The number of student veterans on campuses has been rising steadily. There were around 500,000 Student Veterans
in 2009, who were receiving educational benefits. In 2013, over 1,000,000 Student Veterans are making use of their GI benefits to pursue advanced educational opportunities, this number has been steadily rising.
Whether you are a higher education leader working with veteran students, or a family member or friend of a veteran, or a veteran who is thinking of going back to college, it is essential for you to acknowledge the crucial assets that a student veteran bring to their higher education communities. Most often, the valuable attributes and skills the veterans develop in the military and bring to the educational institutions are overlooked.
As most of the main-stream media focuses mainly on the challenges and deficits faced by veterans through their reports on returning veterans facing issues like Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Acknowledging and accepting the positive attributes and strengths of veterans in college is frequently an after-thought. Due to advancement in body armor, transport facility from battlefield and medical services, more service members are surviving the battlefield and enrolling in colleges once their service in the military is over.
Many of the qualities and traits cultivated through military service and training are valuable assets in college. Highlighting and celebrating these qualities can help veterans and higher education professionals working with them to correct the potential negative attitudes and general anxiety. Some of the traits of veterans include –
- Goal focused approach
- Self-discipline and strong work ethic
- Leadership skills
- Teamwork
- Depth of integrity, character and honor
- Project management experience
- Resourcefulness and self-reliance
- Sense of purpose and maturity
- Selfless service
- Inspiration to learn and put education into practice
- Critical thinking and decision making
- Ability to confront tough and confusing challenges
- Global perspectives – an understanding of global issues and conflict around the world, perspectives on and experiences with diverse cultures
Remembering and fostering these characteristics can play an important role in making a conducive environment for veterans to transition from the military to civilian life while earning a college degree.
Join this live webinar by expert speaker Dr. John Schupp to gain more insight on student veterans and how they can make a difference in your campus. This program will give you real numbers, in each state and region of the country that will show how many service-members are returning, and the projected diversity of these service-members. You will also be able to determine which countries these service-members have been stationed in, and how they were trained to understand the culture and social norms of the citizens of these countries in order to make a positive difference. This training encompasses not only positive interaction, but also how to resolve conflicts between the US and these countries, and between citizens of that country as well.
