Mae 8 9 final

Jobs & Recruitment Issue Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Employment Advocate Curtis L. Coy Deputy Under Secretary Office of Economic Opportunity Department of Veterans Affairs

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November 2013 Volume 8, Issue 9

Careers & Transitions: Social Work

Corporate Roundtable O Career Services and Job Connections Student Veterans Association O Training Heroes for Work

NEXT ISSUE

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

December 2013 • Volume 8, Issue 10

Cover and In-Depth Interview with

Carol A. Berry, Ed.D. Director Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)

Features

special section

Credits By Examination

MAE’s 2014 Guide to Military-friendly Colleges and Universities

CLEP and DSST exams allow servicemembers to gain recognized college credit for life experience. The CLEP tests the mastery of advanced material acquired through general academic instructions, significant independent study or extracurricular work, while DSST exams allow servicemembers, their spouses, and civilian employees to earn civilian college credits through subject-based examinations.

Supporting Military Spouses

Initiatives recently undertaken by the government encourage the career success of servicemember spouses—and many universities have established policies to help them achieve their education goals.

Faith-based Education

Why just feed your brain if you can feed your soul at the same time?

Certain schools are serving a particular population of students who want an education grounded in faith.

A record number of schools completed MAE’s extensive survey. It’s the resource every student, education services officer and top-level commander needs to read.

Careers & Transitions Careers in Criminal Justice

The training and knowledge gained by servicemembers during their time in the military often leads to an interest in civilian careers in criminal justice. MAE takes a look at criminal justice specialties and the schooling required to become a police officer, FBI agent, corrections officer, CSI, homeland security officer or forensics expert.

Insertion Order Deadline: November 27, 2013 • Ad Materials Deadline: December 4, 2013

MILITARY ADVANCED EDUCATION Features

November 2013 Volume 8, Issue 9

Cover / Q&A Jobs & RECRUITMENT

Careers & Transitions: Social Work

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Have your eye on a job in the corporate marketplace? Getting there isn’t always easy, but MAE has advice on how to make it happen, straight from the corporations who make hiring veterans a priority.

The nation faces a critical shortage of social workers, especially those qualified to deal with the unique challenges of our armed forces members, veterans and their families.

MAE examines some of the best social work programs at colleges and universities, while looking at the job prospects for veterans who have a commitment to improving the quality of life of vulnerable people on the local, national and international level.

By Kelly Fodel

Corporate Connections

Continuing to Serve

16 Curtis L. Coy

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19

Schools and corporations are working together to get veterans employed, looking at the employer’s needs and putting their students on a degree path to fill those voids.

The Education Corporation of America explains why veterans are great hires for employers, and how servicemembers can use their education benefits to get that next degree and move up the corporate ladder.

By Mike Betz

Reintegrating to civilian life and college life can be difficult for veterans. Fortunately, more than 850 schools nationwide have a Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter. SVAs create supportive veteran campuses, with a peer-to-peer network for servicemembers attending the school. Chapters coordinate campus activities, offer pre-professional networking, and provide a touchstone for student veterans in higher education, leading to better student success rates.

By Celeste Altus

Training Heroes for Work

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

From Battle Zone to Comfort Zone

22

Help Wanted—And Given Students today aren’t just looking for a degree; they want a school that will provide the career services and company connections that will result in a job. MAE takes a look at the ways in which colleges and universities are positioning their students for career success.

By J.B. Bissell

University Corner Richard R. Shurtz, Ph.D. President Stratford University

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Deputy Under Secretary Office of Economic Opportunity Department of Veterans Affairs

“Veterans are a good investment.

Employers who have established hiring practices that seek talented veterans are not disappointed and will continue to hire more.”

— Curtis L. Coy

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military Advanced Education Volume 8, Issue 9 November 2013

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember Editorial Editor Kelly G. Fodel kellyf@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura McNulty lauram@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editor Sean Carmichael seanc@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents J.B. Bissell • Michael Frigand Maura McCarthy

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KMI Media Group Chief Executive Officer Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com Publisher and 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 Trade Show Coordinator Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com

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Thousands of military students recently had to put their schooling on hold, thanks to a federal government shutdown that began October 1 and was resolved 16 days later. The shutdown forced the military to stop paying financial aid for activeduty servicemembers, jeopardizing students’ academic progress and forcing some to withdraw from classes. From October 1 to 17, existing applications for tuition assistance were not processed, and no new requests were authorized.

Even with the conclusion to the shutdown, students are still on the hook for any classes they began during that time period. It is illegal for TA to be backdated, so any student hoping for some sort of reimbursement is due for disappointment.

The same goes for well-meaning schools that generously allowed military students Kelly G. Fodel Editor to attend for free or reduced tuition, in hopes that refunds lay ahead. As stated on the MyArmyBenefits website, “The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from obligating or expending federal funds in advance of or in excess of an appropriation by Congress. As such, the Army will not be able to honor all of the FY14 TA requests that have been requested in GoArmyEd prior to 1 October 2013 with a class start date of 1 October or after.”

The bad guys here are not the universities or the military, which are bound by funding constraints and policies. Unfortunately, the military students were caught in the middle of yet another partisan issue, in which neither political party could compromise or work together in order to solve budget issues in a timely manner.

The government shutdown, though now resolved for the time being, is, simply put, an embarrassment. The veterans and active-duty military of America, as well as their families, deserve better. They deserve consistent access to all the benefits that have been promised to them. They deserve to attend school with tuition assistance without gaps in funding, to visit the monuments established in their honor, and receive death benefits immediately when they make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Instead, Americans were forced to watch a sad comedy taking place in Washington, D.C., as politicians of all stripes talked the talk but wouldn’t walk the walk. For 16 days, senators and congressmen spoke of compromise without actually making concessions. All the while, their benefits remained intact, while those of our country’s heroes hung in the balance, a victim of political warfare.

This month’s issue of MAE focuses on jobs and recruitment. After all, getting the education (difficult as it may be in this political climate) is only part of the story. The new journey begins after graduation, when all that schooling must be built into a successful career. We hope you will be able to utilize the many resources and pieces of advice that we have gathered for you this month.

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PROGRAM NOTES

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Government Shutdown Leads to TA Suspension Just months after congressional pressure led to its reinstatement, the military’s Tuition Assistance (TA) program was suspended again, this time due to the government shutdown. In early October, Congress failed to reach an agreement on a budget for the 2014 fiscal year, triggering the first federal government shutdown since 1996. The 16-day shutdown forced many students to withdraw from classes that began on or after October 1. Financial aid from the Defense Department’s TA program assists 300,000 servicemembers around the country, and can reach $250 per semester hour and $4,500 for the fiscal year.

After the shutdown ended, the services began to work through the backlog of TA requests. A notice on the Army’s GoArmyEd website on October 18 stated that “TA for classes with a start date of 17 October 2013 or after will be honored by Army Education. The program to have GoArmyEd reject classes on the start date was disabled yesterday, 17 October 2013. Soldiers with approved TA requests for classes with a start date on or after 17 October may attend their classes.”

The Air Force issued a statement that same day, letting servicemembers know that effective immediately, all Military Tuition Assistance (MilTA) applications for courses starting on or

after October 17 may be submitted. All previously approved MilTA requests for courses which began on or after October 17 are reinstated. DoD and Service policy for courses that started October 1-16 will be distributed as soon as it is available.

Students using Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) can also register now that funding has become available. The MyCAA portal will be temporarily modified to allow financial assistance (FA) documents to be submitted one day before the class start date versus the normal 15 days before the course start date. Any FA documents previously submitted and approved are being processed now. Any disapproved FA documents will need to be resubmitted.

MyCAA cannot pay for any classes that do not have an approved FA document, and backdating of these documents is prohibited. Students are asked to check their MyCAA messages for the status of their requests.

Even with the reinstatement of TA, servicemembers will find themselves on the hook for any tuition charges amassed during the shutdown that were not pre-approved. Payments for TA cannot be retroactive. All branches of the military made it clear to servicemembers that there is no reimbursement policy for military TA.

“We are in an historic period of unprecedented political brinksmanship and government fiscal uncertainty,” said Shawn A. Mann, director of Military & Veteran Education Programs at Baker College Online. “I think I can say with absolute certainty that TA will not be back-paid. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from obligating or expending federal funds in advance of or in excess of an appropriation by Congress, so no TA is being approved. Any school accepting students on the promise of seeking payment after this fiscal crisis is over will likely find themselves pursuing the student for the unresolved obligation. The process is not at all similar to the vote to approve back pay for furloughed federal workers.”

Some schools and students were not impacted, as their classes began weeks ago and all TA requests were processed prior to the shutdown.

Many schools advised students to discuss their unique scenarios with financial counselors to be sure they made the best decision for their personal needs. Some schools, as public institutions, did not have the option to waive or reduce tuition and fees, as those are set by the state. Other colleges and universities announced plans to provide tuition discounts, grants, or cover the entire cost of tuition for military students.

PEOPLE Jerry C. Lee, who over 24 years at National University built a growing system of nonprofit colleges serving adults, is retiring.

Lee was president of National University from 1989 to 2007 and has been chancellor of the evolving National University System since 2001.

Carolyn Baker retired on September 30 from the Department of Defense. In December 2004 she became the chief of continuing education programs for DoD, OUSD (P&R) MC&FP (Ed Ops). She had been working for the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

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Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

for Military Community and Family Policy.

Nicolette DeVille Christensen

Arcadia University announced the election of Nicolette DeVille Christensen, Ph.D., as the 21st president in the university’s 160-year history. Christensen was appointed to oversee the

responsibilities of president, running Arcadia’s day-to-day operations since being named chief operating officer in March.

The U.S. Education Department announced that Jamienne S. Studley, a former president of Skidmore College and one-time Education Department general counsel, would become a deputy under secretary of education.

With Jeff Appel, who was given the same title this summer, Studley will oversee the department’s ambitious second-term higher education agenda.

Sidney A. Ribeau announced that he will step down as

president of Howard University this year, after five years in office.

Kynan Simison

Harrison College announced that Kynan Simison will assume the role of campus president for Harrison College’s Fort Wayne campus. Since 2010, Simison has been serving as regional director of enrollment for Harrison College.

MAE 8.9 | 3

Jobs & RECRUITMENT

Corporate Connections Veteran-friendly companies are actively recruiting servicemembers.

So you’re working diligently on your degree, or you’ve already finished your studies. The road to financial success doesn’t stop there.

Now your military experience and hard-earned education need to be parlayed into a career. Finding employment, particularly in this economic environment, can be a challenge. How can you manage to get a foot in the door at an excellent company? MAE asked some of the heavy hitters in the corporate world about their veteran hiring initiatives, and got their advice for servicemembers hoping to establish a lucrative career.

Maureen Casey • Managing Director, Military and Veterans Affairs • JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase is one of the oldest financial institutions in the U.S., with a history dating back over 200 years.

We employ 260,000 people and operate in more than 60 countries. Through our Chase and J.P. Morgan brands, we serve millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients.

In 2011, JPMorgan Chase and 10 other companies

launched the 100,000 Jobs Mission with the goal of collectively hiring 100,000 U.S. military veterans by 2020.

In less than three years, the coalition members have collectively hired over 77,000 veterans. The 100,000 Jobs Mission has also grown into one of the largest private sector coalitions committed to veteran employment. We represent almost every industry in the American economy, and we’re seeking people with the type of skills and experience gained through military service. We have just launched a new website that will serve as a helpful research tool for veterans pursuing employment. It will feature profiles of each member company— organizations actively looking

to hire veterans—as well as provide tips and suggestions to aid in the job search. Go to www.jobsmission.com to get started.

