Mae 9 1 final

The CCME issue Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Education Leader Dr. Michael Heberling

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President Council of College and Military Educators

Training Faculty O Translating Military Skills to Career Success CCME O Careers in Health Sciences O Faith-Based Education

February 2014 Volume 9, Issue 1

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MILITARY ADVANCED EDUCATION Features

February 2014 Volume 9, Issue 1

Cover / Q&A

Special Section: Training Faculty in Military Issues

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Careers & Transitions: health sciences

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Healing patients behind the scenes

Teaching Today’s Veterans Getting a college degree comes with a unique set of challenges, and when the students are in the military, there can be even more factors to consider. MAE looks at how colleges and universities are preparing instructors to teach servicemembers and supporting veterans’ unique needs.

By J.B. Bissell

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020, the need for health care management professionals will grow by 22 percent. Health sciences graduates have a variety of jobs available to them, such as health care administrators; pharmacy, phlebotomy and dialysis technicians; and medical billing professionals. MAE investigates the health science program offerings at schools across the country.

By Catherine Day

25 Dr. Michael Heberling President Council of College and Military Educators

17

30

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, and they share the philosophy behind their schools’ mission, while explaining how that might benefit the servicemember student.

Servicemembers retiring from active duty are told to “have a plan.” But how can you plan if you are unsure about how your skills translate to a civilian career? A transition plan is key, and a unique Military Translator Tool is helping veterans capitalize on their skills and experience to find the best career matches.

By Jill Elaine Hughes

Have Faith

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 4 PROGRAM NOTES 5 People 22 CLASS NOTES 41 CCME GRAPEVINE 42 money talks 43 RESOURCE CENTER

Taking Inventory

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Looking Back, Moving Forward Presenters and panelists for the symposium offer a behind-the-scenes look at the topics that will figure most prominently into events at CCME this year, including state authorization, DoD MoU status, and military services’ tuition assistance policies.

University Corner Brigadier General Mike Callan (Ret.)

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Associate Vice President for Military & Government Programs Office of Military Affairs Webster University

“My main goal as president has been to be responsive to the membership and to make the organization the first place to go for networking among all the players and information on the changing VolEd landscape.”

—Michael Heberling

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military Advanced Education Volume 9, Issue 1 February 2014

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 • Catherine Day • Michael Frigand Nora McGann

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When the U.S. House and Senate return to work on January 27 after a weeklong congressional recess, they will have a wide range of legislation to consider, introduced by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont. Sanders called the measure “the product of a year of bipartisan work” and maintains that it “addresses virtually every single issue the veterans community has been concerned about,” including changes to the GI Bill, survivors’ benefits, advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and fertility treatments for wounded veterans.

The Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefit and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014 includes a repeal of controversial military retire- Kelly G. Fodel Editor ment cost-of-living cuts passed in the recent budget deal. Looking at the legislation through a voluntary education lens, one particular item stands out to me: in-state tuition at any public university for all veterans using GI Bill benefits, regardless where they live. Currently, the GI Bill covers in-state tuition costs, meaning that a veteran must pay out-of-state rates if he is a resident of a different state than that which he is attending school. At this time, 26 states offer in-state tuition to veterans, regardless of their residency status, so it’s not an unusual concept.

I see the residency requirement as a barrier to veterans getting the education they were promised as part of their service. Due to frequent moves, extenuating circumstances, and the fluid nature of the services, servicemembers may find themselves living in one state and attending school in another, or as new residents in a state that has long waiting periods for residency requirements to be satisfied. It can limit a veteran’s opportunities to attend school, and force them to put off schooling until the time and price is right, which often leads to no college at all.

Besides the argument for making education more accessible and affordable for servicemembers, there’s also the fact that no residency requirement means more potential revenue for colleges and universities. The fewer the barriers to college, the more veterans who will enroll in school, resulting in a win for students and higher education institutions alike.

As always when it comes to legislation, the question remains: How to, quite literally in this case, foot the bill? Sanders’ bill doesn’t spell out where the money would come from, which is expected to be clarified when the measure comes to the Senate floor for consideration. My hope is that budgetary concerns can be weighed carefully against the common sense benefits for veterans that I would wager a majority of Americans support.

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PROGRAM NOTES

Army Suspends Plan to Close 13 ROTC Programs After announcing that it would shut down ROTC programs at 13 universities by 2015, the Army reversed its decision, stating in a document sent to members of Congress that it had “suspended the closure” of the programs and had placed them on “probationary status.”

The decision came five weeks after the Army Cadet Command notified the universities, most of them in the south and outside major metropolitan areas, that they had been selected for closing because their ROTC programs were typically commissioning fewer than 15 officers a year. The Army

has not shut down any ROTC programs since 1998, and said it wanted to focus its resources on 56 other markets, including major cities like New York and Chicago, in response to the nation’s new demographic landscape.

Many of the targeted universities campaigned to keep their programs and contended that the Army’s plan would eliminate academic and career opportunities for students from rural areas. Though the 13 schools have been given a reprieve for now, the chance of future shutdowns is still a possibility.

Army Restructures Warrior Transition Units The United States Army has announced a restructuring of its warrior transition units (WTUs) as the service prepares for a scheduled withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and a continued decline in the number of combat wounded.

According to Brigadier General David Bishop, commander, Warrior Transition Command, and assistant surgeon general for Warrior Care and Transition, “These changes will improve the care and transition of soldiers through increased standardization, increased cadre to soldier ratios, improved access to resources on installations, and reduced delays in care. They are not related to budget cuts, sequestration or furloughs.”

As part of the restructuring, the Army will inactivate five WTUs and establish more than a dozen community care units (CCUs) across

4 | MAE 9.1

11 installations by September 30, 2014. The transition to CCUs will result in the inactivation of nine community-based warrior transition units (CBWTUs), which currently provide outpatient care and services for Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers who do not require day-to-day care, allowing soldiers to continue their recovery closer to home.

Warrior transition units are located at major military treatment facilities and provide support to wounded, ill and injured soldiers who require at least six months of rehabilitative care and complex medical management. Under community care, CBWTU soldiers—those healing at home—will be assigned to CCUs at WTUs located on Army installations. Soldiers will not have to move or change their care plans.

WTUs slated for inactivation include: Fort Irwin, Calif.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.;

Fort Jackson, S.C.; Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, N.J.; and the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. Each location had fewer than 38 soldiers assigned to the WTU as of December 20, 2013.

Every attempt will be made to allow reserve component cadre to serve out their tours. Active duty personnel assigned to units set for inactivation or force structure reductions will be reassigned in accordance with current Army Human Resources Command policies. Civilian employees impacted by the force structure changes will be reassigned based on their skill sets, the needs of the Army and available employment opportunities.

For additional information, please contact the Warrior Transition Command public affairs office at 703-325-0470 or email cynthia.l.vaughan6.civ@mail.mil.

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Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

DoD Worldwide Symposium Canceled The DoD Worldwide Education Symposium planned for 2015 has been canceled, Carol A. Berry, director of DANTES has confirmed to MAE. Every three years since 1992, the Department of Defense has hosted an education symposium to provide professional development opportunities for those who support the Military Voluntary Education Program. These symposia have been attended by the leadership and senior representatives from service voluntary education programs, academic institutions, accrediting agencies, national education associations, and from other federal agencies.

The most recent symposium was in July 2012, and the next was scheduled to occur during the summer of 2015.

However, due to current fiscal constraints and the uncertainty about future budgets, DANTES has decided to cease planning efforts for the 2015 symposium. The hope is that when the funding situation stabilizes, planning will be able to resume for a future event.

New DSST Exam Launches in 2014 In today’s world, cyber-attacks are a daily threat to businesses and individuals alike. Organizations spend billions of dollars each year to protect sensitive data and resources, yet hardly a day passes without news of a cyber-attack, with resulting loss of business or personal data.

Prometric has announced the launch of a new upper-level DSST exam in early 2014: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity. Students can earn three ACE-recommended semester hours of upperlevel college credit if they pass the exam. The Fundamentals of Cybersecurity exam includes content related to major topics in cybersecurity including application and systems security, implementing authentication and authorization technologies, compliance, security pertaining to networks and physical environments and vulnerability management.

IVMF: Veterans’ Unemployment Rate Worsens A report from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) says veterans are still struggling to find jobs.

The report, titled “Employment Situation of Veterans in America,” is issued by the IVMF on the first Friday of each month, and represents the month-to-month change in the employment situation of America’s veterans. November’s “Employment Situation of Veterans in America”

finds that the overall unemployment rate of veterans has worsened slightly, increasing from 6.5 percent in September 2013 to 6.9 percent in October 2013. However, the nation’s youngest veterans, ages 20 to 24, had a significant decrease in their employment rate. It dropped to 9.2 percent in October 2013, compared to 22.5 percent employment in September 2013. That employment rate is 2.7 percent lower than their non-veteran peers of the same age.

PEOPLE

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering. He was designated a naval aviator in April 1985.

Michael J. Stahl

DANTES welcomed its new deputy director, Michael J. Stahl, in December. He brings with him over 30 years of experience in naval aviation and education programs. Stahl attended

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James P. Clements, president of West Virginia University, has been appointed as president of Clemson University in South Carolina.

Scott L. Wyatt, president of Snow College

in Utah, has been selected as president of Southern Utah University.

James B. Hanley, D.M.D. as the new Dean of the College of Dental Medicine, effective April 1, 2014.

James B. Hanley Gwendolyn Boyd

After a national search, the University of New England has appointed

Alabama State University’s Board of

Trustees has selected Gwendolyn Boyd to serve as its new president. Boyd marks the 14th president to serve in the position in the school’s 146-year history. The board selected Boyd after a nearly year-long search process.

Patrick E. White, interim president at Millikin University in Illinois, has been named to the job on a permanent basis.

MAE 9.1 | 5

SPECIAL SECTION

Schools define their strategies for teaching faculty the ins and outs of supporting veteran students.

By J.B. Bissell MAE Correspondent

The faculty and staff at America’s colleges and universities are experts in their respective fields. From the English professor who can discuss the thematic layers of The Great Gatsby to the admissions counselor who can actually explain the ins and outs of financial aid, our institutions of higher learning are teeming with people who truly understand all things academic.

Over the course of the last decade, however, there’s been a push for these academic all-stars to broaden their knowledge base in an effort to also fully comprehend how to best serve the scholastic needs of specific groups of students. One of those groups is the ever-expanding veteran population.

“As student success is influenced by more than what takes place within the four walls of the classroom, it is impor6 | MAE 9.1

tant that faculty and staff who work with our military students have the background, specific information and tools to provide support during enrollment periods, strengthen the overall student experience and contribute to ultimate student success,” said Joseph Houghton, the director of military programs for Troy University’s Global Campus.

To this end, Troy, along with many other institutions, has established formal training programs and techniques so that teachers and administrators can learn about and focus on the specific needs of active duty military students and returning veterans.

“Simply stated, these courses and training seminars were prompted by the university’s commitment to creating and delivering a comprehensive approach to serving the needs of our military students,

their families and their dependents,” added Houghton.

Comprehensive is right. Troy has been designated to host a Vet Success on Campus Program (VSOC), and every new faculty appointee and staff member attends an orientation program before beginning his or her duties at Troy. During this university induction, a dedicated segment highlights the importance of the school’s military culture.

