveThese schools all cover the fundamentals of ness, and presentation capabilities.”

Bradley Wootten supply chains, but their syllabus similarities do not Analysis and critical thinking are at the heart of bwootten@webster.edu preclude different colleges from also offering more higher education, but Cramer’s curriculum also stresses targeted—and specialized—coursework. the importance of collaboration. “For many participants “We include basic Department of Defense budget in Log21, this is the most ‘joint’ and ‘interagency’ proand contracting curriculum to sensitize them to the gram they have participated in during their careers, and importance and complexity of those topics,” added most likely the only military education program that Cramer. also includes private sector participants,” he said. “The And at Webster, in addition to spending time on breadth, depth and diversity of their logistics career warehouse management and layout, cost and price network is enhanced, as is their understanding and analysis, and investment returns, professors might appreciation of how different organizations approach customize the lectures on the fly. “One of our greatest similar challenges.” strengths is our ability to develop a classroom climate Webster takes an analogous tactic to final projects: that fosters collegial discourse and challenging interStudents are urged to take on problems with which Denver Tolliver, Ph.D. action among our students,” said adjunct professor they may have already had some personal interaction. denver.tolliver@ndsu.edu and procurement area mentor Bradley Wootten.

“For their capstone, they’re encouraged to select some“Our professors recognize that any given class conthing that is directly relevant to their work or professional sists of a diverse group of students, each having his or her own unique interests that will serve to benefit their organization directly, or them experiences and expertise. We strive to bring this out and allow all personally,” Wootten said. students to benefit from the collective wisdom of the group. Webster Obviously, this latitude creates the potential for a wide variety of believes that sharing experiences, best practices in real-world envipossible outcomes, keeping professors and administrators on their ronments, and knowledge gained from recent deployments benefits toes. “One of our most memorable projects consisted of the developeveryone, students and faculty alike.” ment of a purchasing system for use by the National Zoo’s concession Like at the other schools, the Master of Managerial Logistics proprogram,” continued Wootten. “In another recent, and perhaps more gram at North Dakota State University (NDSU) covers the typical terconventional, example, a student developed a contract management ritory—courses in logistics systems, advanced supply chain planning, system for use by the contracting officer’s representatives in her international logistics management, adaptive planning in logistics agency. This effort spanned both contract management and informasystems, and enterprise resource planning. These are the building tion technology management skills, with a bit of MBA mixed in as it blocks that encourage a broad understanding of the technological and relates to the accounting aspects of contract administration.” operational context of modern logistics.

Spanning various specialty fields is relatively common for 21st“That nucleus is then complemented by courses in crisis analysis century logisticians, and while the capstone projects at NDSU are and homeland security and technology advances in logistics,” said more regimented, they nevertheless require plenty of interdisciplinary Denver Tolliver, Ph.D., director of Transportation & Logistic Graduate contemplation.

Programs at North Dakota State University. “Courses in acquisition “Students begin by conducting independent assessments of the contracting, logistics decision analysis, transportation systems security logistical infrastructure and capabilities of a nation or region,” and organizational change management round out the curriculum. explained Tolliver. “The project is scenario-based, and focuses on one 20 | MAE 8.2

www.MAE-kmi.com

compounded by widely varying operational environments in remote regions of the world.”

In this sense, logistics education is a somewhat unique field. It’s no secret that many soldiers decide to earn their degrees in preparation for life after the armed forces, but supply chain management can undoubtedly lead to substantial career success during one’s military service. “More than 25 Army active duty and retired generals are graduates of the Florida Tech program at Fort Lee,” Raney said. “Graduate education is an integral part of the development of the Army’s senior leadership.”

All that said, it can’t be ignored that graduate education can be an integral part of a fruitful civilian career, too, and a military logistician with an advanced degree often is considered a hot commodity on the open job market.

“The armed forces have a lot of different supply depots that they operate,” Gittings explained. “In the private sector, there are distribution centers and warehouses that need management. They’re already doing Career Services that in the military, so a lot of folks rather seamlessly Angela Young transition from that experience to doing the same sort As graduates transition from the classroom to an angelayoung07@webster.edu of work in the private sector.” occupation, more challenging and complex assignStatus quo, though, hardly is the rule. Career ments are exactly what they’ll get. According to Raney, opportunities in countless career fields abound, from manufacturing military officers with advanced logistics education “are typically to retail, transportation to procurement and distribution, and much assigned to support commands which will deal with every type of milimore. tary item, from nuclear warheads to medical supplies.”