Another helpful tool for veterans is the 100,000 Jobs Mission Veteran Talent Exchange (VTX) at www.vtx .jobs. Veterans can join VTX to receive job announcements from 100,000 Jobs Mission member companies as well as tips and tools to optimize their job search. VTX is not a direct path to employment, but it is a helpful tool when thinking about your next career.

JPMorgan Chase has a dedicated military recruiting team that has assisted more than 6,000 veterans get hired here since 2011. And we have designed training, mentoring

and other programs to help bridge the gap between military and corporate cultures, because our goal is to position each veteran for longterm success. We understand that hiring veterans is not just the right thing to do—it’s good for our business.

There are a variety of available roles throughout our bank, ranging from banking functions and finance to management, sales, operations, technology and customer service. We believe that military veterans are well-suited for many of the positions within JPMorgan Chase. Anyone interested in learning more about opportunities for veterans at JPMorgan Chase should visit www.chasemilitary.com.

Scott Drach • Vice President of Human Resources • Boeing Defense, Space and Security

At The Boeing Company, veterans have been a part of the company’s fabric for decades. More than 23,000 veterans are currently employed at Boeing, and

4 | MAE 8.9

many continue to serve in the National Guard and Reserves.

It’s nearly impossible to be in a meeting at Boeing and not have a veteran at the table.

Boeing hires veterans because they bring values, skills and perspective uniquely cultivated through their experience in the military.

They create value in our company by demonstrating leadership, excellence and a collaborative approach.

Veterans know their work in

the military was meaningful, and they see that working at Boeing enables them to transition to the private sector and still continue their mission.

Boeing has a longstanding commitment to support men and women in uniform and military families through advocacy and support of USO and Joining Forces, the White House-led national initiative to support and honor servicemembers and their

families. Additionally, Boeing has received awards for being a top military-friendly employer.

Business must play a role in ensuring that veterans and military families have the support they have earned. We can help ensure that veterans know that their experience is valued and necessary, both in the community and in the aerospace industry. To assist in this effort, Boeing maintains a military careers website

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Jobs & recruitment with a military skills translator tool that helps armed forces personnel and veterans find Boeing career opportunities

that best align with their experiences.

Veterans’ values of integrity and teamwork are

a strong complement to the amazing things we do, and we are fortunate to have veterans and military spouses

on our team. For more information, visit www .boeing.com/tribute/stories/ militaryandveterans.

Andrew McCartney • Military Staffing Executive • Bank of America

Support for the military has been an integral part of our culture at Bank of America for more than 90 years. As our staffing

executive for military recruiting, I can attest that it permeates every aspect of our business, from our recruiting and hiring, to our products, philanthropy and volunteerism. We understand the sacrifice that our servicemembers and their families make for our freedom, and more importantly, we understand all that they can contribute in their roles here at home.

That is why we have made the commitment to support them in every way possible— because we know that our heroes’ lives are better when they are connected, and that we are better when we connect with them.

We highly value servicemembers, veterans and military spouses in our company because of the leadership skills and focus that they bring to our business.

About 6,000 servicemembers and veterans are currently employed at Bank of America, including nearly 1,600 who were hired in 2012, and even more who were hired this year.

Many of these talented hires join our Military Support and Assistance Group for ongoing support.

Whenever I speak to veterans, I encourage them to look for opportunities that push them as professionals

YOU’VE PROTECTED OUR TOMORROW.

now create YoUrS Yellow Ribbon Program Participant

Your military benefits can help you get an education at an Art Institutes school to launch your creative career.

Whether you choose a program in the field of Design, Media Arts, Fashion, or Culinary, talented faculty will guide your learning and help you gain real-world skills as you work with the professional technology you’ll use in the workplace. We offer a number of resources to assist student veterans on their academic journey, including financial and credit counseling, assistance with PTSD, relationship support, and help with other challenges.

veterans.artinstitutes.edu

1.800.894.5793

It’s all about preparing you to create your tomorrow.

Artwork (far left): Jevon Tsen, The Art Institute of Vancouver, 2009 Graduate, Diploma, VFX for Film & Television. Since The Art Institutes is comprised of several institutions, see aiprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info. The Art Institutes is a system of over 50 schools throughout North America. Programs, credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by school, and employment opportunities are not guaranteed. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University or Argosy University. OH Registration # 04-01-1698B; AC0165; Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 1287, 3427, 3110, 2581.

Administrative office: 210 Sixth Avenue, 33rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. ©2013 The Art Institutes International LLC. 070513

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MAE 8.9 | 5

Jobs & RECRUITMENT and leaders, to seek company cultures that recognize the unique value that they offer, and provide ways to blend their military skills with

their civilian work. At Bank of America, for example, veterans apply their skills and experiences to a variety of roles in many areas of the

company, such as technology, operations, customer service and sales.

With the skills and values that they bring to the table, I

see a bright future for veterans in America. And as a Bank of America executive, I am proud to play a role in securing that future.

Sandy Ogg • Operating Partner, Private Equity • Blackstone jobs cover a broad range and nearly all are suited to someone with a military background.

Our initiative is based on five key points:

We want to help veterans build life-sustaining careers after their service to this country has ended. In April, Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-founder Stephen Schwarzman announced a partnership between Blackstone and the White House’s Joining Forces Initiative and committed to the hiring of 50,000 veterans across its portfolio companies over the next five years. Blackstone currently has 78 companies in its portfolio that employ over 700,000 people. These

1. Executive buy-in. By engaging with Blackstone executives and highlevel portfolio company leadership, we can foster high-level internal advocacy for this initiative that both fulfills a responsibility and is good business sense.

2. Hiring manager engagement. Blackstone recently hosted a Veterans Hiring Summit to mobilize human resources executives and hiring mangers to act on this commitment.

3. Ease of execution through key partnerships. To

ensure the success of this program, we have prioritized making this process as straightforward as possible for both veterans and our portfolio companies by working with partners at the Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and the Joining Forces Initiative in the Office of the First Lady and key external partners.

4. Wide range of jobs. Our varied portfolio companies offer a wide range of jobs that are clear and easy fits for veterans at all levels.

5. Management trainee program. Veterans are natural leaders and through a training program they become managers for

our companies and help our companies grow. We have found that managers are one of the key limiting factors for company growth, and hope to address this in part by widening our applicant pool to focus on veterans.

The best way to seek employment with one of the Blackstone portfolio companies is to visit the Blackstone website, www.blackstone .com/careers/veteransinitiative. A cover letter and updated resume should be ready to send to the appropriate company contact.

Additionally, many Blackstone portfolio companies participate in job fairs and all will be regularly searching various VSOs.

Kevin Preston • Director, Military Initiatives • Disney Corporation

Supporting the U.S. armed forces has long been a Disney tradition, and Disney’s Heroes Work Here continues that proud legacy with a companywide initiative to hire, train and support military veterans.

6 | MAE 8.9

Disney introduced the program in March 2012 with a commitment to hire at least 1,000 veterans by 2015. Having exceeded that goal in the first year alone, with 1,300 veterans hired, the company announced in March 2013 that it would create opportunities for another 1,000 former servicemembers over the next two years.

Disney’s Heroes Work Here initiative also features a public awareness campaign to encourage employers across the U.S. to hire former military

servicemembers. The campaign includes public service announcements highlighting the skills and experience of veterans who work at Disney.

The PSAs direct viewers to the White House’s Joining Forces initiative (www.joiningforces .gov) and have aired across Disney’s media properties including ESPN, ABC and ABC Family, making more than 500 million impressions.

The third component of Disney’s Heroes Work Here initiative is philanthropy. Disney’s

philanthropic support of veteran and military organizations has exceeded $1 million since the launch of Heroes Work Here, and through the Disney VoluntEARS program, employees have engaged in several service projects with veterans organizations in communities around the country.

Now, Disney will host a free Veterans Institute workshop at Walt Disney World Resort on November 14, 2013, to inspire other companies to employ servicemen and women

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Jobs & recruitment transitioning to the private sector. The day-long Veterans Institute, co-sponsored by Heroes Work Here and Disney Institute, is designed to help companies build effective veteran-hiring programs of their own. The event will feature experts from Disney’s Heroes Work Here, government officials, veterans and nonprofit veterans service organizations, who will share their experiences, best practices and tips

for making a successful transition from the military to the civilian workforce.

Any veteran holds the knowledge of how to find their career after the military.

I recommend that veterans use the systems of military strategy and turn them inward and apply them to oneself.

Successfully transitioning from the military to the civilian world requires planning, strategy and reflection. Instead of planning

an operation for the military, veterans need to plan their transition from the military to their dream career, and they each possess all of the operational planning skills needed to successfully complete this mission. I recommend four steps when planning an exit from the military: develop an overarching strategy, build a timeline (18 months is optimal), establish a personal brand, and network.

I think the future is very bright for veterans. Many companies and people back home are standing ready to help you succeed. Take your time in searching not only for a job but an organization that has values close to those of the military. If the military values are aligned with the corporate values, job satisfaction will certainly follow.

For tools and resources, visit www.heroesworkhere .disney.com.

Eric Schelling • Director, Talent Acquisition • The Home Depot

At The Home Depot, we are passionate about hiring veterans. With more than 35,000 veteran associates and 1,500 associates serving on military leave at any given time, supporting our military servicemembers and veterans is very personal to us.

Over the years, we’ve found that the leadership,

service-mindedness, and problem-solving skills learned in the military often translate well on the job at The Home Depot.

To that end, every year, The Home Depot partners with RecruitMilitary, the Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs and participates in more than 100 veteran job fairs to meet potential candidates.

We have also hosted civilian career workshops in our stores to help servicemembers and veterans successfully navigate the transition in to the civilian workforce. These

workshops focus on job search strategies, resume optimization and interviewing techniques and are designed to help servicemembers find opportunities with any company, regardless of the industry, and not just with The Home Depot.

We launched our online Military Skills Translator at www.homedepotmilitary.com which helps veterans translate their unique military skills and serves them matching roles at The Home Depot.

We launched HomeTown, our military community, at www.homedepotcommunity .com. This allows veterans to interact with recruiters from

The Home Depot regarding advice, job search, resume tips, and provide articles of interest to the military.

Servicemembers can also connect with their peers and learn techniques to help them find a job with The Home Depot or any other company.

At The Home Depot, job opportunities for veterans are available across the board, from the store level to the corporate level, from cashiers and sales associates to store managers, district managers and supply chain. Additionally, we’re continuously looking for associates with hard-to-find skill sets in technology.

Karen Stang • Placement Manager, Operation IMPACT • Northrop Grumman

We are very proud of Operation IMPACT (Injured

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Military Pursuing Assisted Career Transition) and our ability to hire wounded warriors and help their families. I have been involved with the program at Northrop Grumman since it began, and in addition to the benefits we receive directly from the outstanding abilities, dedication and commitment of our wounded

warriors, the program is a great source of inspiration to Northrop Grumman employees.

Northrop Grumman employs thousands of veterans and we are committed to hiring and assisting our military-experienced candidates and employees. Operation IMPACT is an extension of

that commitment to those who serve our country. We look for job candidates who are intelligent, experienced, collaborative, adaptable, resourceful and who demonstrate the highest integrity. These are characteristics we find in hiring wounded warriors.

Started in 2005, the Operation IMPACT program

MAE 8.9 | 7

Jobs & RECRUITMENT is designed to provide career transition support to military service members who have been severely injured in the global war on terrorism. If the servicemember is not able to work, assistance is provided to a member of the immediate family who may be seeking employment.

A Marine injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom became our 100th Operation IMPACT hire last year, and said at the time that veteran outreach programs

like Operation IMPACT were few and far between. We have placed more than 130 severely injured warriors and primary wage earners through Operation IMPACT. These employees have filled a variety of positions, including access control specialist, computer systems analyst, engineer, human resources assistant, industrial engineer, information systems tech analyst, product trainer, security clerk, subcontracts administrator, systems

technician, technical editor/ writer, technician and travel reservationist.