“In addition to the mandatory orientation, the university conducts specific training and information-sharing sessions with faculty and staff that are designed to expand and strengthen the university’s support for the military or to address specific issues through raising consciousness, broadening awareness and, ultimately, helping to increase effectiveness,” said Houghton. www.MAE-kmi.com

• Stratford has accelerated programs – 15 months for an AAS degree, plus 15 months for a BS degree, and another 15 months for an MS degree • Flexible class schedules – Day, evening, and weekend classes • Online degrees available • Five entry points per year: Jan., Mar., May, Aug., Oct. • Career placement assistance • Free tutoring available • Veterans on staff to assist you • Stratford accepts transfer credits – Transfer credits up to 75% for undergraduate and up to 50% for graduate degrees

ow n bo

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Degree programs designed to meet the educational needs of the Military

ll Ye

advising and support, financial counseling, mental health counseling and so on.

Understanding how to serve as a translation point for veterans who come from a very different culture and speak a different language is a critical part of that campus integration process.”

To effectively address this integration process, both Penn State and Indiana launched informational operations The Big Shift to properly enlighten the campus community. Or in Penn State’s case, where That transition from battlefield to a collection of topical webinars was classroom, as benign as it may seem produced, the communities at all of to the general public, may actually be their campuses. the most crucial area of need when it “The webinars were well received comes to supporting learners with a by our staff,” Timmerman said. “Penn military background.

State has more than 20 campuses across “Health-related issues, both physithe Commonwealth and it is always a cal and mental, demand immediate and challenge to provide the same services appropriate attention, and will always at each campus, so our intent was to command a priority due to their serious bring all of the campuses up to speed on nature,” said Ted Timmerman, Lieutenant issues dealing with admisColonel USMC (Ret.) and sions, financial aid, advisassociate director of Penn ing, counseling, the GI Bill State’s Office of Veterans Voc Rehab program, and Programs. “However, the the GI Bill certification majority of the current vetprocess. The webinar foreran population seems to mat allowed us to reach the have the hardest time with widest audience.” the transition from military Baechtold and her Indiservice to campus life.” ana associates went with an Timmerman is not in-person approach.

“Over alone in recognizing this Ted Timmerman the past five to seven years, particular circumstance. In we have held a variety of fact, while serious cognitive programs and workshops to and physiological condidiscuss the unique experitions are on the top of nearly ences and needs of milievery school’s need-to-suptary and veteran students,” port priority list, assimishe explained. “These have lating veterans into the ranged from a faculty worklocal campus life is a very shop hosted by our Cenclose second. ter for Innovative Teaching “Awareness of mental and Learning that included health issues can be life-sava student veteran panel ing for certain individuals,” Margaret Baechtold to presentations at sevsaid Indiana University’s mbaechtold@indiana.edu eral First Year Experience Margaret Baechtold, who conferences. acts as the university military and veteran “I believe in interactive workshops services coordinator. “But they should not and panel discussions because nonbe approached in a way that stigmatizes veterans want to hear from those with military service or sets up expectations military experience themselves, and so that all veterans will arrive with signifiincluding student veterans in the concant mental health concerns. versation really adds to the value of “Integration into the campus comthe experience.” munity probably is next on my list,” she Timmerman believes one of the most continued. “It is vital in order to provide valuable educational experiences is for the other important services: academic One such recent event was working collaboratively with the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center on a V.I.T.A.L. (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership) Workshop, a seminar that’s designed to identify and illustrate proactive approaches and strategies for helping veterans transition from soldier to student.

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• Falls Church, VA (Tysons Corner) • Baltimore, MD (Inner Harbor) • Newport News, VA (Oyster Point) • Richmond, VA (Short Pump) • Virginia Beach, VA (S. Independence Blvd) • Woodbridge, VA (Potomac Mills) MAE 9.1 | 7

PE N N STAT E O N L I N E

8 | MAE 9.1

SPECIAL SECTION “While it is naturally important to soldiers to find peers with similar backbuild awareness of all the well-known grounds and like goals. “Those veterans circumstances—mental health and PTSD, who achieve the most success are usually family situations, academic advising, those able to connect with other student etc.—sometimes it might be more imporveterans and thus have a peer group to tant to simply address the individual assist them,” he said. “For that reason and ask questions that include ‘How is it I would encourage all institutions to going?’, ‘What can we do to better support promote veterans organizations on their you in your academic and career goals?’ campuses.” and ‘What are we doing well and what can Many universities are following Timwe do better?’ merman’s advice; some are even expand“This approach allows us to better ing on it. “We have a Military Veteran understand the individual needs of our affairs working group on campus,” military students, and to more effectively explained Tracey E. Ray, Ph.D., assistant address those needs. Obviously, it is likely vice provost for student diversity at North that some responses will bring the cirCarolina State University, “and a subcumstances listed above to the forefront. committee of that group will be working However, by establishing a dialogue and this semester to develop a ‘Green Zone’ direct communication with our military training for faculty and staff. It will be students, a culture of caring is estabmodeled after an already well-established lished and the university can focus on the program at Virginia Commonwealth Uniindividual military memversity and recently initiated ber, while at the same time at East Carolina University.” building awareness of speThe Green Zone is made cific circumstances within up of volunteers from the the Troy community.” campus community—professors, staff members, administrators—who take Mass Return part in a special study group that fosters greater The specific circumawareness of the potential stances that sparked the stumbling blocks soldiers development of all these Tracey Ray face when returning to an helpful programs are very educational setting, and, encouraging. Simply put, tracey_ray@ncsu.edu most importantly, provides more and more veterans resources and best pracare deciding to get back tices approaches for how to to school. In 2008, Oregon support and encourage vetState University’s (OSU) eran learners as they work Dean of Student Life Office through those challenges. commissioned a Veterans In the end, Green ZoneWorkgroup and Advisory trained men and women Committee. It was initiated serve as go-to resources for many reasons, but “as for other faculty members, part of their mission, they school employees and stutook on the idea of preparGus L. Bedwell dents when military-specific ing and educating Oregon scholastic issues arise.

State staff and faculty for gus.bedwell@oregonstate.edu Houghton and his colthe returning 2,700 Oregon leagues at Troy offer the same type of National Guard soldiers, implementation support for transitioning members of the of the Post 9-11 GI Bill and increase armed forces, but do it in a slightly difin overall attendance,” explained Gus L. ferent fashion. “Rather than addressing Bedwell, the veteran resources coordinamilitary-specific circumstances,” Houghtor at OSU. ton said, “I believe it is more important to The preparation proved quite bendirectly address our military students as eficial. “Since 2008, Oregon State has individual members of the student body. seen a 160 percent increase in student www.MAE-kmi.com

online.nebraska.edu/health Training Council national conferences. veteran populations, compared to a 40 The model has far-reaching potential to percent increase of overall student popuprovide understanding about how to help lations,” Bedwell added. “In the fall of adult learner populations persist, an out2008, Oregon State University had 390 come that has individual, institutional and student veterans using VA education bennational benefits.” efits. By the fall of 2013, that number In other words, veterans can be climbed to 1,025.” assured that the transitional support they It’s barely been two years since Bedwell receive won’t end just because orientabegan his tenure at OSU (in March 2012), tion weekend does. “The SSS program is and while he’s still in the process of develimbued with multiple outreach and peroping permanent, ongoing military-censonalized contact methodologies, increastric educational guidance, he has already ing the students’ engagement with his or overseen a number of training initiatives her advisor, other members of the faculty tailored to individual departments. and the entire university,” Smith contin“In early 2013, two academic advisors ued. “As the university and its representaon the Veterans Workgroup created and tives swaddle the learner in the support implemented academic advising training he or she needs, the learner is more likely on three different occasions,” Bedwell to sense a comfortable environment in said. “The training consisted of resource which to thrive.” sharing, VA and military culture awareOne key characteristic of the SSS ness, and military transcripts usefulness curriculum is that it’s universal and conand knowledge. sistent. Everybody who is involved—and “Last April, in collaboration with at Grantham, that’s everybody—is on the student veterans, my office put on two same page, following the same principles, one-day workshops for OSU staff and stumoving in the same direction. dents that centered around VA resources By its very nature, “SSS calls for the and transition.” integration of faculty, curriculum development, advisors, students, administraRetention Support tors and other specialists to work toward successfully integrating and retaining Indeed, transition remains at the at-risk students,” Smith said. “The SSS forefront of welcoming military students methodology calls for consistent supportback to campus. Still, the ultimate goal, ing, engaging, reminding and guiding of of course, is for veterans to not only adult learners throughout transition, but to prosper their first several terms.” in their new academic setWhether the constant ting—and earn a diploma. support stems from proven The focus on transition methodologies or face-tothen actually is the founface discussions, veterans dation of a larger plan to should be encouraged that maximize military student these schools—and many, retention rates. many more across the coun“Grantham believes so try—have, as Bedwell said, strongly in this philoso“one mission in mind: Help phy they have trademarked Janet Smith student veterans successtheir strategy: Swaddling Support Services (SSS),” jpaulson-smith@grantham.edu fully navigate the college structure while accomplishexplained Janet Smith, who ing their education goals and maximizing works as an instructional designer and their VA benefits.”

O professor at Grantham University and also has the distinction of being a veteran herself. “It’s a scaffolded, comprehensive model to online adult-learner retenFor more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel tion that has received anecdotal acclaim at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online since 2009, including presentations at archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com. both Sloan-C and Distance Education and www.MAE-kmi.com

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MAE 9.1 | 9

Careers & Transitions: Health Sciences

Healing Patients Behind the Scenes While not as visible of a health care career as nursing or medicine, allied health and health sciences professionals have an important role to play in the industry.

By Catherine Day, MAE Correspondent

When it comes to providing quality care to patients, it’s not only the public faces of medicine like doctors and nurses who are responsible.

Behind the scenes, patients have a vast network of support, whether it be a friendly physician’s assistant, massage therapist or someone troubleshooting a newly implemented health information technology system. For this wide range of health professions, an allied health or health

10 | MAE 9.1

sciences degree is essential—and veterans may be uniquely suited for them.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report from December 2013, “Occupations and industries related to health care are projected to add the most new jobs between 2012 and 2022. Total employment is projected to increase 10.8 percent, or 15.6 million, in the next decade.” This is because of the aging baby boomer generation, the new health

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Unique Program Offers Military Medics Fast-Track to Civilian Careers In January 2012, Lansing Community College launched an education program specifically designed for military medics. The Military Medic to Paramedic Program is the first program of its kind in the country, creating a pathway for military medics to transition to paramedics by awarding free college credits for their military education and experience. Those who complete this program are positioned to continue onward to the college’s registered nursing program or a physician’s assistant program at a partner university.

Previously denied classroom credit for their prior medical training, military medics can now be credited for their efforts as they pursue civilian medical certification and licensure. The paramedic program at LCC, typically

two semesters plus an internship for a certificate of achievement, can be completed in five to six months because 40 to 60 percent of the paramedic curriculum was achieved in the military.

Last August, under its Community Health Matching Initiative, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation provided LCC with a $50,000 grant to support the expansion and online development of the program.

LCC’s new class of 24 veterans began their fall semester on August 13, 2013. Applications for the next program start date in March are currently being accepted to fill 40 seats. For more details, visit www.lcc.edu/nursing/ militarymedic.

information management requirements, the Affordable Care Act and new technology requirements. Seventeen of the 30 job positions that are expected to grow are related to health care, including home health aides, diagnostic medical sonographers, physical therapist assistants and medical secretaries.