“Through contacts with alumni of our programs, it is evident that In fact, “within the armed forces, as well as other federal departa career in military logistics prepares one for a broad range of civilian ments and agencies, the fields relating to logistics and acquisition have sector careers,” Cramer added. “The private, public and non-profit taken on increasingly critical roles,” said Angela Young, communicasector demand for experienced logisticians is significant and growing. tions director at Webster.

As the economy improves, positions across the spectrum should be And since the military is so dependent on a successful supply plentiful.” chain, furthering one’s logistical knowledge is a promising path to Indeed, because remember, nothing happens without logistics. O higher-ranking responsibilities. “The military logistician of the 21st century must function in a variety of settings during war and peace, and assume expanded leadership roles and responsibilities, includFor more information, contact MAE Editor Laural Hobbes at lauralh@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives ing disaster relief logistics and support for homeland security,” said for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

Tolliver. “The complexities of traditional and expanded roles are of two possible situations: (1) an emergency response that includes massive humanitarian assistance, or (2) a potential military operation.

“In addition to the transportation and logistical capabilities of the selected region or nation, each study must reflect an analysis of key cultural, demographic, economic and institutional factors. Each student must describe how he or she would plan for and respond to a specific crisis scenario and draw key conclusions about the capabilities of the existing transportation and logistical systems of the area.”

It’s a lot to consider, but as Cramer noted, “At the end of the program, participants should have a significantly broader appreciation for the field of logistics, a number of new approaches and tools to address their challenges, and a substantially expanded network of early career logistics peers from many different organizations. Simply put, the participants should be better prepared for more challenging and complex assignments.”

MASTER’S PROGRAMS IN: Managerial Logistics* Transportation & Urban Systems Learn more about these degrees at www.ndsu.edu/transportation *TLog credits may transfer

View all online degrees at | http://ndsu.me/ml2013

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MAE 8.2 | 21

How corporations plan to combat the veteran unemployment rate through hiring initiatives and training programs.

By Celeste Altus MAE Correspondent

JPMorgan Chase has had a long-standing commitment to the military, said Casey. “When we started looking into this, we came across a quote from JP Morgan from 1919 about putting veterans back to work,” Casey said. “That quote from WWII rings true today and we have maintained that same commitment to provide meaningful careers to our servicemembers who sacrificed so much.”

According to Casey, JP Morgan Chase perceives the 100,000 Jobs Mission as different from other veteran hiring efforts that are underway, in that companies have made an affirmative commitment to veterans: As part of the mission, the participating partner companies have signed agreements to hire veterans and report The 100,000 Jobs Mission that number on a quarterly basis.

She said another key differentiator JPMorgan Chase was among several is the fact that the program brings its U.S. companies that banded together and companies together on a quarterly basis launched the 100,000 Jobs Mission in to impart what they have learned. “So March 2011, the objective of which is to instead of competition, we share what we hire 100,000 transitioning servicemembers are learning about recruiting, hiring and and military veterans by 2020. Member in the long term, retaining transitioning organizations include two car rental comservicemembers and veterans in our orgapanies, three airlines and multiple utility nizations.” companies. The effort began with 11 corSome of the companies met in January porate sponsors and now has 94. to talk about the strategy going forward, The most recent figures from February Casey said. show more than 51,000 vetOne thing all the employerans have been hired, so ers in the Jobs Mission agree the effort is roughly seven on is that reasons for hiring years ahead of schedule. veterans are many.

“Obviously we are really “Quite simply stated, on a trend line to meet veterans show up on time our goal much earlier than and they don’t leave until anticipated,” said Maureen they get the job done,” Casey Casey, managing direcsaid.

“They are very missiontor for JPMorgan Chase’s focused. They are very adaptOffice of Military & VeterMaureen Casey able.” ans Affairs.

More than three years after the recession officially ended, the United States is still experiencing a very tough job market. In January 2013, the unemployment rate nationwide was 7.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—and the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty after September 2001 was 11.7 percent.

In response to those dismal employment numbers, businesses from across the country, in industries as varied as banks, airlines and tech firms, have rolled out veteran employment initiatives, which take the form of training programs, recruitment or a combination of both.