Operation IMPACT is seen as an industry best practice by the Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and in 2007 the program received the Department of Labor New Freedom Initiative Award.

To expand opportunities for wounded warriors beyond those in Northrop Grumman, in 2007 we established a Network of Champions,

which has grown to a group of more than 90 corporations and organizations committed to assisting wounded warriors with career transition. The primary focus of this network is to provide additional resources for job placements for the candidates. In addition, to job placement, the network provides members an opportunity to share best practices and collaborate on how it can support wounded warriors and their families. O

For more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

Park university

on Campus and online

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UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Park University is a private, nonprofit institution of higher learning founded in 1875. We offer 42 undergraduate degrees, 11 associate degrees and 6 graduate-level degrees including an A.S., B.A. or B.S. in Criminal Justice and a certificate program in Terrorism and Homeland Security.

Park has built a relationship with the U.S. military over four decades. Park has campus locations at 37 military installations in 20 states.

visit us online at www.park.edu/mae or call (800) 755-7275.

PARK’S PROMISE: Serving those who serve their community and country with personalized, globally-relevant education for life.

8 | MAE 8.9

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Innovative links between educationand civilian jobs.

By Mike Betz

With two wars winding down and troop levels continuing to be drawn down due to budget cuts, some 1 million military servicemembers who have honorably served our country will be separating or retiring over the next five years. While concerns over post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries have captured much media attention, less focus has been placed on the employment needs of this new round of veterans entering the civilian workplace.

Recent reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate unemployment levels for these returning veterans (post-9/11 eligible) continue to creep up over 10 percent as more of these veterans look to the private sector for job opportunities. Furthermore, many employers are unaware that certain tax credit and hiring benefits for veterans have been extended through the end of 2013. Under the American Taxpayer Relief act, the Vow to Hire Heroes act is extended through the end of the year. Employers can receive a Returning Heroes tax credit up to $2,400 per eligible veteran and up to $9,600 for hiring an eligible wounded veteran. The Vow to Hire Heroes act also provides special employer incentives for wages for veterans placed in on-thejob-training programs.

Employer outreach and awareness has become the focus of many educational institutions, both public and private, that have large or growing populations of student veterans. They know that teaching the student is not enough—they also need to educate employers on the advantages of hiring veterans, while at the same time equipping their student veterans with skills and degrees to complement their military experience.

“The goal is to put students on a degree path to fill corporate needs in high growth areas,” said Josh Lourie, a national account executive in the career placement offices for Education Corporation of America, a private technical and degree institution. “We work with large national employers to develop externship and employment opportunities for our pending graduates. Through these national placement agreements, we are able to identify growth occupations while at the same time placing a large number of graduates in a particular field.”

Lourie has developed corporate agreements with companies including Target, CVS (pharmacy technicians), Integrated Medical Systems (surgical technicians) and Publix (culinary and pastry chefs). Additionally, Lourie has developed employer partnerships for cosmetology and massage therapy, both considered portable careers for military spouses, with companies such as Ulta and Massage Envy. www.MAE-kmi.com

New England College of Business and Finance (NECB) employs another strategy to help veterans get jobs and advance within their new occupations. NECB, a regionally accredited, fully online school located in Boston, Mass., provides education and training for working adults in the banking, finance, and business industries.

NECB actively partners with 1,200 employers to provide education benefits to their employees in coordination with the companies’ human resources departments. NECB’s program includes an employee tuition discount to corporate partner member employees as a direct benefit from the NECB corporate partnership program.

Also, many of the NECB corporate partners also offer tuition reimbursement for their employees’ higher education programs, which is an added benefit to both military veterans and civilians alike.

“Because of the great leadership and skills training they received while in the military, many employers are anxious to promote veterans within their organizations,” said Dennis Madigan, vice president of corporate partners for NECB. “Many of our organizations have as high as 15 to 20 percent of their employee base that are veterans, many of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

We are working with employers to help them understand the many benefits of hiring veterans, and how they can better serve their existing veteran employee base while helping them advance within their organization.” O

Mike Betz

Mike Betz has worked in veterans education benefits in public and private postsecondary technical college settings for the past 30 years.

He is the general manager of military student initiatives for Education Corporation of America. Since 2009, Betz and his team have helped some 8,000 veterans get started on the path to civilian employment.

For more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

MAE 8.9 | 9

Careers & Transitions: Social Work

Continuing to Serve: Careers in Social Work

Veterans are making a difference as social workers with advanced degrees.

By Kelly Fodel, MAE Editor

For people who enjoy helping others and making a difference in their lives, social work offers significant personal rewards.

Social workers take pride in knowing they are helping others cope with life’s difficult challenges and find solutions. The profession offers multiple opportunities for long-term advancement and strong growth potential. In fact, many social work jobs also appear on the U.S. News & World Report 100 Best Jobs list, chosen for their stability, satisfaction rating, work-life balance, and even salary.

Social work is one of the fastest-growing careers in the nation, with a predicted growth of 25 percent between 2010 and 2020—an average higher than all other professions.

Job prospects may be best for social workers with a background in gerontology and substance abuse treatment. The growing elderly population and an aging baby boom

generation will create greater demand for health and social services, and the number of mental health and substance abuse social workers will continue to grow as many offenders are directed to treatment versus jail time. Additionally, the outlook for military social workers remains excellent, particularly as servicemembers transition to civilian life and need help coping with the emotional challenges of readjustment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts that several segments within human services will experience significant job growth, including 57 percent growth in individual services and 31 percent in community and vocational rehabilitation services.

Social work salaries can vary widely depending on several factors, including your specialization, state and qualifications.

Qualifications can range from years of

S tudent Meredith Fleece Senior Airman U.S. Air Force Social Work major, Monmouth University My decision to join the military was one of the best I have ever made. When I graduated high school I was not sure what career path I wanted to head down, but I knew that I wanted to do something that I could be proud of and that would make a difference. So I decided to join the Air Force, where I served from 2001 until 2005 at Langley AFB as a communications security custodian. I had such a wonderful experience during those years, learning how to live on my own, taking responsibility for myself and my career, and making lifelong friendships—all things that I would not trade for the world. When my enlistment was complete, I knew I wanted to further my education and that I wanted to help others, but I wasn’t sure exactly in what capacity.

After researching several career paths, I came across social work and I felt that the values and goals of this career matched my own. Social work is a career where I can make a difference and feel proud of the work I am doing.

Monmouth University was a leap of faith for me and I could not be happier with how my decision turned out. When I applied to Monmouth, I was told that they did not have an open slot for the Yellow Ribbon Program. After meeting and talking to the social work faculty,

10 | MAE 8.9

experience to whether or not you have a master’s degree and what types of special certifications you might hold. The 2010 median pay for jobs in the social and human services/direct services field was $28,200 per year, while the median pay for social and community service managers was $57,950 per year. Social work salaries vary by rural to urban settings, as well. The client population served can also influence salary. For example, practitioners in the health care setting tend to have higher salaries than those in school settings.

Social work is a diverse field with hundreds of different opportunities to specialize. In general, social workers serve

S p o t l ig h t I felt an instant connection. Not only does Monmouth offer a wonderful program, but the people who make up the School of Social Work are just amazing! I knew that I wanted a school that had a strong support system and tightknit community. Monmouth University offered me both and so much more. So, I decided to take a risk and enrolled without Yellow Ribbon assistance. Thankfully, right before classes were scheduled to begin, I received notice that a spot had opened up and it was mine!

My advisors at Monmouth helped to find the right internship placement for me; a place where I could learn and grow my social work skills.

This year, I was awarded the New Jersey Heroes “Heart of a Hero” scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship is given to 10 military servicemembers pursuing a post-secondary education or vocational training.

Winning the Heart of a Hero scholarship is such a huge honor. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have been chosen. There are so many people achieving great things through volunteer work in their communities and I am honored to be among them. This scholarship will help me to finish my undergraduate degree in social work without having to worry about student loan debt. I am confident that with hard work and this scholarship, I will achieve my goals.

My advice to those looking to pursue a career in social work is to have an open mind. I came into social work with an idea of the area and population that I wanted to work with, but have been introduced to so many new areas of interest that I had never even considered. With an open mind, you will get the most out of your education, gain new experiences and achieve things you never dreamed of!

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in policy practice, advocacy and program administration. Our curriculum is designed to prepare competent and knowledgeable social workers who can provide leadership in complex and culturally diverse urban settings.”

Hassan said USC is the only school that offers a requisite leadership course for all students, a military University Of social work option, and a Southern California dedicated career and professional development office.

“The University of The school provides a variety Southern California (USC) of concentrations: commuSchool of Social Work nity organization, planning consistently ranks among the and administration; families nation’s top accredited social and children; health; mental work graduate programs,” Anthony Hassan health; and social work and said Anthony Hassan, chair cir@usc.edu business in a global society. of the USC School of Social There are also sub-concentrations: military Work’s military social work program. “Our social work and veteran services, older adults, master of social work program is recognized public child welfare, school settings; and sysas one of the best for preparing clinical social tems of recovery from mental illness, as well workers, with alumni equally successful individuals, families and communities in three main fields: child, family and school; medical and public health; and mental health and substance abuse. Many schools offer excellent programs of social work study, along with specializations for the student who wishes to serve a specific population.

as several dual degrees offered in cooperation with other USC graduate schools.

“We also pride ourselves on the quality of our field internship program, which now includes relationships with more than 5,000 sites all across America,” Hassan said.

There are more than 3,000 master of social work students, with approximately 900 enrolled in the military sub-concentration.

Of those, 25 percent are veterans or military spouses. A vast majority of USC’s veterans have served in active duty post-9/11.

According to Hassan, “About 80 percent of the USC Master of Social Work students have jobs within the first 30 days after graduation. This is a key consideration for a veteran, especially since securing gainful employment is a good indicator of a successful transition from military to civilian life.”

Monmouth University “At Monmouth, we have both a Bachelor of Social Work program and a Mas-

Earn your master’s or doctorate degree from the University of Oklahoma. Locations around the world and classes that fit your schedule.

Appy today at GoOU.ou.edu The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

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MAE 8.9 | 11

Careers & Transitions: Social Work political science, psychology, throughout the network of VA clinics and ter of Social Work program, social work and sociology). hospitals,” said Melinda Pilkinton, Ph.D., each of which are grounded “Our human services associate professor and director of the social in human rights and social delivery and administration work program at Mississippi State Univerjustice,” said Robin S. Mama, degree program prepares sity. “Because social workers provide the Ph.D., dean of the School of human services professionals majority of mental health services in the Social Work. “This means that to effectively serve, empower U.S., outnumbering psychologists, counselour students are engaging in and enhance the quality of ors and psychiatrists combined, it is imperaa curriculum steeped with life for individuals and groups tive that we assist in training social workers content on human rights and at all levels of society, and to meet this need.” that they are learning to think Robin S. Mama to support human services Mississippi State University offers the about social justice issues and functions locally and globbaccalaureate degree in social work (BSW). how they practice as social rmama@monmouth.edu ally in accordance with the It does not have a master’s program of workers from a human rights self-determined needs of the study. However, in Mississippi, BSWs are and social justice approach.” community and professional licensable and can work in a wide variety of The master’s program has aspirations and abilities of the settings with the degree. two concentrations: clinical student,” said Pamela Elfen“We are a ‘generalist’ program, which practice with families and bein, MSW, Ph.D., head of means that students are prepared to work children, and international the Department of Sociolwith a wide variety of client systems, includand community development. ogy and Human Services at ing families, groups, individuals, communiThe international and comUNG. “The HSDA program ties and organizations, regardless of the munity development conat UNG is a natural fit for problem or issue that clients present,” said centration allows students to those with a desire to give Pilkinton. “Students learn assessment, complete part of their field Pamela Elfenbein back, to improve the human planning and intervention skills. They internship overseas, with condition, and to make their receive intensive training in interviewing internships in Chile, Banglapamela.elfenbein@ung.edu communities, their country and empathic listening skills. By the time desh, Tanzania, Ireland and and the world a better place.” a student graduates from our program, he Vietnam. The clinical practice program has While UNG has enrolled a number of or she has acquired skills in policy analysis, a sequence in military families, in which returning vets into the social work and research methodology, practice skills, develstudents can take their electives on issues HSDA programs, the university has a larger opment across the lifespan (from infancy to affecting military families or veterans and number of military spouses and other family old age), and diversity training.” then complete their internship in a militarymembers drawn to the program who have There are concentrations available in related agency or organization. shown particular interest in working with gerontology, gender studies and African“Our graduate social work program is the population of returning veterans and American studies. Pilkinton said they are in ranked 60th in the top 100 graduate social military families with members serving away the process of developing additional coursework programs in the U.S. by U.S. News and from home. work in the area of military social work.