“It’s clear that health care is one of the most rapidly growing and evolving fields, with change occurring on a daily basis,” said Keith Smith, Kaplan University’s vice president of ground health programs and the dean of the School of Health Sciences.

“Many veterans bring extensive experience as leaders and team

members, especially in very dynamic settings. Whether you’re caring for a patient, educating and training others, or directly involved in health care administration, having excellent leadership and teamwork skills can be very useful—and marketable— in a health care setting.”

Kaplan University Kaplan University offers online degree programs from the associate level to the master’s level and can “prepare veterans

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Careers & Transitions: Health Sciences to become front line care providers to senior level administration,” said Smith.

In Kaplan’s course catalog, prospective students will find Associate of Applied Science degrees in medical assisting, medical office management and health information technology; Bachelor of Science degrees in health science, health and wellness, health care administration, health information management, and nutrition science; master’s programs in public health, health information management, health informatics and health education; and a medical coding and billing certificate. Many of these degree programs incorporate subjects like anatomy and physiology, pathology, pharmacology, epidemiology and health care administration.

The Associate of Science in health science program was designed especially for veterans wanting to get a jumpstart on their next career. It could potentially reduce credits by 75 percent, as many veterans are eligible to receive credit from related military service. “In many cases … an associate degree can be earned in as few as five courses.

Additional credit may also be applied toward the

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Keith Smith

ksmith3@kaplan.edu

Sean Tibor

stibor@kaplan.edu

bachelor’s program once the associate degree has been completed,” said Smith. This is achieved by reviewing a student’s prior coursework, military occupational training and experiential learning.

With a Kaplan degree in health sciences, there are three general paths a student can take: patient care, health care administration, or public health/ health education and promotion.

Through the online classroom, students can apply their knowledge in clinical simulations, and become familiar with interfaces and software that they might encounter in the work environment. Students in the health information technology program, for example, will develop familiarity with information management systems in simulated environments.

“They will be expected to navigate health information management systems, so they will work with electronic medical records, move them around, update information about patients, and do projects based on analysis and reporting,” said Sean Tibor, director of marketing for Nursing and Health Sciences. “We do a lot of simulations in a simulated hospital information system that

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public health and social work, a health science degree gives students career flexibility. Students tend to seek employment as physicians’ assistants, middle or high school health teachers, health educators in a hospital setting, or work for community, health department, state and federal health agencies, nonprofit organizations, corporations, fitness centers, and corporations.

“Our degrees are encompassed within a public health model, and therefore train professionals Laurencia Hutton-Rogers to take a population approach to their work,” Hutton-Rogers explained. “While these professionlhuttonrogers@towson.edu als certainly do work with individuals, we tend to engage in a much broader scope with communities, systems and Towson University health policy.”

Before moving on to an internship at an approved health Unlike degrees related directly to nursing, medicine or pharagency, undergraduate students can expect to learn about diverse macy, health sciences or allied health degrees aren’t constrained subjects: nutrition, food safety, human sexuality, first aid and to clearly defined roles and responsibilities. “In a medical setCPR, international health, U.S. health care policy, mental health ting, the nurse might do the initial assessment and triage, the and stress management, women’s health, environmental health, doctor diagnoses and prescribes, and the pharmacist fills the chronic and communicable diseases, substance use, geriatric prescription,” said Laurencia Hutton-Rogers, the chairperson health, the foundation of health education, curriculum and planof the Department of Health Science at Towson University in ning, health education instructional methods, program manageTowson, Md. ment, and evaluation and epidemiology.

But it’s less intuitive to pin down what exactly the hardworkGraduate students will learn about these topics in deeper ing folks behind the scenes do. That’s because health sciences is detail.

“They will cover additional topics including issues in a broader science degree with a focus on core sciences. Towson school health; qualitative and quantitative methods in health; University, which also has online programs, offers a Bachelor of health administration, leadership and financial management; Arts/Bachelor of Science in health science, with concentrations public health research methods; systems of care for chronically in community health and school health—and a combination ill and physically dependent populations; workplace health; proof the two, known as the dual concentration. The university gram planning and evaluation; planning and marketing health; also offers a Master of Health Science with concentrations in health advocacy; managing volunteers; and managing conflict, administration, community health, school health education and violence and abuse in health settings,” said Hutton-Rogers. dual concentrations.

Why might a degree related to health science appeal to a In addition to preparing a student for a variety of health- and veteran?

“Soldiers and veterans are a unique population. One of science-related fields, such as nursing, occupational therapy,

they’d be working with. Obviously there are a lot of different platforms out there, but using one of these systems gives students the confidence they can learn how to use other systems to manage health information records without having to acquire a lot of additional training when they enter the workforce.”

“As the population continues to age, there are growing opportunities in each arena for welleducated professionals,” Smith remarked. “Having military experience and higher education is a significant advantage in competing in these fields.”

Our nationally recognized Military Medic to Paramedic program was designed for you! At LCC, we award equivalent college credit for current and prior military education and experience to significantly shorten the pathway to your degree. This program offers a certificate or associate’s degree in half the time. In just six months, you will be ready to step into this rewarding career!

lcc.edu/militarymedic

Inspired to Serve Those Who Serve www.MAE-kmi.com

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Careers & Transitions: Health Sciences At Globe University, which has campuses in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, and online degree programs, veteran and military students can apply their training to credit for some general education requirements according to American Council on Education guidelines. For students who served overseas, credit is awarded for interpersonal relations, global citizenship and intercultural communications.

The university offers several allied healthrelated programs, including a massage therapy diploma, an Associate in Applied Science in massage therapy, an Associate in Applied Science in medical administrative assistant, an Associate in Applied Science in medical assistant, an Globe University Associate in Applied Science in health fitness Maria Leonard specialist, a Bachelor of Science in health fitness “People who enter the armed services tend to mcleonard@msbcollege.edu specialist, a Bachelor of Science in nursing, and a be individuals who care deeply about not only their Bachelor of Science in health care management. Many students country, but the protection of its citizens,” reflected Maria Leonaspire to be massage therapists, medical assistants, medical ard, the academic manager of allied health programs at Globe administrative assistants, health fitness specialists, nurses, or University. “The allied health sciences area is all about putting clinical support. the needs of others first and doing everything you can to help “In the past 10 to 15 years, we have seen an increase in them to become and stay healthy. I think veterans also find that the number of massage therapists working in medical setworking in the allied health sciences area is cathartic; helping tings,” Leonard revealed. “The public and medical and health others can help you to heal yourself.” the issues we consistently talk about in health is the need for diversity and cultural competence. It would be awesome for veterans to pursue this career option so they can inform the delivery of health education and promotion within the [veteran] population,” she said. “They would be critical in identifying the needs of this population, developing strategies for reaching them, developing appropriate health messages and addressing policy and system issues. “Of course, the veterans who choose this career are not limited to working with the military/veterans, but this an area where they could continue to make a significant impact.”

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insurance industries have learned of the important contributions massage therapy can make in a patient’s recovery from many injuries, medical conditions, and emotional or psychological conditions.

“The health industry is changing, and you will find that the United States has developed a health care system that brings together many different skills to help the public achieve maximum benefits toward their health goals,” she continued.

The Globe University allied health program recognizes the importance of a whole body or holistic, approach toward health care. “Some of the core classes we offer are medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, applied ethics, professional communication courses, and then courses specific to the program area.”

Students pursuing a massage therapy concentration will learn how to give Swedish and Thai massages, myofascial releases (a soft tissue therapy that improves skeletal muscle immobility and pain), deep tissue therapy and craniosacral therapy. Aspiring medical assistants will learn about coding and billing, electronic health records, patient care and pharmacology, while students learning about nursing—which is not traditionally an allied health area—will learn about holistic care, nursing pharmacology, behavioral health care, pediatric care and research. Most allied health programs at Globe University also require students

Park university

to complete externships, where they will get field experience in their area of expertise.

South University South University, which has its founding campus in Savannah, Ga., and 10 other brick-and-mortar locations, offers an associate degree in allied health sciences and a Bachelor of Health Sciences on campus and online. Required courses, such as biology, chemistry and a rounded general education, “serve as a foundation for the scientific degree,” said Charles Hossler, R.N., Ph.D., the interim dean of the College of Nursing and Public Health, an associate dean of Online Programs, and an associate professor in the program.

“Veterans have the discipline and dedication to complete complex degrees such as the Bachelor of Health Sciences,” he said. “They often come with experience in several of the fields that health sciences is designed to promote. This allows him or her to build upon their current expertise rather than start over in a field unrelated to their past experiences.”

Graduates with this degree often go into scientific research, pharmaceutical sales and public health. “They often use the degree to apply for graduate programs including medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy or even direct entry nursing programs,”

online and on base

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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 21 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.

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Careers & Transitions: Health Sciences they built [while in the military] are what employers value: leadership, the ability to deploy knowledge gained, problem solving, competence under stressful conditions, attention to detail—the focus required to execute those tasks—and their proven record of trainability. When someone has success in the DeVry University military, they will have completed both their basic training and their technical training, which shows DeVry University offers several degree prothat this person is adaptable. Deploying skills in grams related to health sciences. At the associate a stressful environment translates well into the level are degrees in electroneurodiagnostic techhealth sciences careers.” nology and health information technology. There While different universities have varied allied are bachelor programs in clinical laboratory scihealth/health sciences programs, one aspect ence, biomedical engineering technology, health remains consistent: These degrees provides a information management, and health services solid foundation for other health and healthmanagement. Students can also earn master’s related fields, so students can choose from many degrees in health services management, health Scott Stratton different careers. information systems, biomedical engineering and sstratton@devry.edu “Veterans appear to be under represented in health information technology. the health care field, which doesn’t make sense given the signifiDeVry offers many tailored modes of support to veterans cant training many have,” mused Kaplan’s Smith. “We want to throughout their enrollment, including transition assistance, change that.”

O academic support and peer veteran support. A veteran himself, Scott Stratton, DeVry University’s military liaison and senior executive advisor, has observed several traits that could make For more information, contact MAE Editor Kelly Fodel at kellyf@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives veterans a natural fit for this versatile industry. “After the stufor related stories at www.mae-kmi.com. dent commits to the program and earns the degree, the soft skills Hossler said. “Virtually any career that a student may want to pursue in the health sciences is possible with a bachelor’s in health science.”

1 high school dropout.

3 years in the military.

6 classes to go before earning his college degree.

While stationed in South Korea, Army Specialist Juan Fana began taking college courses from CTC. Now, he’s close to earning a degree that will help him transition into a successful civilian career. Each year, CTC educates tens of thousands of military personnel across the globe by offering classes on military installations and online.

Visit military.ctcd.edu. f o r students of the real world

TM

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Why spirituality and education can make a perfect match.

Many veterans, after experiencing the camaraderie of military service, are looking for a similar support network as they pursue higher education. It is certainly possible that a veteran taking classes at any university could find a community environment. However, if a servicemember wishes to get a quality education and meet with other students who share a passion or desire for growing spiritually, then a faith-based education might be that veteran’s first choice. Here, schools share a glimpse into their spiritual roots, answering MAE’s question: “How can an education grounded in faith benefit the servicemember student, beyond what they might gain at a secular institution?”