22 | MAE 8.2

Casey related a conversation in which someone discussing drawbacks of hiring veterans said they really don’t have sales experience. The team at Chase, the bank that is the subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase, begged to differ: From convincing Iraqis of the U.S. rebuilding mission to other crosscultural experiences, veterans bring all kinds of skills to the marketplace.

“In addition to the leadership, the mission-focus and the teamwork, they also are able to be very adaptable and function in different environments. Veterans bring a strong sense of organizational commitment to the table that other employees or other prospective employees take some time to build,” Casey said.

“Veterans are trustworthy,” she continued. “They have been tested in a way that a non-veteran employee has not.”

In addition to helping servicemembers and veterans find work with their organizations, some companies have taken their efforts a step further and designed specific training programs so that veterans may develop specific in-demand skills.

Get Skills to Work One such example is the Get Skills to Work Program, a coalition of several companies that aim to train and match 100,000 veterans in advanced manufacturing positions by 2015.

General Electric Co. (GE), Alcoa Inc., Boeing Inc. and Lockheed Martin Corporation launched the program in October 2012.

High-technology manufacturing is an area that desperately needs skilled workers. According to General Electric, 600,000 high-tech manufacturing jobs are available www.MAE-kmi.com

“It really supports employers who at a in the U.S., and more than 82 percent strategic level want to bring veterans in of manufacturers say they cannot find to the workforce but are not workers skilled enough to necessarily educated as to fill these vacancies. In the some of the more nuanced meantime, 1 million vetopportunities, issues, chalerans will leave the armed lenges, concerns and so on, forces during the next four related to bringing veterans years, looking for civilian to the workforce.” jobs. The coalition wants Haynie said his team has to merge these two needs worked for more than a year and train veterans to fill the and a half on the content feavacant manufacturing jobs. tured on the site. It’s a large As part of this effort, Mike Haynie collaboration of lessons in early February, Syracuse learned from many multinaUniversity’s Institute for tional corporations who hire Veterans and Military Famiveterans. The toolkit is free lies partnered with General and accessible to anyone.

Electric to launch a “digiOther companies add contal toolkit” for employers. tent continuously, making The site, called “Veteran the content dynamic.

Employment Leading PracGE is hosting resumetices: Tools for Engaging writing workshops across Talent” provides practical the country, helping vetertools and online resources ans prepare for the civilian to encourage employers to Teri Matzkin workforce. The toolkit in hire veterans. turn helps employers preThe toolkit site is a colteri.matzkin@lmco.com pare to receive those potenlaboration of several cortial employees and translate porate partners and shares their military skills into civilian assets. “best practices” in veteran hiring related Another major player in the Get Skills to topics such as recruitment; assimilation; to Work initiative is American aerospace understanding and overcoming the stigma giant Lockheed Martin Corporation. of PTSD; policy; and law. It explores several Teri Matzkin, manager of talent acquiareas: leadership, preparedness, HR prosition, military relations and strategic cesses, and co-worker and peer resources. sourcing for Lockheed, said there are a “The toolkit will be very, very valuable variety of reasons these training programs for all levels of the organization: for the draw interested military servicemembers. hiring manager, the HR staff, for the super“A career with Lockheed Martin will visors, those who are seeking to onboard appeal to transitioning servicemembers employees and for the eventual success of because they already understand our custhose employees,” said General Electric’s tomers—the government, perhaps DoD, or Chip Cotton, a Navy veteran of 23 years the intelligence community,” Matzkin said. who is the program manager for energy “They understand many of our products research and development. and services. We share a high standard of “We’re very much supportive and lookperformance and dedication as well as a ing forward to leveraging that toolkit to high code of ethics.” make it much easier. We’ll be much better Some of the more popular career areas onboarding and recruiting employees and for transitioning veterans at Lockheed I think it will work out for retention in our Martin are information technology; elecfuture.” tronic technician work supporting a huge Mike Haynie, executive director and variety of equipment and systems; physical founder of the Institute for Veterans and and site security; cybersecurity and inforMilitary Families, said his organization has mation analysis; intelligence services; and been studying and trying to understand aircraft manufacturing and maintenance. veteran unemployment and its causes for All these choices can offer paths to the last several years. Haynie said the leadership, Matzkin said. toolkit is unique because it is designed The company already employs a large with the employer accommodating the veteran population. Approximately 24 veteran, rather than the opposite, in mind. www.MAE-kmi.com

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EXCLUSIVELY FOR ADULTS MAE 8.2 | 23

veterans in its first year. That goal will increase in the future, Fanelli said. As of February, 120 veterans have been screened, qualified and given scholarships toward the training classes.