World Report,” said Mama. “We have received Elfenbein said the UNG HSDA program “We are eager to offer a series of courses several awards from our state NASW and one is the only nationally accredited bachelor’s designed not only to train social workers from CSWE for International Education.” degree-level program in the Southeast. As to work with this population, but to assist a Council for Standards in Human Serreturning student veterans as they transiUniversity Of North Georgia vices (CSHSE) nationally accredited protion to the university setting. As military gram, UNG HSDA students can become personnel return from OIF/OEF deployThe University of North Georgia (UNG) board-certified human services professionments, the need for qualified mental health offers an associate degree in social work that als upon graduation, as the 2,000 hours of and family service providers expands. We prepares students for entry-level careers with paid and supervised human want to help meet the needs public and private social services organizaservices provision required of veterans and their famitions and provides the academic foundation for this certification is waived lies by training future social necessary to pursue a baccalaureate degree for students graduating from workers to understand how in any human services field.

CSHSE-accredited programs. to intervene effectively with At the baccalaureate level, UNG offers the population.” a degree in human services delivery and administration (HSDA). The field of human Mississippi State services is interdisciplinary and more broadly University Troy University defined than social work, uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs “The VA has, in the “Troy University has a through an interdisciplinary knowledge base. last few years, added 1,600 long history of commitment Melinda Pilkinton HSDA faculty are drawn from multiple acapositions for practitioners to our military,” said Denise demic and skills backgrounds (education, of mental health services pilkinton@socialwork.msstate.edu M. Green, Ph.D., chair of the 12 | MAE 8.9

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vets to become credentialed Department of Social Work social work practitioners,” and Human Services. “The Bullock said. social work program here “Social workers deal with takes pride in following the adversity, challenges and footsteps of this tradition. We struggles of diverse populaare proud of our service and tions. Vets and social work proud for those who serve.” practice are a great combinaTroy University offers an tion for success in working undergraduate (BSW) and a with the military commugraduate (MSW) degree in Denise M. Green nity. For example, vets who social work. All BSW prohave been in combat and war grams are generalist pracdmgreen@troy.edu zones have the capacity and tice, while MSW programs ability to understand and relate to military have concentrations. The MSW program personnel and families in need of social concentrations include direct practice with work services, in ways that others may not. a focus on military and their families, and This ability to empathize could be invaluorganizational leadership and management able in the client-practitioner relationship.” with a focus on international social work.

Troy University recently received a three-year grant to assist military famiVeteran Social Workers Come lies and veterans in the community with Full Circle locating jobs, writing resumes, interviewing skills, obtaining benefits and securing There are many avenues through which services. The university also has veteran a veteran social worker can directly serve faculty members teaching in the program. the military. For example, social workers can work in mental health clinics that serve North Carolina State University servicemembers and/or family members that are located on military bases or within a military hospital. Options within the The Department of Social Work at civilian community include the Veterans North Carolina State University (NCSU) Administration, vet centers, nonprofit orgaoffers BSW and MSW degrees, with the nizations (such as U.S. VETS, Volunteers of overarching goal of preparing students to America, New Directions, or the Salvation be competent in areas of policy, advocacy, Army) and a myriad of other organizations social welfare and mental health needs of that serve veteran-specific needs such as diverse populations in local, national and employment, legal issues, housing, and global service delivery systems. Students physical and mental wellness. are educated and trained in a generalist Increasingly, social workers are the ones practice model through research, scholarwho diagnose and treat combat stress disorship and community engagement. ders or other life challenges that come with “Graduates of the NCSU department of transitioning from military to civilian life. social work have a long and proud tradiWhen veterans seek treatment, they want tion of serving the needs of veterans, active a professional who can relate to soldiers, duty military personnel and their families,” and that usually means someone who has said Karen Bullock, Ph.D., social work military experience or advanced training in department head at NCSU. “Former sermilitary social work. As Hassan said, “Who vicemembers have much to offer those in better to serve a veteran than a veteran? A need. A social work degree is an attractive veteran not only understands these unique option for former servicemembers because challenges, but also lends credibility and upon graduation, they are equipped with increases the likelihood of a fellow vetcomprehensive practice frameworks and a eran seeking and continuing mental health guiding code of ethics that provide a familtreatment.” O iar approach for former servicemembers to learn, retool and build upon as a second career path.”

“Each year, we admit new vet stuFor more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online dents into our social work programs as archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com. we honor our commitment to preparing www.MAE-kmi.com

online.nebraska.edu/militarysw Online programs from four, military-friendly campuses, including: • Child, Youth, & Family Studies • Gerontology • Public Administration • Sociology • And More

Proud participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

MAE 8.9 | 13

CLASS NOTES Metropolitan State Receives Yellow Ribbon Designation Metropolitan State University held a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Proclamation Ceremony on October 17, honoring former student and Alumnus of the Year General Frank J. Grass.

Established by the Minnesota National Guard, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is an inclusive program that will further Metropolitan State’s mission to provide student veterans and active military personnel with community support, training, access to services, and the resources to further personal and professional goals.

“We’re extremely proud not only to award General Grass as Alumnus of the Year, but also have the opportunity to witness the proclamation of his alma mater as a Yellow Ribbon company,” said Sue K. Hammersmith, Ph.D., Metropolitan State president. “Our veterans services department is a robust and active part of who we are, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome General Grass and our local elected officials to our campus to recognize the support we provide our military community.”

UMD to Solve Global Language Problems at New Language Science Research Center The University of Maryland (UMD) is launching a campus-wide, interdisciplinary research center designed to advance a deep understanding of language to promote human and technological solutions to real-world problems.

The Maryland Language Science Center will combine the brain trust of the world’s broadest and most integrated community of language scientists to connect answers to deep scientific problems— such as understanding how our brains make the richness of human languages possible—with solutions to real-world problems involving language in education, technology, health and security.

The center is a collaborative effort involving more than 200 language scientists, drawn from 16 departments and centers in six colleges across the university.

Building on the established work of language scientists at the university, the new center will solve a variety of pressing global problems. Some of this work includes early identification of language disorders in infants; narrowing education achievement gaps caused by “language poverty”; and building technology for information extraction and for real-time translation systems that emulate the feats of simultaneous interpreters.

“With the creation of the new Maryland Language Science Center, we are focusing on an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to language science and making it one of the university’s strategic priorities,” said Mary Ann Rankin, UMD’s senior vice president and provost. “Through this unique collaborative model between the humanities and sciences, we will be able to create connections across campus between traditionally disparate areas and secure our spot at a global leader in language science research.”

USC Hosts Conference on Urgent Needs of Returning Veterans The University of Southern California (USC) hosted a national conference on supporting the needs of returning veterans on October 8 at the University Park Campus. The conference featured substantive policy discussions on a wide range of complex challenges facing returning veterans, including workforce re-entry, job training and education and the increasing prevalence of homelessness, particularly among female veterans.

“The USC Price School is deeply committed to advancing the development of policies and practices that improve the quality of life for veterans throughout the nation. From unemployment to housing and homelessness, USC Price faculty and students are actively engaged in policy research and implementation for the benefit of veterans and military families,” said Jack H. Knott, dean of the USC Price School of Public Policy.

The event featured a number of high-ranking government officials and experts on veterans’ issues, including Peter Gravett, Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the State of California; Lindsey Sin, Deputy Secretary for Women Veterans Affairs at the California Department of Veterans Affairs; and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who discussed the need for local, integrated services to support veterans in the city of Los Angeles.

“It is an honor to host such distinguished leaders on campus at USC. This event will mark the beginning of a new initiative at the university, in which multiple schools across campus will commit significant resources and faculty expertise to the care, recovery, and reintegration of veterans throughout the nation,” said USC President C.L. Max Nikias.

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Kaplan University’s New Learning Recognition Course Saves Students Time and Money Kaplan University has introduced an open learning course that enables students to document experiential learning acquired outside of the classroom for college credit, such as work experience or military training.

“Kaplan University’s new Learning Recognition Course [LRC] promises to be incredibly valuable for individuals looking to advance their education and career,” said Betty Vandenbosch, Ph.D., Kaplan University Provost.

In the LRC, students develop a portfolio that describes and organizes the learning acquired on the job, through military service, volunteer work or through other life experiences that directly relate to learning mastery. Students also examine what they already know, what they have college credit for, what their future goals are, and how all of these components fit together. The portfolios are evaluated

by Kaplan University to determine the credit awarded.

Believed to be the first open and free learning recognition course made available to the general public, more than 400 people have registered for the course since Kaplan University began offering it in May 2013. Students who have completed the course have been granted an average of 26 quarter credits, equal to more than two terms, saving them thousands of dollars on the cost of their degree at Kaplan University. www.MAE-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

New York Community Colleges Want Students to Complete Degrees All of New York State’s 37 community colleges, which have a combined enrollment of 335,000, participated in New York State Completion Day. The initiative is led by the 30 State University of New York and seven City University of New York community colleges. The message is simple: Students who complete an associate degree have better prospects for jobs, scholarships, and transfer to four-year schools.

New York’s two-year schools each planned multiple Completion Day events. These included campaigns asking students to sign a pledge to complete their degree or certificate program. Campuses also held resource fairs to provide information about academic, advisement, and financial support services that can help students reach their goals.

Corning Community College hosted a student and alumni panel presentation on October 1, as part of the state-wide effort to encourage students to complete their degrees. Panelists shared their personal stories about the challenges and successes they experienced while completing their degree.

The state’s community colleges adopted the slogan of “Commit. Complete. Compete.” This slogan helps to emphasize that graduation puts students in a better position to compete for scholarships, internships and jobs in an uncertain economy. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, students who complete an associate degree can expect to earn $400,000 more in a lifetime than a high school graduate. For those who transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree, the figure rises to $900,000.

APUS Launches New Entrepreneurship Degree Programs American Public University System (APUS) has new Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts programs in entrepreneurship for American Military University and American Public University students who want to start businesses or nonprofit organizations.

The new programs, offered in response to strong student interest, were developed from the university’s existing entrepreneurship concentrations within its business administration programs. The continued strong growth in small businesses nationwide indicates that this is an increasingly popular career field, according to School of Business Dean Chad Patrizi, Ph.D. “As small businesses continue to fuel our economic recovery, and more military veterans choose this option upon separation and retirement, our new entrepreneurship programs will help support this career path,” said Patrizi. “They will provide students with the essential skills to drive innovation, design business enterprises, and develop relationships within the entrepreneurial and business leader communities.”

The entrepreneurship programs cater to the specific needs of entrepreneurs, family business owners, new business owners, and servicemembers and veterans who are developing civilian careers. The programs feature faculty who are scholars as well as entrepreneurs. The School of Business Industry Advisory Council also provided guidance on curriculum development from a business leader’s perspective.