Beth White Office of Military Affairs | Liberty University blwhite@liberty.edu One program that can be of extreme importance and provide a valuable resource for a servicemember, regardless of duty status, is the availability of faith-based education. The student receives not only a quality education, but is also allowed to grow www.MAE-kmi.com

spiritually. In faith-based education, Scripture is infused into the curriculum so the student grows in practical knowledge and biblical understanding.

In basic training, recruits are taught to think of themselves not as individuals, but as the entire unit, as one team. There is a special bonding and sense of commonality with each MAE 9.1 | 17

cation can assist with that adjustment is Liberty University’s Military Resilience program, designed and led by a retired major general. Programs like Liberty’s are designed to help not only the veteran in making the transition from military duty to civilian life, but also provide assistance to the family by discussing specific issues that a returning veteran may be facing and how best to overcome the obstacles. The entire family is given the opportunity to grow together spiritually. There have been many examples of lives that have been changed as a result of completing this type of program.

recruit class, so each person knows there are others who are also going through the same challenges and no one is alone.

It is the same way with military students who are taking faithbased classes, especially in an online setting from anywhere across the globe. Each class setting becomes a small community of like-minded students conversing together about the same topics.

One obstacle that servicemembers often face upon returning from combat-related deployment is the attempt to readjust into the civilian world. One example of how faith-based edu-

Brenda Panger Associate Director of Transfer Admissions | College of St. Scholastica bpanger@css.edu fosters a community of diverse voices, religions and philosophies.

The college is guided by a set of Catholic Benedictine values that include community, stewardship, the love of learning, respect and hospitality. These are hallmarks of life in class and on campus. They make for a supportive environment that is helpful to the current service member or veteran alike. They ease the transition between military service and civilian scholarship.

By the time a current servicemember or veteran graduates from St. Scholastica, she or he will be able to articulate the ways they have experienced the Benedictine values while at the college, will recognize the Catholic intellectual tradition and its role in their college experience, and will be able to contend with issues where tension between reason and faith is present. She or he will be able to analyze critical questions of our time from the perspective of the college’s Benedictine heritage and the Catholic intellectual tradition.

St. Scholastica has been nationally recognized several times for the work our faculty and staff do to make St. Scholastica a military-friendly school. This is a natural outgrowth of our Catholic Benedictine heritage.

At any religiously affiliated college or university, a current servicemember student or military veteran student should be able to experience the religious heritage in the school’s important activities and in its culture.

This ethos, or characteristic spirit, is not available at secular institutions.

At The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., an independent Catholic college in the Benedictine tradition, there is no religious requirement for a student’s acceptance. Many of our students are not Catholic; in fact, some express no faith tradition at all. But in four years of study all of our students engage the ultimate questions of meaning that religion is concerned with, particularly through the prism of the Catholic intellectual tradition.

St. Scholastica embraces the fundamental principles of the Catholic intellectual tradition: Reason and faith are equally valid and ultimately compatible; rational inquiry and the search for meaning are key values; the contributions of other perspectives are enriching. St. Scholastica intentionally

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Dr. Heidi M. McLaughlin Associate Dean | Barry University Military personnel have a unique perspective based on their wealth of experiences and admirable qualities like dedication, honor and selflessness. They possess skills such as leadership, communication, critical thinking and technical aptitude that enable them to truly excel in a college setting, especially a faith-based college setting, which offers servicemembers a distinct element of commitment and service—something they not only relate to, but thrive on.

At Barry University, a private, Catholic institution in Miami Shores, Fla., military personnel will find themselves living a Barry life, one founded on four core commitments.

Knowledge and Truth: Barry promotes and supports the intellectual life, emphasizing lifelong learning, growth and the development of scholarly and critical analysis of fundamental questions of the human experience, all in the pursuit of solutions that promote the common good and a more humane and just society. Lifelong learning and the pursuit of a just society—the epitome of our military!

Inclusive Community: Embracing a global worldview, the university nurtures and values cultural, social and intellectual diversity. Social Justice: Barry expects all members of our community to accept social responsibility to foster peace, and engage in meaningful efforts towards social change.

Collaborative Service: Barry is committed to serving local and global communities through collaborative and mutually productive partnerships. The university accepts responsibility to engage with communities to pursue systemic, self-sustaining solutions to human, social, economic and environmental problems.

Faculty, staff and students at a faith-based institution like Barry embrace, live and practice these commitments daily—an attractive characteristic for purpose-driven servicemembers. With more than 75 majors and specializations, Barry’s diverse academics encourage servicemembers to pursue their passions, all within a safe community.

By attending a university grounded in faith, servicemembers can flourish in a setting built upon commitment—a core value they understand, embrace, and in which they can excel.

Move Forward with an Online Degree • Bachelor’s degree completion programs • Master’s and Ph.D. degrees • Certificate and minors programs • Legal studies noncredit programs

“Though I was deployed in combat, on the other side of the world, there was no delay in my education.”

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Jon Haar Military Enrollment Counselor | Colorado Christian University johaar@ccu.edu Students, especially adult students, know to ask one main question when it comes to education: What does this mean to me? Too often, they do not have an answer.

While students have access to more information than any generation in history, they are not given solutions to their essential question. The information isn’t assimilated into their lives.

The built-in advantage of an education that integrates learning with faith is that it answers this question. Students are not simply transmitted information; they are continually asked to identify what the information means in the everyday world and where they can apply their learning. Education instantly becomes more holistic, affecting not only a student’s mind, but her heart and actions as well.

It is this affection of the heart and actions that make a faith-based education stand out. When integrated with core beliefs, students look beyond the boundaries of a class or paper—or even a career—to see how to incorporate their

learning to serve others, impact their own lives, and make a difference in the world. At Colorado Christian University, we challenge students to apply their learning, thereby breaking down the barriers between “academic” and “real life.”

A student’s learning influences her faith, and then her faith also influences her learning—enlivening it with meaning and purpose.

Such integration does not happen easily. It is not reduced to a prayer or devotion before class. Rather, in an adult setting, students share their beliefs, sharpen each other’s thoughts, and learn to respect differences. This is rare in today’s culture. But when faith becomes an integral part of a class, students enter a common ground where they can talk about deeper ideas and personal application—simultaneously learning to defend their beliefs while recognizing and respecting the beliefs of others. They learn to network across a spectrum of careers while sharing a common ground. They learn how to interact with others while maintaining their integrity. This is vitally important, not only in a large and diverse organization like the military, but for health and wholeness in all of life.

Dr. Elane Seebo Vice President of External Campuses and Graduate Programs Wayland Baptist University seeboe@wbu.edu

My Degree My Future SUNY Empire State College values my military experience and provides the support I need while completing my degree.

As experts in military education, our specialists are there to guide you, while your faculty mentor works with you to develop an individualized degree plan that can lead to the career you’ve always wanted.

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For servicemembers defending a country that has at its very core principles founded in faith, obtaining their education from an institution sharing those values serves to strengthen the servicemembers’ understanding of and commitment to the nation they serve. Wayland’s Christian faculty, staff and administration are dedicated to the university’s mission to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and humankind. While secular institutions may provide a strong knowledge base, faithbased institutions also strengthen the moral compass that allows students to function ethically and morally in challenging environments.

Wayland’s focus on intellectual, physical, professional, social and spiritual development helps produce and refine characteristics and qualities that create military members who can serve and lead from positions of knowledge, strength, integrity, morality and ethics. The strong liberal arts focus of the university coupled with Christian concepts integrated across the curriculum attracts a student body whose diversity reflects that of the military—socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, religious and geographical diversity. Academic programs tailored for the military student population are comprehensive and immediately applicable in the work environment. Emphasis on interdisciplinary www.MAE-kmi.com

and exemplify this core value of the university for other students with whom they share their academic experiences.

Virtually any institution of higher learning can provide academic knowledge. Integrating that knowledge with Christian values and a Christian worldview provides a foundation for our military members that is not only consistent with their military mission, but that also nurtures in them the character that provides our country the leaders—and followers—who can support and defend the values upon which this country was founded.

concepts and relationships enable students to relate classroom experiences to the present and future realities of the world in which they function and the people with whom they interact.

Wayland’s focus on service to God and humankind parallels the mission of our military services and provides opportunities for service experiences in local communities or across the globe as an integral part of a student’s educational journey. Because “service” is so ingrained for our servicemembers, they appreciate

Michael Gillan, Ph.D. Associate Vice President, Co-Chair of University Veterans Affairs | Fordham University gillan@fordham.edu values in teaching, advising, and in all the ways they interact with and serve as exemplars for their students.

Values-centered living, personal authenticity, service to others … these are themes which I have found, not surprisingly, to have special resonance with our student veterans at Fordham. It is evident not only where one might expect to see it—among the vets, for example, in our graduate schools of social service or education—but also in our law school, where the nascent project SERV (Students for the Education and Rehabilitation of Veterans) intends to offer assistance on a host of administrative issues, including discharge upgrade appeals. It is evident, also, in institutional commitments such as free creative writing workshops for veterans in the community, and innumerable mentoring hours by veteran-alumni volunteers.

The faith-suffused institution provides an environment conducive to personal development for any student, and—as we have seen whenever Americans have returned from war—with special promise for the student-veteran. O

Even non-believers have been known to observe that it’s good to be in the company of people of faith—people who believe there is a “higher purpose” and who believe, with regard to education, that it is about making not just a living but a life, and a life always mindful of the needs of others. Who believe that the educator’s role is to foster development of not just a particular expertise, but of the whole person to the fullest potential “cura personalis,” in the Jesuit lexicon of my own university.

It would be an unwarranted assertion that a military/veteran student, or any student, will necessarily be better served at one type of institution over all others. For people of faith can be found at institutions of every type: religious, secular, public, private or proprietary.

But, having said that, it is indisputable that one will find many more of them at faith-based institutions (“faith-suffused” might be the better term). [These are] the kinds of schools which intentionally attract such people, often regardless of their particular religious affiliation; schools where the dimensions of teaching and learning described above are not just acknowledged, but embraced, where faculty and staff are encouraged in their beliefs and urged to demonstrate not only their knowledge, but also their

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BGSU is known for helping veterans successfully transition from the military world to achieving their ultimate educational goals. BGSU continues to be a “Military Friendly School” by G.I. Jobs and has moved up from 24th to 20th in 2013 Military Times EDGE rankings of “Best for Vets.” BGSU’s College of Business was awarded 10th in the nation for “Best for Vets” Business Schools by Military Times EDGE. BGSU offers academic and financial assistance through our veterans services office, including: > Nontraditional and Veteran Scholarships > Montgomery GI Bill > VA Vocational Rehabilitation > Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program > Post 9/11 GI Bill > Reserve Education Assistance Bowling Green, Ohio | 419-372-8136 A P P LY O N L I N E : w w w. b g s u . e d u

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CLASS NOTES DANTES Celebrating 40-Year Anniversary in 2014 DANTES will celebrate a very special anniversary this year—its 40th year of service to military personnel. In May 1974, a memorandum from the Deputy Secretary of Defense to senior military leadership disestablished the United States Armed Forces Institute and commissioned the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). Later that year, it was established as an echelon three, Navy command, with the Navy as its executive agent. DANTES was created to provide educational programs and products to the military. Over the

OCONUS DSST Paper-Based Testing Ends in July Prometric will discontinue paper-based DSST testing for OCONUS, effective July 31, 2014. The decision to eliminate paper-based exams is based on a steady decline (44 percent over the past year) and the ongoing initiative to provide testing alternatives at fully funded national testing centers.