“We are seeing great, positive results of people coming in and taking the class, and sitting for the exam,” she said.

Fanelli said the company actively recruits veterans because they have so many positive habits to offer employers.

“Many of them have great work ethics,” said Fanelli. “They are very Veterans to Work focused. We see them remain calm under presSAP is another highsure. That really gives tech corporation that has a great foundation to made great strides in trainemployers, to say, ‘How do ing and hiring veterans. we take this great talent The German multinational Diane Fanelli pool and develop it?’” software corporation runs a Another plus is the Veterans to Work initiative wide exposure servicethat helps train veterans to members receive to techstart careers in information nology during their time technology. in the armed forces.

Most The initiative offers leaving the military for instruction and certificacivilian jobs have a much tion classes in SAP database, broader technology backanalytics and mobile techground. nology solutions, to name a From a servicememfew. The classes are offered ber’s point of view, provia instructor, online or in a Jim Mingey grams such as SAP’s can self-paced format. be appealing for a couple The program was mingey@veteranscorp.org of different reasons.

Develspurred into being by a opers and database adminsheer need for skilled workistrators don’t always need a bachelor’s ers in their industry—just like the Get degree to find work in the field. But Skills to Work program overseen by Lockthose who do already have a four-year heed Martin and its partners. degree can use the SAP training to “There is a real deficit of trained and launch consulting businesses, technolcertified technology people in the marogy analysis firms, and other endeavors. ketplace today,” said Diane Fanelli, senior “This is not just about giving them a vice president at SAP. “That really hits the job. This is about giving them the ingreheart of SAP. There is really a shortage of dients to a future career.” these skilled workers.”

Fanelli said the company sees veterans coming back from overseas and Assistance from Non-profits leaving the armed forces. To address the gap in hiring, the company wanted to But not everyone is the corporate cultivate a pool of talent trained in the type. To help veterans in their quest for IT skills needed by SAP and its partners. self-employment, Veterans Corp, a notIt’s more than providing job listings, for-profit group, helps educate veterans she said. “Job placement is not what we about running their own small busido here. We want to give these people nesses. opportunities to create a career for them“What our niche is, we do selfselves.” employment plans,” said Jim Mingey, The program launched in Novempresident and chief executive officer of ber 2012 and its goal is to train 1,000 Veterans Corp (www.veteranscorp.org). percent of Lockheed’s 123,000 employees are veterans of the U.S. military. In 2012, Lockheed Martin hired 2,956 veterans, making veterans 39 percent of external hires, according to statistics provided by the company.

“Working with Lockheed Martin can be a very good choice for many veterans to feel at home,” Matzkin continued.

“And for those who still wish to actively serve the interests of their country, it’s really a perfect fit.”

24 | MAE 8.2

The not-for-profit works with veterans and the VA to write individual business plans, for endeavors such as buying a franchise or opening up a small business.

Depending on the veteran’s unique circumstances, business plans can involve retraining, taking college classes, or learning how to fly a plane or drive a truck, for example. The plan must be deemed feasible by the VA, Mingey said.

Once a viable plan is in place, Veterans Corp also helps the entrepreneurs find start-up capital.

Veterans Corp currently offers a small business acceleration program with the state of Maryland. The program connects veterans with chambers of commerce and provides business research materials to kick-start small businesses from idea to action.

“What were trying to do is [hold] interactive seminars that work for not only veterans, but for communities as well,” Mingey said.

Federal Initiatives Businesses and non-profits are not the only entities assisting veterans with finding meaningful employment. The federal government is also involved with fighting veteran unemployment. The VOW To Hire Heroes Act, a bill signed into law in November 2011, give tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed and/or disabled veterans. The bill was passed at a time when veteran unemployment stood at a staggering 12 percent.

The centerpiece of the VOW To Hire Heroes Act is the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), which offers 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60.