Cassandra Shaw, Ph.D., APUS School of Business faculty member, was named program director. “Our new program has been designed to guide students on an entrepreneurial journey, from inception to implementation of their business,” said Shaw. “We have incorporated a diversity of entrepreneurial ideas, skills, and resources, which will provide the guidance needed to help students get started as well as manage a start-up business or non-profit enterprise.”

The undergraduate program includes the basics of business, accounting, leadership, innovation, business plans, financing, law, money management, and marketing, culminating with a business capstone project. Graduate program courses cover small business operations, entrepreneurial marketing, principles of e-commerce and small business funding. Students must also complete an entrepreneurial project as part of the degree requirements.

New Grant for The Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) announced that their Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program has received a grant in the amount of $150,000 from Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a nonprofit veteran service organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded servicemen and women.

The grant will expand the IVMF’s ability to provide scholarships to attend one of the EBV programs in the EBV consortium of universities, as well as the annual EBV National Training and Alumni Conference.

The EBV is an entrepreneurship training program for injured veterans and family members. It was founded at Syracuse University’s www.MAE-kmi.com

Whitman School of Management in 2007 and is operated by the university’s IVMF. A national consortium consisting of a network of eight schools offers the EBV nationwide, through programs at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles; the College of Business at Florida State University; the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University; the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University; the School of Business at the University of Connecticut; the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University; and the EBV’s first specialty program in hospitality at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

“The WWP grant program allows us to support the good work and expertise of a broad

spectrum of organizations that are dedicated to meeting the needs of injured servicemembers,” said Steven Nardizzi, executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project. “We are very proud of the collaboration and commitment that the grant program fosters to help ensure this generation of injured servicemembers is the most successful and well-adjusted in our nation’s history.”

In this second year of operation, the WWP grants program continues to work with organizations that provide injured servicemembers with unique, specialized programs and services, often in remote service areas. During two review cycles each year, WWP carefully selects the grant recipients, and to-date has provided support to over 70 organizations nationwide.

MAE 8.9 | 15

Employment Advocate

Q& A

Improving Job Opportunities and Access for Veterans and Their Families Curtis L. Coy Deputy Under Secretary Office of Economic Opportunity Department of Veterans Affairs

Curtis “Curt” L. Coy was appointed deputy under secretary for economic opportunity in the Department of Veterans Affairs on May 9, 2011. In this role, Coy oversees all education benefits (GI Bill), loan guaranty service (VA loans), vocational rehabilitation and employment issues.

Prior to his appointment, Coy was a senior executive at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for about 11 years. For eight of those years, he was the deputy assistant secretary for administration at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In 2000, Coy was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be the director of the Program Support Center, with approximately 1,200 employees, 1,500 contractors and $400 million in working capital fund annual revenue, to provide almost all government administrative and logistical support to the department and other federal agencies on a fee-for-service basis.

Prior to his appointment at the VA, at the request of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration he served as the deputy commissioner and chief financial officer. Following the transition to the Obama administration, Coy assisted with the start and initial operation of the new Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO). As the deputy director for operations, OCIIO, he was tasked with implementing many of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act legislation that addressed private health insurance.

Coy is the recipient of several distinguished awards to include a Presidential Rank Award, the Surgeon General’s Medallion in 2002, and the HHS Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009. In 2006, Coy was elected as a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Contract Management Association. He is also a certified professional contracts manager and past chairman of the National Contracts Management Association, as well as a past chapter president.

Coy earned his master’s degrees in acquisition/contracting management and materiel logistics support from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. A strong believer in higher education, Coy served as an adjunct associate professor for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Graduate School of Management and Technology, and has been a guest lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School. He has been selected for the International Who’s Who of Professionals, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who Historical Society.

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Q: It’s been said that the original 1944 GI Bill fundamentally changed the nation, fueling economic expansion that paid back the investment many times over and making college education a cornerstone of middle-class American life. What kind of lasting imprint will we see with the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

A: Since the end of World War II, GI Bill programs have shaped our nation and helped stimulate our economy. Education not only changes lives of veterans and immediate family members, but adds richness and economic stability to communities and governments. The VA delivers these benefits and assists veterans in assessing their strengths, setting educational and professional goals, and provides tools to assist them in making the best decisions for their particular situation. The rich benefits of the Post9/11 GI Bill make it easier for veterans and their beneficiaries to make the best use of the benefits they have earned.

Since inception, we have delivered over $30 billion in tuition and benefits to over 1 million veterans, servicemembers and their families, and to the universities, colleges and trade schools they attend. At any given time, over 400,000 veterans are in school classrooms preparing for their new adventure post active duty.

The improved education benefits offered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill went into effect four years ago on August 1, 2009, and both www.MAE-kmi.com

Congress and President Obama have stated they are committed to sustaining a “strong” GI Bill.

On April 27, 2012, the president directed the federal government to improve consumer information and protection services to veterans through Executive Order 13607, the Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Servicemembers, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members. We’re proud to have embarked on implementing the exciting features of this executive order, including launching a variety of online tools designed to empower veterans as they fulfill their education goals. These tools include a new comparison tool where potential students can compare institutions on key measures of affordability and value, and a complaint system where students can submit complaints about educational institutions. Providing veterans and servicemembers with these resources will help improve the accountability of our education programs and, more importantly, help increase access to benefits information, giving students more tools to help make the best choices for utilizing their GI Bill benefits and expanding their future opportunities.

Improvements like these will help guide our “next” Greatest Generation down a path to a rewarding education and future economic success.

Q: Older than their student peers, are veterans more focused on college as a means to an economic end? How do they adapt to campus life after the military, and what services does VA offer to help ensure their academic success?

A: Yes, veterans are driven, mission-focused and skilled at completing the task at hand. They have a unique skill set that they bring to both academia and the workforce. Veterans are considered to be nontraditional students in that they have often delayed school enrollment to serve their country and are therefore older, may attend school part time, work full time while pursuing their education, are financially independent, have families, and possess life experiences that set them apart from the average graduating high school student. Veterans tend to be successful in pursuing their academic goals. The military experience that veterans bring to the campus and classroom makes them resilient, motivated to succeed, dependable and reliable.

Veterans have been shown to benefit from on campus or virtual affinity groups and learning from the experience of their veteran peers on navigating college life. In 2009, we began our VetSuccess on Campus [VSOC] program. Through the VSOC program, VA places an experienced vocational rehabilitation counselor on campus to help ease the transition of veterans into academic life. The VSOC counselors provide basic academic counseling and guidance on all VA health care and benefits services. At the end of fiscal year 2013, we expanded our VSOC program to brick and mortar schools with a high population of veteran enrollment, and the program is now operating across 94 campuses nationwide and 30 states. We recognized early on that it was not realistic to place a federally funded VSOC program at all of our 9,000-plus GI Bill-approved locations, so we leveraged our best practices and lessons learned from our VSOC program and collaborated with the Department of Education to implement the 8 Keys to Success at community colleges and universities.

The president has challenged all educational institutions to adopt the 8 Keys to Success, which are concrete steps that institutions www.MAE-kmi.com

of higher education can take to help veterans and servicemembers transition into the classroom and thrive once they are there.

What we’re accomplishing in these efforts is helping set these students up for collegiate success by providing a foundation of support, one that gives them a chance to channel their concentration and attitude of commitment to excel in academics.

Q: Beyond the four-year degree, what other ways are you seeing veterans and servicemembers use their education benefits?

A: VA’s on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs provide veterans with entry-level positions leading to permanent positions. The programs empower veterans and their dependents by allowing them to learn a trade or skill through participation in apprenticeship or on-the-job training, rather than by attending traditional classroom instruction. Since inception, over 134,000 veterans have benefited from the program. We are currently working with our employer partners and strategizing on how we can expand the program and ensure more veterans can take part in this opportunity.

Veterans typically enter into a training contract with an employer or union for a specific period of time, and at the end of the training period have gained job certification or journeyman status. In most instances, the veteran receives a salary from the employer while participating in the training. As the veteran progresses through the training, skill levels and salaries increase.

It’s really a win-win for the veteran and for the employer, who benefits from a better-trained and more committed worker. After VA receives certification of hours worked from the employer, VA issues GI Bill payments on a monthly basis. Veterans using these programs are able to train as a union plumber, hotel manager, firefighter, and many other types of occupations. For more information on the program and how to apply, veterans and employers can visit our GI Bill website at gibill.va.gov or ask questions on the GI Bill Facebook page.

Q: As Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Opportunity, you have the big-picture view as a champion for veterans’ concerns about careers and financial stability. An indicator of success is veteran employment. What is the outlook for veterans’ employment?

A: Veterans are a good investment. Employers who have established hiring practices that seek talented veterans are not disappointed and will continue to hire more. Right now there are approximately 800,000 veterans looking for work, with the largest number of veterans being those between the ages of 35 and 64 years old. Veterans do not come in one size or skill set.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has tools to assist employers and veterans throughout their lives. We recognize the importance of economic stability and employment and have therefore established a standalone function within the department to focus on veteran employment. Its mission is to engage veterans, private industry, and work across government to improve veteran employment opportunities for our servicemembers and their family members.

Employment resources are available for both veterans and employers through employer tax credits and VA’s VetSuccess.gov employment website. We are committed to building an even MAE 8.9 | 17

greater collection of tools for veterans and employers to make it easier to navigate the field of veteran employment.

Q: What should prospective employers know about the characteristics of veterans and servicemembers and the tax benefits of hiring disabled or unemployed veterans?

A: As I mentioned earlier, veterans are a good investment and bring a valuable experience into the workforce. Due to the rigorous training they received in the military, veterans come on board motivated to succeed and show enormous resilience. These qualities are very beneficial to prospective employers, as they are looking for someone to hit the ground running in a new work environment.

There are also important tax benefits that employers can take advantage of when hiring any veteran, not just post-9/11 veterans.

This includes the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides incentives for employers to hire unemployed veterans before January 1, 2014. Employers can receive $2,400 for hiring veterans unemployed more than four weeks but less than six months and $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been unemployed for more than six months. The Wounded Warrior Tax Credit provides even larger incentives for employers to hire unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities. Employers can receive $4,800 for hiring a service-connected disabled veteran within one year of discharge from active duty, and $9,600 for hiring a serviceconnected disabled veteran unemployed more than six months.

It just makes sense for employers to look into these benefits of hiring veterans—it’s good for business on multiple levels, not the least of which is putting the military can-do attitude to work in their companies.

Q: Are there websites or services promoted by the government to help veterans looking for employment in their chosen field?

A: The president has said no veteran who fought for this nation should have to fight for a job when he or she returns home. The administration has made it a priority to help veterans looking for employment, and the White House Joining Forces initiative is dedicated to connecting servicemembers, veterans and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs. Department of Labor’s American Job Centers provide a full range of assistance to job seekers to include career counseling, job listings, and other similar employment-related services. Through the President’s Gold Card Initiative, post-9/11 veterans are eligible for free services aimed at jumpstarting their job search process at the American Job Centers located across the country.

The revamped Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program helps servicemembers make the transition from military service to the civilian workforce and provides a specially geared workshop for attendees to learn about job searches, career decision-making, current labor market conditions and more.

VA’s own website, VetSuccess.gov, seamlessly integrates the tools and information veterans and employers need to find each other. The site connects over 230,000 veterans with over 6,700 registered employers. The Veterans Job Bank provides a central source for veterans to identify veteran-committed employment opportunities and assists employers in identifying qualified veterans to fill them.

18 | MAE 8.9

Another VA resource is the VA for Vets website, dedicated for helping veterans find employment in federal and non-profit careers. The VA for Vets Career Center tools provide opportunities to translate military skills, build federal resumes, and search and apply for open positions.

Q: VA has promoted a specialized education benefit called the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program that seemed to be very employment-focused. Has it been a success, and how have veterans used this benefit?