Servicemembers utilizing computer-based exams can access all 38 DSST exam titles and see exam results upon completion. The Principles of Public Speaking exam is also delivered in a much more efficient manner, and scoring time has been cut in half.

A growing number of military installations overseas are entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with National Test Centers to provide DSST testing through their on-base education centers. Currently this option is available at several overseas installations. Testing is free to eligible military and for a select group of civilian personnel.

DANTES funds both the test fee and the administration fee at base-sponsored test centers. Interested personnel should check their education center to see if this option is available. For more information, contact the DANTES Examinations Program at exams@navy.mil.

years, DANTES has provided these vital educational services to millions of military personnel, impacting their lives and those of their families.

Over the years, DANTES has grown from just four employees and two programs to over 20 programs and services with 63 staff members (civil service and contractors). In addition to its headquarters in Pensacola, they have an office based in Germany, providing quality educational support to the services’ education professionals around the world.

Penn State’s Online Programs Highly Rated in 2014 U.S. News’ Rankings Penn State’s online campus, the World Campus, ranked in the Top 10 for its online undergraduate and graduate programs among the hundreds of higher education institutions included in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Online Programs rankings. Penn State World Campus rankings include: third for best online bachelor’s programs, fifth for best online graduate engineering programs and sixth for best online graduate computer information technology programs.

“It’s very rewarding to have Penn State’s online education programs ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News,” said Craig Weidemann, vice president for outreach and vice provost for online education at Penn State.

“The high quality of our online education programs is a testament to the Penn State faculty and staff involved in developing and delivering these programs in a format that is convenient for busy adults who want to advance their careers.”

Hiram College Announces Plan for Housing Veterans Hiram College officials have announced that they are renovating space in a residence hall to house military veterans and their families. Renovation of the facility, Henry Hall, includes conversion of 44 double-occupancy rooms into single private quarters for veterans attending Hiram under the Post9/11 GI Bill. The new dedicated space will be named Freedom Center at Henry Hall.

“There are a growing number of veterans returning from service who are interested in

pursuing their dreams of a college education,” said Hiram College President Tom Chema. “We’re taking steps to meet the needs of our service men and women, welcoming them into our community and exposing them to the Hiram brand of education which will prepare them well for this next phase of their lives.”

The first 20 veterans to sign on to the program will receive free housing for the first two months of their time at Hiram.

New Anthem College Campus Opens in Houston Anthem Education Group, a nationwide family of schools and colleges that provide career-focused training and educational programs, recently opened its Anthem College-Houston campus, marking the second AEG location in Texas. The second AEG location in Texas teaches practical and applicable skills through quality career training, offering education programs in technology, technical trade and health care-related fields.

“At Anthem Education Group, we shape our curriculum to meet employerdriven requirements in industries with growing employment opportunities to ensure that students who come prepared to learn will leave prepared to succeed,” 22 | MAE 9.1

said Ameziane Amer, director of education at Anthem College-Houston. “We look forward to helping students throughout the Houston community pursue their educational endeavors and get on track for a successful career.”

Accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools, Anthem College-Houston offers diploma programs in computer and network technician, heating ventilation and air conditioning, medical assistant technician, medical front office and billing, and patient care technician, as well as associate degree programs in health services administration and information technology. www.MAE-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Navy VolEd Tuition Assistance Availability Temporarily Expanded The Virtual Education Center started December 17 to authorize commandapproved TA requests for classes with a start date in the second quarter of FY14, which ends March 31. TA requests will be approved on a first come, first served basis for as long as TA funds are available. Visit https://www.navycollege.navy .mil for more information.

Effective January 1, in order to receive TA funding, WebTA applications must be command approved, received by the VEC, and approved/funded prior to the course start date. The VEC will no longer process applications through the academic institution’s published late registration and/or drop/add period.

Commands should ensure sailors are aware of this policy and ensure their applications are command approved and forwarded to the VEC for funding in a timely manner. Thirty days prior to the term start date is not too soon.

TAP Curriculum Available Online for Separating Servicemembers Separating servicemembers can participate in the transition assistance program (TAP) online, Department of Defense officials announced. TAP, now called Transition GPS (Goals, Plans and Success) is designed to help prepare separating and retiring members for life outside of the military. It includes a variety of seminars from dressing for success to financial independence.

The virtual curriculum is part of a broader program redesign to better prepare servicemembers for success in their civilian life. The virtual curriculum was added to benefit servicemembers at geographically separated units, those with a short-notice separation and those contemplating retirement.

The redesign expanded requirements to include mandatory attendance at a five-day workshop, a Department of Labor employment workshop, a Department of Veterans Affairs briefing and completion

of a capstone session to ensure the member is career-ready. Optional training for higher education, entrepreneurial and vocational training is also available, along with extensive one-on-one counseling to help develop a comprehensive individual transition plan.

“Many servicemembers do not have access to brick and mortar classrooms for transition instruction,” said Rashaud Smith, the AFPC Airman and Family Sustainment Branch community readiness analyst. “The virtual program mirrors the traditional offerings, and placing it on the Joint Knowledge Online Portal, where military training programs for joint applications already reside, will allow personnel to access it from anywhere in the world.”

The online Transition GPS has 50 hours of interactive training modules to meet career readiness standards established by the Pentagon.

Saint Leo University’s First Doctoral Class Admitted

In late December 2013, faculty and staff from Saint Leo University and the Donald R. Tapia School of Business welcomed 22 individuals to their first week of study for the university’s new Doctor of Business Administration degree.

The D.B.A. is the university’s first doctoral offering and differs from a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in that it places more emphasis on applied business practice. The Saint Leo D.B.A. program appeals particularly to three types of achievers: those who wish to teach business at the college or university level; business professionals who are transitioning to new career goals; and consultants and executives seeking advancement in their respective fields.

After the first week of studies at University Campus, students continue with online and interactive studies, and two additional holiday intersession weeks of study in upcoming years. The required dissertation follows. The coursework and dissertation will take three to four years to complete, depending on the student, though students are permitted to take a maximum of seven years. This low-residency format allows students to pursue the D.B.A. from areas beyond central Florida. The inaugural class includes students from Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas and even Maine.

The university will soon accept applications for a second cohort.

EKU Online Degree Programs Rank among Nation’s Best Eastern Kentucky University has been ranked among the best in the U.S. News & World Report’s recently announced 2014 Best Online Education Program Rankings. EKU is the highestranking Kentucky school among Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs and one of only two Kentucky schools to rank in the top 100 for

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Online Graduate Education Programs and Online Graduate Nursing Programs.

“Since our first online course was offered in 2006, we have aimed for excellence in online education,” said Dr. Janna Vice, provost. “We are extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students for achieving these honors.”

Nationally, EKU ranked 77th among Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs, 79th among Online Graduate Nursing Programs and 93rd among Online Graduate Education Programs. Nearly 1,000 distance education programs submitted a completed U.S. News questionnaire during the summer of 2013, up from 860 programs the previous year.

MAE 9.1 | 23

Medical personnel: you may be as few as 5 courses from a degree in health sciences.* • 42 military occupations have been evaluated for credit • Associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs available • Tuition reduced 55 percent for servicemembers†

Find out more and enroll at militarymedical.kaplan.edu or call 877.809.8445.

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Kaplan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).

For more information, visit their website at hlcommission.org. Use the links under “Contact Us” to reach the Commission. * Based on a full-time active-duty student who transfers in 65 quarter credit hours (the maximum amount of credit). Credits transferred may vary according to your previously completed MOS/NEC, current military status, or affiliation (active, veteran, member of the National Guard, or reservist). † Military tuition reductions cannot be combined with any Kaplan University scholarships or tuition discounts/vouchers.

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Education Leader

Q& A

Reflecting on the Past and Future in Voluntary Education

Dr. Michael Heberling President Council of College and Military Educators Michael Heberling was elected to the CCME Executive Board in 2010 and has previously served as the secretaryelect, secretary, vice president-elect and vice president.

Heberling is president of the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies in Flint, Mich. He is responsible for the operation and quality of Baker’s five graduate programs in information systems, occupational therapy, industrial/organizational psychology, and business (MBA and Doctor of Business Administration).

He received his bachelor’s degree and officer commission at Cornell University through its Air Force ROTC program. After attending three different graduate schools (as a result of PCS moves), he finally obtained his master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado using the GI Bill. He then received a Ph.D. degree through an Air Force-sponsored doctoral program at Michigan State University.

Heberling had a 21-year career in the Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He had 1,500 hours flying time in the B-52H Stratofortress bomber. His last assignment was with the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB. There, he served on the faculty, as a program director and as a department head.

Q: How did your background in education help to prepare you for your position as president of CCME? A: I have seen military education from three different perspectives.

I understand what it is like to be a military student. I received my bachelor’s degree and officer commission at Cornell University through its Air Force ROTC program. I then completed my master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado using the GI Bill. For me (and most servicemembers), obtaining a voluntary education degree requires perseverance and flexibility.

As a result of reassignments and lengthy TDY tours, it took me four years to complete my degree. Along the way, I attended two other schools: Central Michigan University and the University of South Dakota. By going to three different schools, I had transfer credit issues.

I would later continue my graduate education in an Air Force-sponsored doctoral program at Michigan State University. My follow-on assignment was to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). While at AFIT, I served on the faculty as a www.MAE-kmi.com

program director and as a department head. Three years after my retirement, I started a new career, this time in civilian education. For the past 16 years, I have been president of the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies. Based on my service background, I have taken an active interest our military students.

There are over 1,000 veterans and military students attending Baker College. Since joining CCME, serving on its board and now as the president, I feel that I am able to “give back” to the military community. Being in an organization that is dedicated to helping our servicemembers has been very rewarding.

Q: What have the highlights been of your term as president of CCME? What are you the most proud of accomplishing this year?

A: I, along with four CCME board members, took part in a White House Forum on issues affecting military credentialing and college credit. There were representatives from academic institutions and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense and Education, taking part in the roundtable discussions. First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the forum.

All of the participants were tasked with finding ways to facilitate the transitioning of over a million servicemembers out of the military in the next five years. CCME is doing its part by making MAE 9.1 | 25

this subject a major focus of our Savannah symposium. Curtis Coy, Deputy Under Secretary, Office of Economic Opportunity, Department of Veterans Affairs, who was the co-chair of the White House Forum, will be one of our keynote speakers.

In addition we are having a special interest track as part of our concurrent sessions on Career Options: Transitioning from the Military. I am especially proud of our Hiring Our Heroes Job Fair. In conjunction with the Savannah symposium, CCME is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and many other organizations to provide an employment workshop on Wednesday, February 12 for veterans, those on active duty, members of the Guard and Reserve components plus military spouses. This event will be free for both employers and job seekers. This is the first time that CCME has held any type of job/education fair. I would like to give special credit to Joycelyn Groot, the CCME immediate past president, for pulling this event together.

Q: What are your priorities as president? What initiatives of yours do you hope CCME’s next president continues to emphasize?