The Department of Veterans Affairs runs VRAP, and participants must be enrolled in a VA-approved program of education from a community college or technical school. Training programs must fit specific requirements in order to be covered by VRAP: They must lead to an associate degree, non-college degree or a certificate, and train the veteran for a high-demand occupation. O For more information, contact MAE Editor Laural Hobbes at lauralh@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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Military Transition Then and Now

By Michael Heberling, Ph.D. President, CCME While 2013 marked the 40th anniversary of CCME, 2014 marks an even more important anniversary for the entire VolEd community. Seventy years ago, Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act was unanimously passed in Congress, first in the Senate on June 12th and then in the House on June 13th. President Roosevelt signed the bill into law on June 22, 1944.

The impact of this bill on the country was far reaching and generational.

Author Stephen Ambrose said that “[the] GI Bill was the best piece of legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress, and it made modern America.”

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said, “I think few laws have had so much effect on so many people. It meant that blue collar workers, a whole generation of blue collar workers were enabled to go to college, become doctors, lawyers and engineers, and that their children would grow up in a middle class family.”

This was certainly true for my family.

My grandfather left school after the eighth grade and my father dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. He then went off to fight in the Pacific during WWII in the Army Air Corps. After the war, he took advantage of the GI Bill and went to Washburn University in Kansas. After he graduated, he went on to get his master’s degree at the University of Wyoming, also using the GI Bill.

Because of the benefits from the GI Bill, education became very important in our family. Three of the four children have master’s degrees, one has a doctorate degree and another is in the dissertation stage working on a doctorate in engineering.

My family was just one of the many millions that benefited. By the time WWII ended, there would be 15.7 million veterans. Of these, 51 percent would take advantage of the educational benefits. There www.MAE-kmi.com

would be 2.2 million enrolled in post-secondary education and another 5.6 million took vocational training. In 1947, half of all of the college students in America were veterans.

There were two concerns with this surge in veterans going off to college.

Would the colleges be able to handle the influx? How would these new students, from blue collar families, do academically? Both concerns turned out to be unfounded. Colleges stepped up to the task. On campuses across the country, prefabricated buildings and “quonset huts” served as temporary classrooms and the needed faculty were there to meet the demand. The veterans actually turned out to be exemplary students. They were older, more mature and highly motivated.

According to The New York Times, these veteran students were not just holding their own; they were “hogging the honor rolls.” According to Glenn Altschuler and Stuart Blumin, authors of The GI Bill: A New Deal for Veterans, the veterans “earned higher grades than their civilian counterparts.”

Déjà Vu Seventy years after the first GI Bill, we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Over the next five years, over a million servicemembers are expected to transition out of the military. With an economy that continues to flounder, the job prospects for these returning heroes remain daunting. In February, Defense Communities reported that there are 844,000 veterans without jobs. The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was 11.7 percent.

This is an unconscionable tragedy for America. The resolution of this problem will require a herculean and coordinated effort by all parties in government, industry and education. Those of us in the military education community can play a major role in this effort. According

to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the 2011 unemployment rate of post-9/11 veterans with a high school diploma was 16.4 percent. In contrast, for those veterans with a college degree, the unemployment rate was only 6.4 percent.

Clearly, getting that degree is paramount to success. However, to be more effective, we will need data to better determine what factors influence graduation. Along these lines, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will be teaming with the National Student Clearinghouse and the Student Veterans of America to collect data on veteran students. The sharing of best practices by civilian institutions, DoD and VA is vital.

My goal over the next 2013-14 program year as president of CCME is to have our organization facilitate this sharing of information. By leveraging our collective government and institution resources, we can make a difference in helping our servicemembers achieve their education goals. I look forward to working with all parties in this very rewarding and worthwhile process. I certainly hope that you can join me in Savannah, Ga., February 10-13, 2014 for a very productive, interesting and educational CCME Symposium. O

Michael Heberling, Ph.D.

Michael Heberling, Ph.D., is the CCME president. He is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and president of the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies.

MAE 8.2 | 25

MONEY TALKS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Kansas State Offers New Scholarship A new scholarship is being offered through Kansas State University’s Division of Continuing Education for distance education students involved in the military.

The Allan D. Sicat Scholarship will provide $1,500, beginning with the fall 2013 semester, to a selected active duty or veteran applicant who meets the requirements.

The donor of the scholarship, Allan D. Sicat, is the president of Carousel Designs in Douglasville, Ga., and was the Division of Continuing Education’s first distinguished K-State alumni fellow in 2011. After graduating from the Military Academy at West Point and serving as a U.S. Army officer, Sicat completed the online master’s degree in engineering management from Kansas State University in 2003.