A: The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program [VRAP] started in July 1, 2012, and provides unemployed veterans ages 45-60 with up to 12 months of educational and training assistance in a high-demand career field. It has been quite successful, and we have received over 140,000 applications to date, approved over 122,000 applicants for training, and over 67,000 individuals have enrolled in training. The program is open to up to 99,000 participants. We’re delighted with the public response to the program and we appreciate all of the assistance we have received from government, veteran service organizations, and private industry to advertise the program. Our next step is to help ensure that veterans who received training find employment in their chosen career fields. We are working closely with the Department of Labor in their efforts to assist veterans who have taken advantage of training through the VRAP program to find meaningful employment opportunities.

Q: How does VA work with other agencies and the private sector on projects to improve veterans’ employment?

A: VA works closely with other agencies and the private sector to help improve veterans’ employment outcomes. Our ongoing collaborations with the Departments of Labor, Defense and Education all work toward improving opportunities for veterans through transition guidance, assistance and employment resources. We have also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chamber of Commerce to leverage 600-plus Hiring our Heroes job fairs throughout the country. Since its launch in March 2011, Hiring Our Heroes has helped more than 100,000 veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment.

We work with anyone who has careers for veterans. In November, we will participate in Disney’s Veterans Institute workshop, designed to inspire other companies to employ servicemembers transitioning to the private sector. We think our work highlighting these opportunities with large employers will continue to be a catalyst in bringing together those excellent job candidates out there with companies that will recognize their talents.

Q: What’s the best way for veterans to connect with VA, and where can they get more information?

A: The eBenefits website provides a direct source for veterans to connect with VA. Through the online portal, veterans can apply for GI Bill and other VA benefits, check the status of a VA claim or payment and gather DoD military and health records. Veterans who have not yet registered on eBenefits to access these tools should register today at www.ebenefits.va.gov. O www.MAE-kmi.com

Campus chapters of the Student Veterans Association help ease the transition to college life.

By Celeste Altus, MAE Correspondent

Largely in part to the success of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, many veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are trading squadrons and MREs for backpacks, textbooks and lectures.

These students are unlike the typical college freshman, who is 18 to 23 years old and leaving home for the first time. Often, veteran students are older, married, have become parents, or a combination of the three.

They have life experiences and memories that “traditional” students can’t fathom. The veteran student’s daily concerns are very different from those of his peers, and that affects the way the veteran prioritizes schoolwork and relates to professors and peers.

These aren’t small groups of people. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 920,000 servicemembers received VA Education Benefits in fiscal year 2011. More than half used the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The sheer number of soldiers turned students makes it imperative that college campuses not only welcome but also help these students adjust to college life. That’s where the Student Veterans Association (SVA) comes in. Since 2008, more than 900 chapters of this national organization have popped up on college campuses, both in-person and virtual.

“SVA has seen explosive growth since its inception in 2008,” said Angela Xhakolli, director of operations for SVA. The on-campus groups are comprised of pre- and post-9/11 veterans, civilians and military dependents. The organization has members in all 50 states and some abroad. Xhakolli said the growth can be attributed to money from the GI Bill and the fact that from 2012 to 2015, an estimated 1 million men and women will transition out of the military and into civilian life.

“You see a huge need in the veteran community for an organization to advocate for this unique population,” she said.

The Student Veterans Association formed with the mission of providing “military veterans with the resources, support and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation.” In other words, it wants veterans to earn those degrees and find success www.MAE-kmi.com

in the civilian workforce. The nationwide advocacy group, based in Washington, D.C., has several aims. It supports local chapters, invests in research and connects alumni and advocates on veterans’ behalf.

The numbers SVA serves are impressive: More than 900,000 users of VA benefits are supported through the SVA; 302,000 have access to an SVA chapter at their school, and membership tops 26,000 students.

The SVA holds a nationwide annual conference for members to share what’s working in their chapters, and on the research front, recently announced a massive project with the VA and National Student Clearinghouse to collect graduation data on GI Bill beneficiaries. This type of research has never before been done.

Clemson University Students who join their campuses’ chapters say they benefit from the connections. Charley Hill, 50, is a student at Clemson University, and a member of the Clemson Student Veterans Association (CSVA).

Hill, who graduated this year with a degree in business management, said he and other CSVA members have monthly meetings and social outings, where they can talk about deployments, their military lives and service.

“For those who went to Iraq or Afghanistan, it gives us common ground,” Hill said. “You can vent to a person who has been there; a regular student would not understand. It provides the camaraderie we were used to and the language we learned to speak in the military.”

Hill has a background in naval security and served in Iraq. He said although some members are younger than he is, they can easily relate due to their shared backgrounds.

“I am a good bit older. I’m the oldest guy within the organization.

I feel like I provide more knowledge on different things, as far as life experiences. That is my part of the puzzle. I have children as old as the guys in my unit,” he said, laughing.

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Hill recommends students get involved with an SVA chapter on their campus for many reasons. The association can help with questions about what to do on campus, work with administration on benefits and build a social network.

“People like to open up when they have been through things you have been through,” he said. “We say it’s like a fraternity, but it’s not called a fraternity.”

One does not need to be in the military or retired to get involved at Clemson. The CSVA also has associate members, such as friends and family of veterans or those who join just to show support. They often attend the social events; for example, tailgating at football games is one pastime of the CSVA.

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At Salem State University in Salem, Mass., servicemembers and veterans have the campus VA group. The function of the organization is the same as others around the country—to provide peer support networks and offer social, academic, and career planning support, according to Sam Ohannesian, the director of enrollment services and veterans affairs at SSU. The Veterans Affairs group presents workshops to benefit veteran students, such as one that offers guidance on how to dress in the corporate world. “Being in the military, you wear a uniform every day, so we really don’t know how to dress in a corporate environment,” Ohannesian said. Another workshop the group offers is on preparing resumes and how to transfer military skills in to a corporate setting.

Like others, Salem State’s veterans group puts on social events.

They organized a paintball trip and put on a scavenger hunt around Halloween, seeing as Halloween is quite the holiday in Salem. But mainly, the group exists to remind active duty and veteran students that they are not alone.

“I think we’re a group of like-minded individuals,” Ohannesian said. “We are considered nontraditional students. We’re older, some of us are married, some of us have kids. We are a peer support network for people who are like us. We provide a comfort zone, a safety net.”

University Of Colorado At Denver The Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at University of Colorado at Denver is extremely active, and has just celebrated its first anniversary of collaboration with Boots to Suits, a nationwide career development and mentorship program for military students. The university offers Boots to Suits as a partnership with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, according to Michael Stack, president of the University of Colorado at Denver’s SVO. Student veterans are partnered with business executives in the community who have achieved a degree of success and can guide students in various fields.

By participating, students are set up on six meetings with a mentor to find out what hiring managers look for and how to succeed in that field. True to its name, the program works with Brooks Brothers to provide each student, male or female, with a custom-tailored suit to kick-start his or her career. Stack himself was paired with a mentor in Boots to Suits and said the knowledge he gained was invaluable. He said when he met with his mentor, their meetings didn’t necessarily follow an agenda, but he learned something valuable each time.

“It’s an incredible program,” Stack said. “We matched over 100 people with Denver executives. It really is a wonderful program. More than 90 percent of the students have gone on to be hired.” www.MAE-kmi.com

American Military University It was his passion for military life and connecting people that got Matt Peeling elected president of American Military University/ American Public University’s chapter of the Student Veterans Association. Peeling, who at 47 earned his bachelor’s degree and is now pursuing an MBA, is a disabled veteran who retired from the Army reserves due to his injury. When he enrolled in college, he hunted around for fellow veteran students at the school and found some activity through social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. But there wasn’t much going on.

“It needed to be juiced up a little bit,” Peeling said. So he sent emails and kept after people to get some veterans’ events going.

Soon, the school was drafting bylaws and a constitution. Then the school held an election. “I became president out of my own doing,” he said, with a laugh.

Now running the largest online SVA in the United States, Peeling said he has plans to continue to drum up membership, having established a director of outreach. He also wants to make the mentoring services more prominent. He said the benefit to students is surrounding themselves with others who are managing the same transition.

“First and foremost, it’s a community of people who have similar life experiences. The mission is to bring people together.”

The SVA chapter has 160 active members, and more than 500 connecting on social media. It was only formed 15 months ago, according to George Vukovich, associate vice president of veterans relations, who said a chapter has to make adjustments to operate for an online university, versus a brick-and-mortar campus.

“Our focus is to serve as change agents on campus. It’s easy to have a physical meeting, but we do it a little differently,” he said.

As an example, AMU holds monthly phone calls for its members to provide career services. The school also recently established a “virtual veterans center” as an online information resource, repository of support services, and gathering place for the university’s population of veteran and active-duty students and alumni. This virtual center became available as a pilot in June and is now open to all students and alumni. There, students can access branch-specific discussion boards, career services, academic advising and more.

Often, chapters are able to put together special events outside of academia that draw veterans together. The AMU chapter recently participated in Wreaths Across America, which coordinates wreathlaying ceremonies each year at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states.

the veterans together with administrators who can respond to, discuss and work to address important veterans’ issues. Through the Veterans Success Committee, the SVO created a vets lounge on campus. In 2012, after they lobbied for a designated staff member focused solely on veterans issues, the university hired its first veteran services specialist.

A Sense of Connection Back at the national SVA office, Xhakolli said these examples show that there is a great deal of diversity among the chapters all across the country. What makes some stand out? The chapters that engage with their communities, inspire leadership and are tenacious.

“Our chapters are our boots on the ground and the work that they do makes each of them truly great,” Xhakolli said.

At AMU, SVA president Peeling said it’s all about being driven to connect veterans, because, he said, once they can get past adjustment issues and assimilate in to civilian student life, they can truly focus on their course work and create meaningful careers for themselves, as he has done.

“I feel I have been pretty lucky in life and successful,” Peeling said. “I want to be able to pass that on.” O For more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

Northeastern University Some universities are able to spot the need for an SVA chapter on campus before the veterans see it themselves. That was the case at Northeastern University in Boston, said Andy McCarty, who holds the titles of veteran services specialist, enrollment management and student affairs, and staff advisor to the SVO. In 2009, the school was receiving an influx of veterans, so the staff went ahead and established an SVO because they knew it would be in the students’ best interest.

“We just weren’t seeing the students take any steps toward creating one on their own,” McCarty said.

Since then, the officers of the SVO asked to form a campus Veterans Success Committee. It now meets monthly and brings www.MAE-kmi.com

MAE 8.9 | 21

School career centers are prepping students—and introducing them to would-be employers— in a tough job market.

By J.B. Bissell, MAE Correspondent There are myriad studies and statistics that numerically express—often in brasstacks terms of dollars and cents—just how important higher education is to long-term career prospects. The numbers are practically indisputable: College graduates are essentially guaranteed to earn more money over the course of their lives than workers with just a high school diploma.

Of course, nothing about today’s job market is set in stone, and while an associate, bachelor’s, or advanced degree almost always means greater long-term financial success, it doesn’t necessarily make landing that initial job any easier. Especially for men and women who are transitioning from military to civilian occupations.

“I see veterans having the most difficulty finding a career,” said Corporal Kenneth Jacobs, a U.S. Marine Corps reservist and junior at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). “I believe this is because of various stigmas that coincide with being associated with the military, such as PTSD, differences in political views, and the sexual harassment that seems to constantly plague news stories about the military.

“These stigmas can result in veterans not finding a job as easily. You would think our leadership, dedication and motivation would outweigh the negative connotations that people often associate with veterans, but those qualities don’t always [do such]. I’m persevering and pushing through these stigmas by using skills I learned in the military, such as professionalism, being timely and taking initiative.”