A: My main goal as president has been to be responsive to the membership and to make the organization the first place to go for networking among all the players and information on the

changing VolEd landscape. For example, based on feedback surveys, the memberships expressed a desire to have more relevant, timely and “hands-on” information. As a result, we have made concurrent sessions a major thrust of our conference. In fact, it is now called the CCME Professional Development Symposium to better capture this new emphasis. These sessions now make up the majority of the conference.

At our board meetings, we recognized that with so many servicemembers leaving the military in the next five years, we should begin to shift more of our attention to veterans as opposed to active duty to create more of a balance. As already stated, the Department of Veterans Affairs has a major presence at this year’s symposium. I would like to see our next president continue to strengthen our ties to the VA. In fact, we have discussed the idea of creating a liaison position for the VA on our board. I would like to see this happen.

Q: How have CCME’s partnerships with different organizations, like SOC and DANTES, helped with CCME’s mission? How have these relationships evolved during your time as president?

A: I see CCME’s mission as being a major facilitator for all organizations in the voluntary education community. We have a SOC liaison on our board, as well as a past director of DANTES. We also have ACME, DoD and military liaisons at the table. For schools new to military education, understanding the VolEd

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world can be a challenging and daunting task. By having all of the major parties working together, with CCME as a conduit for information exchange, I feel that we all benefit. We have established a new concurrent session track this year called “Introduction to Voluntary Education.” This will help to demystify all the differing support organizations, their missions and their acronyms.

Q: From your perspective, what are the most significant challenges facing military education today? How is CCME poised to help?

A: The theme for this year is Crossroads in Military Education.

At our first board meeting in May, we had a strategic planning meeting where we all acknowledged that our VolEd world is rapidly changing. Uncertainty, force restructuring, budgetary constraints and increasing regulations will continue to have a major impact on military education. How will the VolEd community respond to these significant challenges? As I see it there are three options: 1. “Pack it up,” 2. Passively sit on the sidelines or 3. Take control. The last option involves the mastering the issues, understanding what alternatives are available, and then networking with others to see how they are addressing these challenges.

CCME is here to help its membership with the third option: taking control. In Savannah, we will be offering 60 different concurrent sessions on those timely and relevant “burning issues.” This is a 25 percent increase over last year.

We have also reduced the number of general sessions to accommodate more concurrent sessions. In fact, for the first time, attendees can expect to learn about the President’s Executive Order 13607 on Establishing Principles of Excellence, Public Law 112-249 on Comprehensive Veterans Education Information, student outcome measures, complaint systems, plus many other important topics. Besides the Symposium, we have used the CCME Grapevine department in every issue of MAE to inform the VolEd Community on regulatory changes. To date, we have addressed such issues as state authorizations, the six-year graduation rates and the cohort default rates.

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Q: In your opinion, what were the most important developments related to military education in 2013?

A: The continued evolution of the DoD MOU and multiple state and federal initiatives to provide credit for military training and experience were center stage in 2013. This year, CCME will continue to provide guidance on these and other policy changes to create an atmosphere that encourages successful academic growth and/or transitions for servicemembers.

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Q: What education programs or initiatives benefiting servicemembers inspire you the most?

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A: The original GI Bill. As it turns out, we will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of its passage at our CCME symposium in Savannah. The GI Bill has been called the best piece of legislation ever passed by Congress. While many view this as a well-deserved payback for those who served in World War

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Webster University, founded in 1915 with its home campus based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is the only Tier 1, private, nonprofit university with campus locations around the world including metropolitan, military, online and corporate, as well as American-style traditional campuses in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

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II, its actual impact on America was both far-reaching and generational. It became a vehicle for upward mobility for millions. This was certainly true for my family. My father, who is now 89, dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. He then went off to fight in the Pacific during WWII in the Army Air Corps. After the war, he took advantage of the GI Bill to get both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Because of the GI Bill, post-secondary education has become very important, not just for the veterans, but for succeeding generations, children and grandchildren, as well. All of my father’s six grandchildren are either college graduates or are currently attending college. I don’t think this would have happened without the GI Bill.

Presentation at the 2013 CCME Symposium. [Photo courtesy of CCME/Penny Rogo]

Q: Do you have any advice for servicemembers in the process of selecting an academic institution?

A: Don’t randomly choose a program of study. There are a number of factors that need to be considered. 1. What are you passionate about? 2. Is it marketable? 3. What are your career goals: military, civilian, or are you unsure? In choosing my own VolEd program, I was torn between business and public administration. Prior to enrolling, I was not sure if I would continue in my military career. To hedge my bet, I chose business administration. I felt that this degree would be valuable in either a civilian or a military career.

Besides choosing the right program, timing is critical. My advice in pursing education is to go for it sooner rather than later. Life happens! Personal and public events impact the pursuit of education goals. The suspension of Tuition Assistance and

the ongoing impact of sequestration illustrate this point. For those students who plan to leave the service, those departing with a degree have much better job prospects than those without a degree. According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the 2011 unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans with a high school diploma was 16.4 percent. In contrast, veterans with a college degree had an unemployment rate of only 6.4 percent.

Q: How can colleges and universities become more “military friendly” and better support military and veteran students who are enrolling in school?

A: I would encourage these schools to come to the annual CCME Professional Development Symposium. Besides offering many concurrent sessions on this subject, there are representatives from schools who are definitely “military friendly” in attendance. Besides the formal general and concurrent sessions,

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as much or more can be learned through networking with these “veteran” colleges and universities who have been supporting large numbers of military students for decades. This face-to-face sharing of best practices is the most direct and effective way to become “military friendly.”

Q: What’s the most impressive lesson you learned this year?

A: There are over 100 schools that are members of CCME. On the surface, one would think that the individual schools would be very close-hold in sharing information about their internal operations. They are, after all, in competition with one another for military students. But I found that to not be the case at all.

There is a common bond among all the CCME schools, public, private not-for-profit and private-for profit, that Presentation at the 2013 CCME Symposium. [Photo courtesy of CCME/Penny Rogo] supersedes competition. We are all striving to do what is best for our servicemembers and veterans. These heroes deserve It should be noted that they are all volunteers (with very nothing less. demanding day jobs). I had major health issues last fall that required both hospitalization and my being homebound for an extended period of time. I was very concerned about my CCME Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add? duties. As it turned out, I did not need to worry. All of the board members knew what needed to be done, and they did it. I am A: I would like to use this as an opportunity to thank the CCME very proud of their hard work and what they accomplished. O Board for all that they have done for me during my presidency.

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A unique online tool helps servicemembers translate their military skills to complementary careers.

30 | MAE 9.1

By Jill Elaine Hughes

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While U.S. servicemembers acquire valuable skills and go through diverse experiences, it’s often difficult for them to apply what they’ve learned to civilian careers, according to a 2013 University of Phoenix survey conducted by Harris Interactive in September and October 2013.

The survey polled 1,010 adults 18 and older who are serving or have served in the U.S. military. Those surveyed reported that they needed job interview assistance (43 percent) and help with professional networking (38 percent) and career planning (36 percent). They also said they needed assistance finding available civilian jobs (34 percent), connecting with employers (33 percent), and developing résumés and cover letters (30 percent).

“We did this survey because we’re trying to figure out what drives veterans as they make their transition to civilian life and work, and also see what misconceptions they might have about the realities of the working world,” said Garland Williams, Ph.D., vice president of military relations for the university and a retired U.S. Army colonel.

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MAE 9.1 | 31

Most concerning? Only 33 percent of those polled said they had a plan for moving on into civilian life.

Planning is Paramount A transition plan is key, said Williams, who recommends that active-duty servicemembers determine their course of action at least two years before their anticipated departure. “It’s all about finding the right application, especially for soft skills like leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving,” he said.

With that in mind, the university developed the complementary Military Translator Tool component of the Phoenix Career Guidance System from Phoenix Career Services to help servicemembers discover civilian occupations in which they can capitalize on their skills and accomplishments. “[The tool is] the most robust of its kind that I’ve ever seen,” Williams said. “It includes the military occupational specialty (MOS) codes for all currently available jobs and ranks in all branches of the military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard—for both enlisted personnel and commissioned officers.”

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The tool can help address some of the survey’s unexpected findings. Williams said he was surprised that leadership ranked below other marketable job skills servicemembers felt they’d gained in the military—68 percent, versus personal responsibility (79 percent), teamwork (75 percent), the ability to work under pressure (72 percent) and accountability (69 percent).

“To see leadership down so far on the list really shocked me because I think the military has cornered the market when it comes to leadership training,” Williams said, noting that the

results underscore the cultural differences between the military and the civilian business world. “In the military, you are drilled on the importance of ‘selfless service’ from day one,” he explained.

“Even though you may be leading a team on a difficult mission, you never talk about your leadership in ‘I’ terms. It’s always ‘we’ accomplished ‘our’ objectives as a unit.”

While that kind of thinking highlights collaboration— itself a marketable job skill—not emphasizing your contributions to a team’s successes can work against you in civilian job interviews.

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MAE 9.1 | 33

“There’s a real disconnect here, especially because servicemembers aren’t well-trained on how to take inventory of the unique accomplishments and abilities they have as individuals, and then showcase that to employers,” he noted. “I tell them that it’s OK to brag a little in job interviews—in fact, that it’s a good thing, which a lot of veterans find counterintuitive.”

Translating Military Skills Not only should servicemembers learn to describe their contributions to a military team or mission, they also must learn how to translate their military work into civilian terms. That can be hard because many military occupations don’t exist in the civilian world, such as civilian platoon sergeant jobs. But that doesn’t mean veterans who were platoon sergeants aren’t qualified for civilian employment.

“I always tell veterans to remember the ‘three M’s’ when describing what they did in the military,” Williams explained.

“How many men—or people—did you lead, what materiel did you use and how much money did you save? That translates very well to the corporate world.”

For example, the skills required for the job of an Army squad leader in Afghanistan who led eight soldiers on a mission to secure a perimeter and help re-populate a civilian location are similar in many ways to the duties of a department manager in a large corporation. “You were responsible for an armored troop

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transport—a piece of equipment worth millions of dollars—along with managing your own section of subordinates,” he said. “You also were in charge of setting up food service and shelters for soldiers and local civilians, meeting rolling deadlines and timetables and addressing problems.”

Making these types of associations is where the Military Translator Tool comes in. It uses algorithms to automatically make skills conversions, according to Igor Khayet, MBA, director of strategy for Phoenix Career Services. “When you enter your MOS code, you’ll actually get three types of potential job matches—jobs that would use soft skills like leadership, personnel management and attention to detail—along with industry-specific job matches and any types of jobs that might be a near or exact duplicate of your military occupation,” Khayet explained.

For example, a combat engineer who was responsible for building pontoon bridges and temporary transport roads might use those skills in a civilian role as a civil engineer who designs highways, he noted. Meanwhile, a quartermaster who procured supplies for an Army division could transfer those abilities to work as a retail buyer. A military logistics specialist could seek employment in the transportation industry.

Job Market Data Besides a variety of job options, the translator tool gives current labor market data gathered in real time from job postings across the Internet that illustrate the hiring potential of each suggested occupation by region and specific location.

It also describes the required education and experience for the jobs, and provides salary ranges for each potential match, along with sample career paths that can help lead to more senior-level positions.