Sicat developed an affinity for the university while completing his degree and as a result, felt a strong desire to give back. He approached the division last summer, wanting to set up a scholarship fund and has committed to provide a $1,500 scholarship each year for the next five years.

“This is an excellent example of how distance education students, through their good experiences, develop a strong allegiance to the university even though they have never been on campus,” said David Stewart, associate dean of continuing education.

“As a result of Allan’s good experience with K-State, other students will be helped as they pursue their educational goals.”

Stewart says the division has been working for some time to increase scholarship funds for distance education students. These students often will not qualify for traditional scholarships available from the university because they do not carry the required 12 credit hours per term.

The application for the Allan D. Sicat Scholarship for the fall 2013 term is due April 1. In addition to the application, students must have a 3.0 GPA and submit a resume and a 500-word essay describing their plans to pursue a college degree to further their military or professional career.

More information about the Allan D. Sicat Scholarship is available at: www.dce.k-state.edu/students/services/scholarships/sicat-scholarship

UMUC Partners with Yellow Ribbon Fund University of Maryland University College (UMUC) has joined with the Yellow Ribbon Fund and The Blewitt Foundation to establish the Pillars of Strength Scholarship Fund to support volunteer caregivers of our nation’s injured servicemembers.

In the inaugural year of the program, two full scholarships to attend UMUC starting with the 2013-14 academic year will be awarded through what is believed to be the only fund of its type that exclusively focuses on honoring volunteer caregivers.

The total dollar amount of each scholarship will depend on the academic program chosen by the awardee. The first scholarships will be announced at special ceremony at UMUC on April 25, 2013.

“We fully understand the tremendous challenges that volunteer caregivers face with helping our country’s injured servicemembers recover from serious injuries,” said Mark Robbins, executive director of the Yellow Ribbon Fund. “We want to show our gratitude in a meaningful way and we believe this new scholarship program will have a long-lasting, positive impact in their lives.”

These volunteer caregivers, who are oftentimes family members or friends, do not receive any educational benefits and some only very limited government financial support for their time. Caregivers often must also interrupt or delay their educational plans to help with recovery and rehabilitation.

“We have found a significant way to both recognize and serve a group that is so critical to the aide and recovery of our injured warriors,” said Rich Blewitt, president of The Blewitt Foundation. “The lifetime benefit of a college degree can be great, and it’s the least we can do for all those who sacrifice so much.”

“UMUC is proud to be part of this new program and provide an opportunity for caregivers to achieve their educational goals,” said Javier Miyares, UMUC president. “They have made a tremendous commitment to our injured servicemembers and we are honored to make this commitment to them.”

Military Officers Association of America’s Scholarship Fund Receives $5.7 Million in Bequests Military Officers Association of America’s (MOAA) Scholarship Fund announced in February it has received bequests totaling over $5.7 million.

The bequests came from two private sources.

One hundred percent of the gifts will be used to help educate children of military families.

“These gifts will enable thousands of military children to receive life-transforming educations from the accredited higher educational institution of their choice,” MOAA president Vice

26 | MAE 8.2

Admiral Norb Ryan Jr. said. “Through its unique combination of grants and interest-free loans, the MOAA Scholarship Fund has been able to provide over $100 million to more than 12,000 students.”

The Scholarship Fund is a public, non-profit, 501(c) (3) charitable organization. It provides interest-free loans and grants to students (under age 24) for up to five years of undergraduate education at an accredited two or four-year college or university of their choice. Recipients

must be children of former, active or retired officers or active or retired enlisted military personnel (regular, Reserve or Guard).

MOAA established the MOAA Scholarship Fund in 1948 to provide educational assistance for children of military families based on one of the association’s founding principles that education is the cornerstone of a strong democracy.

The MOAA Scholarship Fund is supported by donations and bequests from MOAA members, chapters, corporations and individuals.