The Modern-day Career Center One of the key components to Jacobs’ initiative—and countless other successful job 22 | MAE 8.9

seekers—is taking full advantage of everything his school’s career center has to offer.

And those offerings are most likely much more comprehensive than you would imagine. For a long time, the typical campus career center consisted of a few relevant howto books, some “up-to-the-minute” corporate listings where jobs may or may not be still available, and computers on which you could write your resume and cover letter. That’s simply not the case anymore.

The modern-day career center provides a plethora of services, such as mock interviews, wide-ranging employment workshops, oneon-one career counseling, online job search tools, resume help, career fairs, internship placements, and company referrals.

Indeed, the folks at CSUSB have put a unique spin on the whole process by positioning themselves to help both prospective employees and employers. “Our center is a one-stop shop to assist businesses with future employment needs,” explained Marci Daniels, M.HRD., the Veterans Success Center coordinator at CSUSB. “For example, every Friday the center hosts a ‘Business Meet Up’ [soon to be known as ‘Job Connect’] at various locations throughout the Inland Empire [the metropolitan area east of Los Angeles]. This networking event allows CSUSB students and alumni seeking jobs and businesses with employment opportunities the occasion to meet. Through these endeavors, the university is building a network of employers that are committed to hiring CSUSB students and alumni.”

Daniels and her colleagues also are committed to addressing Jacobs’, and other former soldiers’, specific career-related concerns. “We have a Veterans Success Center,” she said, “which offers specialized services

tailored to their unique needs and works in concert with the university’s career center, College of Business career counselor, and community organizations to develop careerbuilding tools and to help place veterans.

“We work hard to develop career tools for our student veterans, such as resumes and online profiles, that focus on the positive attributes associated with military service, including the willingness to accept authority, ability to follow company policies and procedures, flexibility to work in diverse environments, ability to function effectively under pressure and team orientation. During mock interviews and career counseling sessions, we work with students to reinforce these values.”

Accentuating the Positives Few schools focus more attention on reinforcing those values than the American Military University (AMU), an online institution that caters to servicemembers.

“Since a large portion of our students and alumni are serving or have served in the military, the career services team is wellversed in helping veterans and transitioning military members find opportunities in the civilian world,” said Christine Muncy, M.Ed., GCDF, director of Career Services at American Military University.

“As many employers do not understand the value of military training and education, AMU Career Services helps to both educate the employer about what they have to offer, as well as teaches the veteran how to translate and explain their skills and experiences to match the qualities sought by the employer,” she continued. “This collaborative approach helps veterans to successfully present www.MAE-kmi.com

themselves to employers and for employers to see the value in the skills held by veterans.”

More than half of AMU’s career coaches possess some sort of official certification within the career coaching industry, and they’re expected to be experts on the various professional opportunities for the programs they represent. “This intense focus on educating the staff, combined with a team that is dedicated to exceptional customer service, provides students and alumni with a highquality experience,” added Muncy.

It’s an experience that, like the education at AMU, is Internet-based—and mirrors the ever-evolving career marketplace.

“The launch of the online job application has changed the playing field significantly,” Muncy said. “With resources and networking moving to the online platform, career centers have had to adapt quickly to help clients navigate the changing game.”

Excelsior College, another online institution, has also placed a great deal of emphasis on their virtual career services department, and on using the latest and greatest available tools to address difficult issues specific to veterans.

“In my opinion, one of the most challenging aspects for veterans seeking postgraduation employment is the ability to effectively translate and then communicate their strengths and experience,” said Maribeth Gunner, Excelsior’s director of career services. “Transitioning military servicemembers and veterans need to be able to convert their ‘military speak’ to civilian terminology in their resumes and cover letters, as well as interview situations.”

Gunner’s staff addresses this particular matter via web-cam counseling and interactive webinars, but they’ve taken another step forward, too. “We developed and offer an orientation course specifically for veterans— CCS 112: Success Strategies for Military and Veterans,” she explained. “It focuses on career development tools and techniques that are specific to military and veterans, including a considerable emphasis on translating skills.”

An Early Start Students with a law degree, or other specialized advanced education, might not need as much help translating their skills to potential employers, but that doesn’t mean career centers can’t provide effective assistance during the job hunt.

“We believe that students lack a basic awareness of how employers are currently www.MAE-kmi.com

filling open positions,” said Neepa Parikh, who serves as the associate director of Golden Gate University’s (GGU) Office of Career Planning. “We educate students about the importance of networking and coach them on asking for informational interviews, attending networking events and building a professional network. However, building a network doesn’t happen overnight. We encourage all students to work with the Office of Career Planning early on in their academic program so we can understand the goals of each student in order to provide appropriate guidance.”

For some students, that means getting started with the career coaches right away. GGU’s School of Law “has four career counselors who are all lawyers and provide one-on-one career advising,” said Susanne Aronowitz, associate dean for the school’s Law Career Services & Alumni Relations.

“Each student has a mandatory one-on-one appointment their first semester, and we encourage students to meet with a counselor at least once per semester after.”

It’s Who You Know— Or Can Meet Eventually, of course, nearly every triumphant career search involves some sort of personal interview or face-to-face meeting.

Career centers across the country not only prepare students for these encounters, but often facilitate them. “We bring speakers to campus to talk with students about career options and to help in building their professional networks,” said Aronowitz.

GGU also recently hosted “two key events focused on veterans to launch our Veterans Law Advocacy Center,” she continued. “At the second of these two events, our Veterans Law Conference, we hosted a mentoring mixer during which veteran law students could learn how to translate their experience in the military into their CVs and interviews, and in which other law students may learn more about careers in veterans’ law.”

The best way to learn more about all sorts of careers is to have convenient access to hiring businesses and organizations. This is a specialty of the nationwide University of Phoenix and its Phoenix Career Services, which “has several hundred corporate partners to help you get more out of your educational experience,” said Allison Don, the school’s senior director of brand marketing for military, doctoral, humanities and sciences. “We help connect our military

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students with key partners who have veteran hiring programs. They can search thousands of job prospects with these employers, and we’ll even alert them to veteran hiring events where they can network with different organizations.”

Central Texas College’s (CTC) corporate connections are more localized, but the breadth of their career services center is equally impressive. “We are a community-based department that provides networking opportunities with our local community and military partners,” explained Barbara Merlo, director of marketing and outreach for CTC. “We have a long-standing relationship with area chambers of commerce, the Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, the Central Texas Business Resource Center, the Fort Hood Army Community Service–Employment Readiness Branch, Army Career Alumni Program, the Texas Veterans Commission, and other organizations designed to enhance employment opportunities.”

There’s no question that those opportunities are enhanced when prospects can shake the hands of their would-be employers. “Each year, we host a communitywide job fair [to] which nearly 50 companies send recruiters,” added Merlo. “We solicit participation from all occupational areas, including healthcare, law enforcement, restaurant/culinary fields, retail stores, education and more. Prior to the job fair, the career center hosts a series of free workshops to give attendees the opportunity to better represent themselves. The workshops include resume writing, mock interviews, dressing for success and general presentation skills.”

Whether it’s picking up a few pointers about how to dress for success, attending a career fair, or simply seeking some help with an initial resume, the most important thing for veterans to remember is that career centers are available at nearly every institution. “Students often have a difficult time identifying and using the resources available to them for job search skills,” said Merlo.

“There is so much information available and not all of it is necessarily helpful. Showing them how to filter through the information and set reasonable goals is how we can best support their efforts. The CTC Career Center encourages veterans to tackle these tasks by showing them how to think differently, outside the box.”

Sometimes, thinking outside the box simply takes showing up at the office. Tidewater Community College’s career support center offers “one-on-one career advising daily,” explained Babi Brock, education support and employment specialist at the school’s Virginia Beach campus. “Group sessions also are offered in a variety of workshops that pertain to career and employment topics. But not all students take advantage of this benefit.”

Maybe it’s because they’re stuck with the old perception of career services, an unfortunate opinion since it is quite evident that, as Brock said, “career centers have greatly evolved over the last decade.”

Or maybe it’s because they think the education alone will land them their next great gig. “It is evident that a college education is necessary for earning potential in today’s economy. But this is a competitive job market,” Brock continued. “Our graduates, all graduates, are up against other recent graduates and various dislocated workers and other people re-entering the workforce. In order for students to gain a competitive edge, we provide more services than ever.”

According to Brock, the bottom line is that the most successful job seekers, “those who are serious about choosing a career path and securing employment [will] take full advantage.” O For more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

www.MAE-kmi.com

Bridging the Collaboration Gap

By Franc Lopez

According to Webster, collaboration is defined as “to work jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor.” The Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) began as an outcrop of the California Advisory Council on Military Education. Today, CCME has evolved into a leading national forum, accomplishing its mission of being an active proponent of professional development for those administrating the voluntary education programs of the military services, exchanging ideas between the higher learning institutions, giving visibility to private industry that offer educational services and programs, and dialoging with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. This collaboration has a bottom line: providing opportunity for our military communities in accomplishing educational goals.

In recent years, the physical collaborative efforts between CCME and DoD/DHS have lessened due to policy changes and the availability of funding. Travel restrictions have limited physical collaboration, but that has not stopped the mission and purpose of the CCME. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.”

There must be value in participating in any organization or association. Rather than reflecting on what has not happened, CCME has taken the proactive position in determining how to continue the collaboration

between CCME and all learning partners.

There have been comments made about the waning DoD presence at recent educational conferences, thus questioning the whole purpose of such associations as CCME. With that in mind, CCME has made several strategic decisions. In years past, the annual CCME Symposium was just that—a symposium. Today, the upcoming annual conference will be a “professional development” symposium. CCME will focus the upcoming annual symposium on professional development, providing partners of CCME the opportunity to garner attendance approvals.

The overall plan is to have general sessions focusing on current trends in higher learning, transitioning of our veterans into the private sector and future unique programs in higher education. Keynote speakers will provide motivation for CCME members to continue the “voice.” Concurrent sessions will absorb the afternoons. This will afford attendees maximum selections and attendance in concurrent sessions of choice.

All presentations, general or concurrent, are building around learning outcomes and will be published before the symposium.

A CCME expo and information fair will be offered, allowing the general military community to walk through the exhibit hall and gather information on education and career opportunities. State and regional Advisory Council on Military Education (ACME), Florida, Virginia; Council on Military Education

in the South, Missouri, Georgia; Council on Military Education in Washington State; and Council on Military Education in South Carolina have committed to meet and discuss issues and concerns related to their geographical areas. The state of Hawaii will continue their needs assessment on whether or not Hawaii should create a state ACME. The CCME voluntary military liaison provides advice to the CCME executive board. Office visits to education centers to discuss servicemember needs are conducted regularly. The collaboration between CCME and the military community remains active.

So, where will you be February 10 to 13, 2014? O

Michael Heberling, Ph.D.

Note from Mike Heberling, CCME president: I am pleased that this month’s article is provided by Franc Lopez from Columbia Southern University. Lopez is the vice president elect of CCME.

PlEASE JOIn US FOR THE...

CCME 41st AnnuAl syMposiuM & Exhibition February 10-13, 2014 • Savannah, GA At The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa/ The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center

www.MAE-kmi.com

REGISTER TODAY AT:

www.ccmEOnlInE.ORG

MAE 8.9 | 25

MONEY TALKS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

University of Phoenix and EANGUS Offer Full-tuition Scholarships University of Phoenix and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) We Care for America Foundation have selected three recipients to receive full-tuition scholarships. Recipients chosen were either current members or immediate family members of those in EANGUS, a national organization that represents enlisted men and women in the Army and Air National Guard. Scholarship recipients will complete either an undergraduate or master’s degree program at University of Phoenix.

The 2013 University of Phoenix EANGUS Scholarship recipients are: • Khoi T. “Paul” Nguyen, a maintenance management analyst in the U.S. Air Force. He will pursue a bachelor’s degree in business management.