“This kind of job market data really lets you dig deeper when you’re determining where your military skills translate and even do some comparison shopping before you make a career choice,” Khayet said. “You might find that you’re already qualified for one job, but another job that requires some additional education or training has a much higher potential salary. It can help you decide if you want to make the investment of time and money into a career path with higher earning potential, or just get to work right away.”

The interface allows users to directly compare the salaries, educational requirements and hiring potential of up to three civilian job titles simultaneously. “Our goal for veterans is to help them facilitate a simple process for choosing a future career,” Khayet said.

Williams agrees. “At some point, vets will have to adapt to the rest of the world,” he said. “So we need to help them move into their next life phase and apply their military values to corporate America.” O Jill Elaine Hughes is a writer for Phoenix Forward, an online magazine for the University of Phoenix.

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.

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CCME preview

A preview of the upcoming CCME conference.

Movers and shakers in the world of military education will convene in Savannah, Ga., from February 10-13, 2014, for the Council of College and Military Educators Annual Symposium. The symposium is expected to attract approximately 1,000 attendees, comprised of military educators, civilian educators, post-secondary educational institutions, and suppliers of quality education products and services. The CCME 2014 theme, “Crossroads in Military Education: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” recognizes the 70th anniversary of the passing of the GI Bill legislation in 1944.

This year, the keynote speakers will be Jessica Lynch and Curtis Coy. Lynch, a former U.S. Army private first class, was the first successful POW rescue since World War II. Coy is deputy under secretary for economic opportunity at the Veterans Benefits Administration.

A variety of panel discussions and “burning issues” roundtables will address the current topics of concern to military educators and students. MAE has prepared a preview of the CCME discussions, with the assistance of CCME speakers and experts.

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MAE 9.1 | 35

CCME preview Roundtable: President’s Executive Order—Outcome Measures for Assessing Military/Veteran Student Success Dawn Bilodeau Acting Chief, DoD Voluntary Education The President’s Executive Order 13607, “Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members,” established guidelines for institutions receiving federal funding in support of military and veteran education. Over the past 18 months, an interagency working group composed of representatives from the departments of Defense, Education and Veterans Affairs have worked collaboratively to identify existing student outcome measures and data points collected by federal agencies that might be used to support informed decision making about educational choices.

This roundtable will discuss the outcome measures of the interagency working group proposed to capture important information on students’ experiences during school, upon completion of a degree or certificate, and post-graduation using existing administrative data. Audience participation will be encouraged to identify other viable metrics that might be collected without placing undue administrative burden on academic institutions or federal agencies to support the data collection.

Roundtable: State Authorizations Russell Poulin Deputy Director, Research and Analysis, WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) It’s not a surprise to most of us, but college students who happen to be in the military tend to move from place to place to quite often. This mobility adds a whole new

level of complexity to institutions trying to comply with “state authorization” regulations.

With the goal of protecting consumers in their jurisdiction, states have developed regulations regarding institutions serving students in their state. For most states, if all an institution does is offer courses at a distance, then the institution needs to do little or nothing. But wait! If the institution also performs one of several activities in a state (i.e., marketing or recruiting students, requiring proctored exams, requiring face-to-face meetings, having an employee in the state), then it will be required to seek authorization that state.

The issue has been confusing to institutional personnel, but remains important. Each state has different regulations and the need to comply depends on the activities that the institution is conducting in the state, and not just in distance education. The federal regulation would have tied compliance to federal financial aid eligibility. That regulation has been vacated and is not being enforced, but the U.S. Department of Education has taken the necessary steps to reinstate it. The Department of Defense’s new memorandum of understanding includes the requirement for institutions to comply with the Department of Education’s regulation, once it returns.

Returning to the military student and their families, this issue becomes more vexing. Given the unpredictable mobility of these students, it is more difficult for institutions to assure that they have all the proper authorizations. Meanwhile, an unsettling number of colleges are still in denial that they need to comply with these laws.

In the CCME discussion session, we plan to engage participants in a conversation about state authorization issues, including: The differences in state regulations, the re-emergence and impact of the federal regulation, the promise of the new State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement in how it can help and where it will not help on this issue, requirements for notifying students and what institutions should be doing now.

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Since institutions are responsible for compliance, it will be useful for participants to share the steps that they have taken in obtaining buy-in from institutional leaders and in observing state regulations.

Roundtable: Awarding Credit for Military Training and Experience Michele Spires Director, Military Programs, American Council on Education During the Awarding Credit for Military Training and Experience roundtable panel at CCME’s Annual Symposium, I look forward to facilitating discussions about best practices that can help colleges and employers understand the importance of recognizing the value of professional military training and occupation experiences—and implementing practices at their respective institutions, companies or organizations that align and award appropriate credit for that training and experience.

It is important to note that individual colleges and universities award credit on a case-by-case basis, and that discretion is imperative as part of their academic missions. Within that framework, the roundtable will explore how despite possessing valuable

military experience, servicemembers and veterans frequently find it difficult to obtain recognition of their military training experience from the higher education and private sectors toward postsecondary degrees, credentials and licenses. Addressing these issues in ways that work for servicemembers/veterans, academic institutions and employers is important for several reasons. The government shouldn’t have to pay twice for the same or similar training and education, and it is important not to place unnecessary hurdles in front of servicemembers and veterans trying to gain postsecondary degrees and credentials.

The Joint Services Transcript Stakeholder Forum will be a great pre-conference opportunity for colleges/universities, service representatives and key program stakeholders. This will be a hands-on feedback session where the JST Operations team will vet potential changes to the JST and present prototypes and new models. It is a great opportunity to be part of improving operational excellence, building support to institutions and providing servicemembers and veterans with the best military transcript.

Other panels where I will present include: Military Credit and Degree Attainment, the Growing Role of State Agencies, and Use of Technology. That session also is aimed at identifying strategies to improve the articulation of college credits, including ACE credit recommendations for servicemembers. There also will be a breakout session on the JST to share updates, changes and next

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CCME preview steps. And finally, I will facilitate a Demystifying Military Credit Recommendations break-out session delving into the details of a military course and occupation review.

Panel: Best Practices for Military and Veterans Education Michael Dakduk Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities More than 1 million veterans, servicemembers and their families are utilizing their earned education benefits to seek postsecondary degrees. Over the next several years, another 1 million troops are expected to remove the uniform and transition to civilian society. Undoubtedly, many will pursue postsecondary education as a pathway to a successful career. The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) has introduced a series of Best Practices for Military and Veterans Education to ensure that students receive the quality education they deserve at every higher education institution. The Blue Ribbon Taskforce, a group of institutional leaders, state leaders and representatives of Veteran Service Organizations, served as special advisors to the Best Practices.

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Organized under four categories, the recommendations address transparency and accuracy of information in the recruitment and enrollment process; institutional commitment supporting the military and veteran students’ academic needs; appropriate student services reflecting the numbers and needs of the military and veteran student population; and pursuit of outcomes data related to retention, degree completion and other metrics for an institution’s military and veteran students, enabling institutions to evaluate and improve services in the future.

After a careful process, a thorough examination of information and a thoughtful discussion, the Blue Ribbon Taskforce developed recommendations to help institutions implement the Best Practices for Military and Veteran Education on their campus. To help students make a sound, informed decision, the taskforce recommended that colleges and universities provide prospective students with accurate and complete information including in-depth financial counseling. The taskforce also recommended that institutions take steps to develop appropriate recruiting policies, enrollment practices and orientation programs to fit veterans’ needs.

To help military veteran students succeed, the taskforce recommended establishing and maintaining student chapters of professional organizations to expose students to potential employers

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including partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations. The Best Practices also identified ways in which faculty and campuswide staff can be trained on the specific needs of military and veteran students, as well as resources that are available to assist military veteran students and their families.

The Best Practices will help improve accountability among all institutions of higher education and ultimately, benefit military and veteran students seeking the training to succeed. APSCU encourages every higher education institution to implement the recommendations that will benefit their military veteran students.

Feature Presentation: University Leadership Panel Kathy Snead President Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Historically, the University Leadership Panel has been one of the most popular and heavily attended general sessions at CCME’s Annual Education and Professional Development Symposium. This year will prove no exception as Dr. Muriel Howard, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), moder-

ates a panel of four institutional leaders on a broad range to topics related to veteran and military student issues.

On Wednesday morning, February 12, the panel members will discuss key educational policy issues and enrollment concerns for military and veteran students engaged in post-secondary education. Topics will range from national policy issues such as keeping the costs of college attendance from rising, access to quality educational programs for active-duty military deployed around the world, the “real” impact of this budget climate on educational programming for the military services, and the institutional impact and implications of the President’s Executive Order, entitled Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Servicemembers, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members.

Participants on the panel include: Dr. Paul Armes, president, Wayland Baptist University, Dr. Wallace Boston, president and CEO, American Public University System, Dr. Thomas Klincar, chancellor, Central Texas College, and Dr. George Pruitt, president, Thomas Edison State College. 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.

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MAE 9.1 | 39

March 2014 Vol. 9, Issue 2

NEXT ISSUE Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Dawn Bilodeau

Chief, Voluntary Education Programs Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy

Features Pursuing a Career in Public Affairs Communication is key. Without it, businesses and relationships would fail, and governments would come to a standstill. So it’s no surprise that a career in public affairs might be of interest to servicemembers, particularly those who had communication training while serving. MAE has profiles of schools that are graduating students in preparation for jobs in public relations and public affairs.

The Evolving Role of State ACMEs

PTSD is not a matter to take lightly, and with alarming numbers of veterans dealing with the condition, schools are making efforts to help. An inside look at some of the innovative and thoughtful ways that colleges and universities are caring for students struggling with the challenge of PTSD.

State Advisory Councils on Military Education (ACMEs) are committed to addressing military education issues within their respective states. The ACMEs focus on evaluating and restructuring policies related to acceptance and transfer of credit for veterans, military students and their adult family members, and making educational programs accessible to servicemembers. MAE examines how the roles of ACMEs are evolving as policies and needs change.

CCME Highlights

Careers in Aviation

Didn’t make it to this year’s CCME symposium? No worries: MAE has you covered, literally. Our staff is covering the event and will bring you all the highlights, including news and commentary from the biggest event of the year for military education experts.

A number of servicemembers, particularly those who served in the Air Force, seek to parlay their military training into a similar civilian career. There are a handful of schools that offer degrees in aviation, and they share details about their programs with MAE and prospective students.

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Support Is Key to Student Success

By Dr. Jeffrey Cropsey, Grantham University

As our nation faces a critical skills gap, there is increased pressure for colleges and universities to retain and graduate employable students. While there is not a one size fits all solution, retention research shows that one of the keys to success lies in providing comprehensive support that is integrated into the student experience. The more challenges students face, the more likely they are to “stop gap” (take a break). This is dangerous because many who stop gap will never continue their college education.

Colleges and universities need to take a closer look at their unique student demographic and create comprehensive support programs focused on the needs of those learners. Trained staff and faculty, student services and career services are three key areas that should be incorporated.

Trained Staff and Faculty While not all staff and faculty who work with military, veteran and adult students need to have a similar background, it is important that they are well trained.

Military and veteran students in particular need to be able to talk with faculty and staff who can empathize with their situation and understand the military culture and experiences they bring to the classroom. One way to ensure servicemembers and veterans are supported in the classroom is by taking each faculty member through military culture training. This type of training educates faculty on how to be a military-friendly instructor, the strengths of a military student, the challenges they face and how to effectively communicate and support them. www.MAE-kmi.com

Student Support Services As veterans and service members embark on a new educational journey, proper support both in and out of the classroom is necessary to their success.