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The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

MAE RESOURCE CENTER Advertisers Index

Calendar

The Art Institutes........................................................... 11 www.veterans.artinstitutes.edu Baker College Online. . ..................................................... C4 www.bakercollegeonline.com Berkelevy College........................................................... 27 www.berkeleycollege.edu/military Capitol College.............................................................. 27 www.capitol-college.edu/mae DeVry University............................................................ 17 http://lp.keller.devry.edu/mae1a Excelsior College. . ............................................................ 6 http://success.excelsior.edu/degreesformilitary North Dakota State University . . ......................................... 21 http://ndsu.me/ml2013 Park University............................................................... 9 www.park.edu/mae Regis University. . ............................................................. 7 www.regis.edu/cps/military Thomas Edison State College............................................. 23 http://military.tesc.edu University of Maryland University College............................. C3 http://military.umuc.edu/accomplish University of Phoenix...................................................... C2 www.phoenix.edu/mil

March 26, 2013 2013 Military.com/NCOA Career Expo Camp Pendleton, Calif. www.eventbrite.com/ event/4841193139

A LEADER IN CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION SINCE 2001

March 26-28, 2013 VA ACME Conference Virginia Beach, Va. www.vaacme.org/conference April 8-10, 2013 Sea-Air-Space 2013 National Harbor, Md. www.seaairspace.org April 14-15, 2013 Veterans in Society: Changing the Discourse Blacksburg, Va. www.cpe.vt.edu/reg/vis

April 18, 2013 Hire A Patriot: Military Hiring Event, Education & Resource Fair San Diego, Calif. www.thepatriotsgrp.com/careerfair-support April 29-30, 2013 Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Corps Competition and Conference McLean, Va. https://countmein.org/webform/ women-veteran-entrepreneurcorps-competition-and-conference-registration May 19-22, 2013 ASTD 2013 International Conference & Exposition Dallas, Texas www.astdconference.org

You helped protect our freedom.

We’ll help you prepare for your future.

Lauded as a military-friendly college by top publications, Berkeley College proudly supports the GI Bill and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Servicemembers may be eligible for Berkeley grants covering up to 100% of undergraduate tuition and fees remaining after federal and state grants are applied.

These are just some of the benefits Berkeley offers to veterans and military students:

master’s and doctorate programs in information assurance.

www.capitol-college.edu/mae

• Fully staffed Office of Military and Veterans Affairs supports all military and veterans programs • CVET program for eligible combat veterans (cvet.com) • Veterans Resource Centers at three locations • Two active chapters of the Student Veterans of America • Participation in all DOD Military Tuition Assistance programs

Find out more. Call 800-446-5400, ext. MC9 or email VeteransAffairs@BerkeleyCollege.edu

BerkeleyCollege.edu/Military • Locations in New York, New Jersey, and Online Berkeley College reserves the right to add, discontinue, or modify its programs and policies at any time.

Modifications subsequent to the original publication of this document may not be reflected here.

For the most up-to-date information, please visit BerkeleyCollege.edu.

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www.MAE-kmi.com

MAE 8.2 | 27

UNIVERSITY CORNER

Military Advanced Education

Javier Miyares President University of Maryland University College Q: Can you please provide a brief overview of your school’s history, mission and curriculum.

A: The University of Maryland University College [UMUC] was established in 1947 with a mission to serve working adults, particularly veterans who were returning from World War II. Two years later, UMUC began its distinguished relationship with active duty military personnel when it sent faculty to teach at military bases throughout Europe and Asia. More than 60 years later, UMUC now teaches at more than 150 military installations throughout the world, including Afghanistan.

UMUC has been a pioneer in distance education and in 1994 become one of the first institutions in the country to offer classes online. UMUC currently offers more than 95 undergraduate and graduate programs representing some of today’s hottest fields, including cybersecurity, information assurance and homeland security. Courses are offered on evenings and weekends, entirely online, or in a hybrid format that combines onsite and online instruction.

UMUC offers a broad range of online degree and certificate programs that offer flexibility for active duty military personnel whose schedules are unpredictable and may include gaps in enrollment due to training and deployments.

Q: What makes your school unique in the benefits and programs you offer to military servicemembers?

A: Our history of serving the military for almost 70 years makes us extremely well positioned to understand the educational needs of servicemembers and their families and to provide services that help them accomplish their educational and career goals. Our Office of Veterans Affairs and Department of Military Partnerships staff, as well as those staff members and faculty working in Europe and Asia in 28 | MAE 8.2

direct support of military operations, provide a broad range of skills, abilities and experiences that are directly applicable to enhancing educational opportunities for military students and their families.