• Kristen Heintschel, a clinical services nurse with the American Red Cross in Maumee,

Ohio, and the daughter of an EANGUS member, will pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

• Duncan Hannigan, a chief master sergeant (E-9) with the Arizona Air National Guard in Phoenix, Ariz. He will pursue a Master of Business Administration degree to heighten his leadership skills and to assist him with his goal of becoming a state command chief.

“EANGUS would sincerely like to thank University of Phoenix for the sponsorship of our We Care for America Scholarship Program,” said EANGUS Scholarship Committee Chairman Ronnie Emerson. “Thanks to their generous sponsorship, we were able to recognize deserving EANGUS members for their academic effort, which allows them to further their education to better prepare themselves for what lies ahead.”

Poll: Troops Using Post-9/11 GI Bill on Their Own Educations A poll conducted by Excelsior College shows most servicemembers plan to use their education benefits for themselves only, despite the GI Bill’s allowance for transfer of benefits. A majority of those surveyed in every category said they have used, or will use, 70 percent or more of their GI Bill benefits for themselves.

The poll was conducted online between July 15 and August 5, sampling the opinions of 864 current and former servicemembers nationwide, according to officials who worked on the poll. It has a 3.5 percent margin of error.

Sixty-eight percent of women said they planned to use or have used most of their GI Bill benefits for themselves. By comparison, 57 percent of men indicated the same.

The poll also asked servicemembers how they planned to fund their educations. Active duty servicemembers rated tuition assistance as the most important benefit for financing their educations. The Post-9/11 GI Bill placed second and the Montgomery GI Bill third. Two-thirds of respondents said cost was a “primary barrier” that was keeping them from achieving additional education.

More than $1 Million in Scholarships to Support Children of Severely Injured Corpsmen For the third consecutive year, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Chicago Dinner for Children of the Severely Injured has raised more than $1 million in support of the scholarship foundation’s Heroes Tribute Scholarship Program.

The scholarship foundation provides needbased scholarships for college, university, and vocational/technical schools to the children of corpsmen—active-duty, reserve, retired or honorably discharged—giving particular attention to those whose parent has been wounded or killed in action. Established more than 50 years ago, the scholarship foundation has awarded over 30,000 scholarships, valued at over $80 million. In the current academic year, 2,040 students have received $6.6 million in scholarship funding. Of those awardees, 84 are recipients of the Heroes Tribute Scholarship Program for Children of the Wounded.

“Children of Marines have experienced war for 12 years straight now. The battle is just beginning for families of severely injured Marines,” said Margaret B. Davis, president and chief executive officer of the foundation.

“We make major, lasting commitments to each child in these cases by committing up to $30,000 for each child for post-high school training or education.”

More than 13,000 Marines have been wounded in action while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; over 400 have experienced major limb amputations.

Private College Tuition Increases at Lowest Rate in Four Decades Students and families entering the nation’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities this academic year experienced the lowest tuition and fee rate increases in at least four decades. According to an annual survey of its members, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) reported published tuition and fees increased by just 3.6 percent for the 2013-2014 academic year.

At the same time, institutional student aid budgets at private colleges increased an average of 6.9 percent for 2013-2014.

26 | MAE 8.9

This is the fifth consecutive year that the percentage increase in published tuition has stayed below pre-recession rates, and the second time in at least four decades it has been below 4 percent. Since 2009, average private college tuition increases ran in the mid-4 percent range, down from an average annual increase of nearly 6 percent during the previous 10 years. This year’s rate increase is the lowest NAICU has on record dating back to 1972.

“During the past five years, private colleges and universities across the nation have redoubled

efforts and implemented innovative initiatives to cut their operating costs, improve their efficiency and enhance their affordability,” said NAICU President David L. Warren. “This, coupled with generous institutional student aid policies, has resulted in a private higher education that is accessible and affordable to students and families from all backgrounds.

More than half of NAICU’s 962 member colleges and universities responded to this year’s survey of published tuition and institutional student aid increases. www.MAE-kmi.com

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

2014 CCME Professional Development Symposium. . ................................................20 www.ccmeonline.org The Art Institutes........................................................................................... 5 www.veterans.artinstitutes.edu DeVry University...........................................................................................24 http://lp.keller.devry.edu/mae1b Fordham University...................................................................................... C4 www.fordham.edu/vets Mississippi State University .............................................................................21 www.distance.msstate.edu/veterans Park University............................................................................................. 8 www.park.edu/mae Stratford University...................................................................................... C3 www.stratford.edu/mso Thomas Edison State College............................................................................23 http://military.tesc.edu The University of Nebraska..............................................................................13 http://online.nebraska.edu/militarysw University of Oklahoma Outreach......................................................................11 www.goou.ou.edu

January 2-5, 2014 6th Annual National SVA Conference Scottsdale, Ariz. www.studentveterans.org February 10-13, 2014 CCME Symposium Savannah, Ga. www.ccmeonline.org May 4-7, 2014 ASTD 2013 International Conference & Exposition Washington, D.C. www.atsdconference.org

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MAE 8.9 | 27

UNIVERSITY CORNER

Military Advanced Education

Richard R. Shurtz, Ph.D. President Stratford University Q: What is your school’s background in military education?

well as our computer information systems programs.

A: Stratford has always been committed to the military and veteran student. Our instructors are made aware of the military students who are enrolled in their classes so that they can exercise flexibility with their scheduling. Stratford has always worked hard to provide the highest quality of learning to our servicemembers.

Q: How has your school positioned itself to serve military students?

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

A: We are unique in several regards. First, we offer matching scholarships to all of our active duty members who use tuition assistance. We accept all forms of Veterans Educational Benefits and we participate in the Yellow Ribbon program. That means that Stratford pays the difference between what the VA educational benefit allows and our normal rate of tuition. The majority of the time, the member will not have to pay any out-of-pocket costs. Since servicemembers tend to go to several different schools, we offer a very liberal transfer policy [up to 67.5 credits on an associate degree and up to 135 credits on a bachelor’s degree] as long as these courses relate to the degree requirements, and the student received a passing grade of C or higher. We also evaluate their military training for course credits and accept College Level Examination Program [CLEP] and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support [DANTES] exams for credit.

We offer smaller class sizes. They will not be a number at Stratford; we treat them respect and dignity and honor them with special programs, military clubs and other events throughout the year.

We have also hired experienced veterans to provide direct and personal campus coverage for all six, and soon to be seven, campuses. These veterans help our military and veteran students navigate 28 | MAE 8.9

through VA benefits and Tuition Assistance paperwork.

Q: What online degree and certificate programs do you offer and how do these distance learning programs fit in with the lives of active duty and transitioning military personnel?

A: Stratford offers several courses online each quarter for all degree programs and certificates. Through our course management system called Moodle, students can participate in a virtual classroom and communicate with instructors. Moodle creates dynamic learning tools via websites and takes full advantage of the virtual tools that are available online. We also offer blended courses where half of the course is online and the other half is in the classroom.

Q: What are some of your most popular programs, and which ones are the most appealing to military students?

A: The military students love our culinary and nursing programs. It was a military team that competed in a recent barbeque competition in Baltimore and took first place. The Woodbridge campus participated in an Education at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and out-shined our competitors by highlighting our student success in the Nursing and Health Sciences programs. We have military students who are excelling in our Masters in Entrepreneurial Management, the area’s only master’s degree in free enterprise, as

A: All of our campuses are physically located near military installations.

Through our partnerships with the education services officers at each installation, we serve as a visiting school, actually being physically present in the installation education center monthly, at many of these installations. We use our military outreach managers to actively participate in installation events such as open houses, Wounded Warrior Project, USO, Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Activity and base and community events of all sorts. We are in partnerships with base and post agencies and are often invited to their education and job fairs. We are in partnership with the veteran representatives at the Virginia Employment Commission and are members of the Quantico/Fort Belvoir Regional Business Alliance, as well the American Legion Post 364 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 80 in Lorton, Va. Q: What is your school doing to keep up with growing technologies and opportunities related to distance learning?

A: I have tasked my team to seek out and implement what I have called the Stratford 2.0 Initiative. This initiative encourages all of our employees and staff to think of technological advances that can improve our services to students.

We have formed an IT curriculum team to create an IT program that addresses future industry needs five to 10 years in the future. I have encouraged them to not be constrained by the capabilities of any systems that we have in place now. My first task is for them to use technology to make the online learning experience as rich as the in classroom experience. It will be interesting to see what they will come up with. O www.MAE-kmi.com

School of Business Administration

Business Administration (MBA, BS, AAS) International Business Administration (IMBA) Enterprise Business Management (MS) Entrepreneurial Management (MS) Accounting (MS, BS, AAS)

School of Computer Information Systems Software Engineering (MS) Information Systems (MS) Information Assurance (MS) Telecommunications (MS) Information Technology (BS) Network Management & Security (AAS)

School of Health Sciences

Health Care Administration (MS, BS) Health Information Management (BS) Medical Assisting (AAS) Clinical Hemodialysis Technician (AAS) EKG-Phlebotomy Technician (AAS) Medical Insurance Billing and Coding (AAS) Pharmacy Technician (AAS)

School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality

• Stratford has accelerated programs – 15 months for an AAS degree, an additional 15 months for a BS degree and another 15 months for an MS degree. Just think, with the right commitment, you can complete all course work for all degrees in less than four years!

• Flexible class schedules – Day, evening, and weekend classes • Online degrees available in several programs • Five entry points per year: January, March, May, August, October • Career placement assistance • Free tutoring available • Veteran on staff for your assistance • Stratford accepts transfer credits – Stratford University accepts transfer credit up to 75% for undergraduate and up to 50% for graduate degrees. Transfer credits are accepted from: AARTS, SMART, CCAF, ACE, DANTES, CLEP as well as other colleges and universities.

Stratford University is affiliated with • Service Members Opportunity College (SOC) • Concurrent Admissions Program (ConAP)

bo n

*Contact Admissions for degree availability at each campus. **Disclosure statements available at www.stratford.edu/disclosures

www.Stratford.edu/MSO Richmond Campus at Glen Allen 11104 W. Broad St. Glen Allen, VA 23060 804-290-4231 / 877-373-5173

Baltimore Campus at Little Italy

Virginia Beach Campus at S. Independence Blvd.

Newport News near Oyster Point

Woodbridge Campus at Potomac Mills

836 J. Clyde Morris Blvd.

Newport News, VA 23601 757-873-4235 / 855-873-4235

Rib

The Baccalaureate program at Stratford University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington DC 20036, (202) 887-6791

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7777 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22043 703-821-8570 / 800-444-0804

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School of Nursing

Falls Church Campus at Tysons Corner

International Hospitality Management (MS) Hospitality Management (BA) Culinary Management (BA) Hotel & Restaurant Management (AAS) Baking & Pastry Arts (AAS) Advanced Culinary Arts (AAS)

Stratford degree programs are designed to meet the educational needs of the Military

555 South Independence Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23452 757-497-4466 / 866-528-8363 14349 Gideon Drive Woodbridge, VA 22192 703-897-1982 / 888-546-1250

Study at the only New York City university ranked in the top 25 “veteran friendly” colleges and universities

by Military Times magazine.

For more information, visit www.fordham.edu/vets

Rose Hill • Lincoln Center • Westchester

Fordham was one of the first universities in the country to commit to full participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which removes any financial obstacles between eligible post-9/11 service members and a Fordham education.

And today, even in the face of a new national cap, we have reaffirmed our Yellow Ribbon commitment to cover all tuition and mandatory fees for eligible post9/11 veterans and dependents. That guarantee applies to any of our three campuses and to any of the 10 schools to which you are admitted.

2013

Fordham is proud to be a Yellow Ribbon University. eeo/aa