It is important that they have access to faculty through office hours, phone calls and email, and services like tutoring programs, academic advising, mentoring, and math and writing labs.

Going one step further, colleges and universities should also structure policies specifically for military students to account for training, service duties and deployment. If they have to withdraw from classes for these reasons, make it easy for them to transition back.

Career Services One of the top goals of any graduate is to secure gainful employment. An in-depth study of 69 companies titled, “Employing America’s Veterans—Perspectives from Business,” by the Military, Veterans and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security found that veterans bring the following qualities to the workplace: leadership and teamwork skills, character, structure and discipline, expertise, ability to perform and make decisions in a dynamic environment, the ability to “get the job done,” resiliency and loyalty. Often, veterans and servicemembers do not know how to showcase or package these key skills. It is important for an institution’s career services department to understand this, so they can guide these students, teach them how to present themselves in an interview, and how to tailor their resumes.

It is not simply enough to be ‘student-centered’ anymore. Instead, colleges must be adult-centered, military-centered, learning style-centered, transitioncentered, technology-centered, and more.

A diverse student population needs support services cohesively and strategically meshed together so that the services provide a greater net strength once they are intertwined. In turn, this will lead to happier, more satisfied students, an increase in persistence, and a decrease in the percentage of academically at-risk students.

Increasingly, higher education is providing this type of integrated program to help students succeed. As a result, more and more institutions of higher education are fulfilling the goal of retaining and graduating employable students, to support America in the challenges of the 21st century. O

Michael Heberling

Note from CCME President Mike Heberling: This month we are very pleased to have Dr. Jeff Cropsey from Grantham University discuss student support systems as the key to retention and completion.

MAE 9.1 | 41

MONEY TALKS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Program Gives Unemployed Veterans a New Mission

Labor Department Provides Grant for 900 Transitioning Troops The Labor Department has announced a national emergency grant of more than $5.5 million to assist about 900 transitioning military personnel from Joint Base LewisMcChord, Wash., the largest military base on the West Coast.

“The Department of Labor, industry partners, educators and workforce professionals at the local level have made it our common mission to help our veterans transition successfully from military service to civilian life,” said Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez. “This federal grant will provide military personnel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord with the employment services, support and training they need at this crucial time.”

Awarded to the Pacific Mountain Workforce Consortium, the grant will be operated by the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council. It will provide these transitioning military personnel with case management, supportive services and training to help them apply the sought-after skills they acquired through military service in the civilian workforce. $2.8 million will be released initially.

Additional funding up to the amount approved will be made available as the state demonstrates a continued need for assistance, officials said.

National emergency grants are part of the labor secretary’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines.

A team of veterans will get out of unemployment and into the workplace, thanks to a new initiative from the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA). NJHA received a grant of $1.8 million to hire unemployed servicemembers to become certified application counselors, to assist consumers shopping for insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Twenty-five veterans will be hired, and will complete a Web-based training program before being deployed in hospitals and community sites across the state to offer enrollment assistance.

The grant comes from New Jersey Health Initiatives, a funding arm of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide Military Students Receive Scholarships Seven Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide military students have been awarded scholarships from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME).

Through an endowment fund, CCME provides scholarships to promote education opportunities for qualified servicemembers, their spouses and veterans attending member institutions.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide students received seven of the 15 scholarships awarded this year.

“Embry-Riddle Worldwide is deeply committed to providing higher education to those who are actively serving or who have served in the armed forces,” said Worldwide Chancellor John R. Watret, Ph.D. “We are grateful for

WVC Foundation Supports Growing Student Veteran Population The Wenatchee Valley College Foundation has renewed the $20,000 veteran work-study scholarship fund for 2013-2014. The work-study program provides an opportunity for students to learn professionalism, people skills, problem-solving skills, time management and technical skills that pertain to a variety of career fields. The program also provides networking opportunities as well as flexibility, allowing students to balance their work schedules with their school schedules.

WVC currently serves 250 veterans and their dependents. Five student veterans have benefitted from work-study scholarships this academic year. Three of the students have worked in the WVC Veteran’s Office assisting other student veterans, one works as a library aid, and one works in the industrial technology lab.

“The assistance provided by the WVC Foundation to veterans like me through the work-study scholarship has enabled me to pursue my education and begin a career that will benefit me and my community for a lifetime,” said Robert Engle, president of the WVC Veteran Knights club. “I have just learned that I have been accepted to Gonzaga University, something that may not have been possible without the support provided by the WVC Foundation.”

In addition to the WVC Foundation funding, the WVC veterans office has expanded to include a full-time veteran coordinator and a WDVA VetCorps representative.

42 | MAE 9.1

organizations like CCME that support the military community and are honored to have such an impressive number of scholarship recipients this year.”

Embry-Riddle Worldwide has more than 12,000 military and veteran students enrolled online and at more than 150 locations in the U.S. and abroad.

Florida Tuition Assistance Bill for Veterans Legislation filed in early January by the Florida House Veterans and Military Affairs Subcommittee would give access to online classes to deployed members of the Florida National Guard. The bill is designed to help Guard members stay on track and avoid losing credits.

The bill would also offer in-state tuition rates to veterans currently have to pay out-of-state tuition rates. Twenty states have already adopted a residency-blind status for veterans on college costs. Proponents say the legislation would attract veterans to Florida in hopes that they will join the workforce after graduation.

The bill would cost $14.5 million, and would be an extension of the Florida National Guard’s “Education Dollars for Duty” program. It applies to courses offered at state colleges, through an adult continuing education program known as “Complete Florida,” and certain other Florida universities that meet a set of educational benchmarks. The University of Florida and Florida State University are the only schools that currently carry that classification.

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 Academy of Art University................................................................. C3 www.academyart.edu American Military University........................................................... 37 www.amuonline.com/mae Art Institutes....................................................................................... 11 www.veterans.artinstitutes.edu Ashford University.............................................................................. 26 www.military.ashford.edu/mae Baker College........................................................................................ 3 www.bakercollegeonline.com Bowling Green State University....................................................... 21 www.bgsu.edu Central Texas College......................................................................... 16 http://military.ctcd.edu Columbia College................................................................................ 33 www.goforgreater.org Complete Florida................................................................................ 43 www.completeflorida.org Empire State College.......................................................................... 20 www.choose.esc.edu/mae Excelsior College................................................................................. C2 www.excelsior.edu/military Fort Hays State University................................................................ 32 www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/military Grantham University......................................................................... 36 www.grantham.edu/mae Hawai’i Pacific University................................................................. 18 www.hpu.edu/military Jones International University........................................................ 14 www.jiumilitary.com Kansas State University..................................................................... 19 www.military.k-state.edu Kaplan University............................................................................... 24 www.militarymedical.kaplan.edu Lansing Community College............................................................. 13 www.lcc.edu/militarymedic Mississippi State University.............................................................. 34 www.distance.msstate.edu/veterans Park University................................................................................... 15 www.park.edu/mae Penn State World Campus.................................................................. 8 www.worldcampus.psu.edu/vets Regis University.................................................................................. 38 www.regis.edu/cps/military Stratford University............................................................................. 7 www.stratford.edu Thomas Edison State College........................................................... 31 http://military.tesc.edu University of Maryland University College..................................... C4 http://military.umuc.edu/cyberopps University of Nebraska Online........................................................... 9 http://online.nebraska.edu/health The University of Oklahoma............................................................. 29 www.ou.edu/cls Upper Iowa University....................................................................... 28 www.uiu.edu/yourdegree Webster University............................................................................. 27 www.webster.edu/military Western Governors University.......................................................... 12 www.wgu.edu/maeg

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MAE 9.1 | 43

UNIVERSITY CORNER

Military Advanced Education

Brig. Gen. Mike Callan (Ret.) Associate Vice President for Military & Government Programs Office of Military Affairs Webster University degrees in public relations and teaching, an MBA program, and numerous other post-graduate and certification programs.

We also offer certificates in government contracting, online teaching and learning, and gerontology. You can see a complete list of all our programs at www.webster.edu/ military/online-degrees.html.

Q: To begin with, could you please provide a brief overview of your school’s history, mission and curriculum?

A: Webster University is a non-profit private school that was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1915 to fill the region’s thenunmet need of offering higher education to women. It was one of the first Catholic all-women colleges west of the Mississippi.

The university is no longer affiliated with the Catholic Church, having had ownership transferred to a lay board in 1967, but it still follows that initial mission established by the Sisters of Loretto nearly a century ago, which is to fill unmet needs in education. For example, in 1963 Webster launched evening classes for professionals who wished to pursue a master’s degree, recognizing the need for continuing education for those who are already working fulltime jobs. Today, Webster offers day, evening and online courses in nearly 100 locations around the world. Its most popular programs include its MBA program, performing arts degrees, communication degrees, counseling certifications and degrees, teaching degrees and credentials, and advanced nursing programs.

Q: What is your school’s background in military education?

A: Webster University’s entry into offering education to members of the military was part of the university’s efforts to meet unmet needs. The military had started to realize the need for having officers with advanced degrees as equipment, strategies and methods became more complex in our ever-changing world. In 1974, the U.S. Department of Defense invited Webster to become the first university to open an extended campus program at Fort Sheridan near Chicago. Today, we offer programs on 39 military bases and are proud to say that nearly 7,800 of our students— about one-third of all our students—are military students and military-related students, such as active duty, Guard, Reserve, 44 | MAE 9.1

dependents, vets, federal contractors and government civilians.

Q: What do you think are the key issues facing higher education today?

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

A: There are a lot of issues facing higher education today—ranging from the shrinking pool of prospective undergraduate students to the cost of education. For the military, I think the number one issue is convincing those military members who currently do not have any higher education that completing an undergraduate or graduate degree will dramatically and positively affect their lives, both in the military now and when they leave the military and want to positively compete in the civilian marketplace.

A: Webster has 40 years of experience working with members of the military. They are comfortable with us, we uniquely understand the challenges and obstacles that military personnel and veterans face when continuing their education, understand their unique financial aid issues and offer the kinds of programs uniquely needed by our military and veteran populations. Additionally, Webster’s presence on 39 military installations gives many military members comfort, knowing future relocations might include a Webster University extended campus location, or that they always have access to Webster programs online. Webster’s tailored programs are designed to help members of the military continue with their education, including our specialized tuition rates. Ultimately, what this means is that Webster really gets it when it comes to military students and what they need to be successful in their educational pursuits.

We have a lot of experience in this field, and often, that’s what really counts when it comes to serving our military students.

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: We offer nearly 30 online programs, from a Bachelor of Science in nursing to master’s

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

A: By far, the Webster MBA continues to be the most popular graduate program. Other programs that have appeal include procurement and acquisitions management, human resources and international relations. We are always looking for new trends and programs that might meet emerging needs, so that list could change. Good examples of programs recently introduced to meet new interest include our program on environmental management, which is clearly a growing field in the United States. We also will launch a new MS graduate program at our Colorado Springs and Peterson AFB campuses in cybersecurity, a program that has professors who are recognized experts in the cybersecurity field. That program will launch this year, and we have high hopes to expand it to other locations and offer it online. O www.MAE-kmi.com

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