We also offer a large staff of specially trained military and veteran student advisors who work exclusively with these students throughout their educational careers providing in-depth academic and career counseling. In the past year, UMUC was selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs as the first non-traditional school to participate in their VetSuccess on Campus program. As a member, UMUC has been afforded two highly trained Voc Rehab counselors who work full-time at UMUC’s Largo Student Services building. These counselors can assist veteran students with understanding education, health and other veteran benefits, as well as provide academic, career and civilianlife adjustment counseling.

In addition to our participation in VetSuccess on Campus, we recently helped a student launch an online veterans club to provide support for prospective students who have served our country.

Q: What are some of your school’s main goals in meeting the future challenges of online education for the military?

A: UMUC has a long history of developing quality online programs and support services specially designed for military personnel. UMUC received the highest honor in online education—the Sloan Consortium Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Web-Based Programming—in recognition

of its comprehensive online curriculum.

In addition, the International Council for Open and Distance Education selected UMUC for its Prize of Excellence for the “highest possible excellence in the fields of open, distance, virtual and flexible learning.” Moving forward, we will continue to focus on innovation in technology to enhance student learning and mastery of course objectives and core competencies.

We also have been awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Kresge Foundation to build a multi-institutional database that can be mined to identify factors that predict student success. The database combines academic data on students from two community colleges who later transferred to UMUC. The data includes academic performance as well as online classroom behavior. This research will provide the community colleges and UMUC business units with information that will help them make better decisions on how to improve services to transfer students, many of whom are military.

This is one of very few studies that cover multiple institutions and focus on students who are online learners. After delivering an interim report, UMUC was asked us to expand the study to include other community colleges and share the results at various conferences across the country.

Q: Looking ahead, how will your school realize its core objectives and aspirations?

A: Educating the military is in our DNA. We continually look at ways to improve our academic offerings and services to the military because we know they face unique challenges when trying to complete their degrees. The availability of UMUC staff and faculty working on military installations around the world is key to our students’ success as we are able to provide on-site, in-depth services to help military members, veterans and their families stay continuously enrolled until degree completion. O www.MAE-kmi.com

Some people only See a camp.

We See a campuS.

Since 1947, we’ve been creating learning opportunities—from a hotel ballroom in Wiesbaden to online classes at sea, to forward bases in Afghanistan. Today, University of Maryland University College (UMUC) offers more than 90 undergraduate or graduate programs entirely online. We’re on base or on-site in more than 25 countries, because we can turn just about anyplace into a campus.

at your Service Since 1947

 University of Maryland University College is the nation’s largest public university. 

Learn more • 877-275-UMUC • military.umuc.edu/accomplish

Photo used with consent of UT2 Nicholas Waldo, USN. Use does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

We’re here to help your servicemembers shine.

Whether the plan is to continue in the military or transition to civilian life, Baker College® Online can help your military personnel receive a regionally accredited college degree.

Our programs are available 100% online with 24/7 access from anywhere in the world.

“With Baker Online, I was able to complete my degree while I was deployed in Kuwait.”

Nicholas J. Waldo— Baker College, BBa, ‘11

REGIONALLY ACCREDITED

NOT-FOR-PROFIT

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED

100% ONLINE

WhaT “MiliTary SUPPOrTiVE” MEaNS TO US. • The application fee for qualified military students is waived at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

• at the undergraduate level textbooks are provided for qualified active duty students.

• The course fee for your first course, COl112 College Success Online (regularly $60.00) is waived.

• Free and honest evaluations of your military experience, testing, and training credits.

• Six-week quarter structure helps you finish your degree faster.

• regionally accredited, founded in 1911.

• Being a not-for-profit institution allows us to invest in our students rather than focus on shareholders.

• all Baker graduates receive lifetime Employment assistance—free and forever.

Baker College is a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), DaNTES, GoarmyEd, and CCaF’s aU-aBC program. The college is eligible to receive Federal military and Veteran education benefits.

Show your servicemembers how online learning works at bakercollegeonline.com/demo

ATTENTION ESOs:

Z6409BCO-REV1

Visit bakercollegeonline.com or call (800) 469-4062 for information about our programs or to schedule a face-to-face meeting on your base.

OVER 100 YEARS

of successfully preparing people for new careers.

An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Institution. Baker College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association / 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504 / 800-621-7440 / www.ncahlc.org. Baker Center for Graduate Studies’ MBA program is also accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our Web site at www.baker.edu/gainfulemployment.