TechEDge | California Community Colleges

Troops To College Online Resources For Veterans

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 August 2010 Written by Jen Gednalske Tuesday, 01 June 2010

President Barack Obama after laying a wreath at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois, on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.

Memorial Day honors our nation's fallen soldiers. It also reminds us of our duty to serve those who returned. 

In addition to veteran’s resources offered at colleges statewide, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) offers advice and help to college-bound veterans through the Troops to College initiative. The Troops to College initiative houses statistics on veteran populations by age and counties, the inititative offers information on building successful veteran support on campus and through campus websites.

A featured report on the Troops to College website, “Veteran Support Team Guide,” compiled by Jeffrey Weston, California State University, Sacramento and Joan Putnam of San Diego State University highlights the necessity for the academic world to understand and adapt to the needs of veteran students. In the introduction, Weston and Putnam state:

“Veterans who enter the university setting tend to be older and have a life experience that is much different than their non-military counterparts. The Veteran also has many external demands that must be met, e.g. a spouse, children, a job. Veterans often do not fit the typical profile of first-time students just out of high school. Our institutions need to be less rigid when dealing with our Veterans. We must learn to be more flexible and innovative in accommodating the Veteran who may have external demands. Without flexibility and innovation to meet their unique needs, Veterans will be less likely to enroll, and they will have a lower probability of reaching their educational goals because of unique obstacles. These men and women have paid the price of military service to obtain their Montgomery GI Bill so that they can go to school. We need to help make their educational goals a reality.”

The report focuses on what support teams at universities and community colleges should do to encourage and keep veteran attendance in postsecondary education, what services colleges should provide for veteran success and how to connect veterans to outside resources within the community.

Part of that help is defined in Janelle Harmon’s compilation, “The Ultimate College Web Page For Veterans!” which covers how college websites can best help veterans and their families discover their educational options.

The document was compiled from the suggestions of veterans attending colleges in the Sacramento area on the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). The MGIB provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible veterans.

Veterans identified the various ways college websites could help them and their eligible dependents discover benefits and resources and navigate through their college experience. Suggested areas to include are downloadable forms, a mission statement, a frequently asked questions section and local contacts.

The document also provides a list of college and university websites in California that veterans felt were the most helpful and well designed sites for reference.

A third reference document, “Partnership Development Guidelines,” highlights ways that colleges, universities and the military can work together to ensure the success of veteran students. A list of contacts at various institutions is included.

As of 2007, the California Community Colleges hosts more than 15,646 veterans, active service members and dependents of service members.<>

Jen Gednalske is a writer and editor for TechEDge
and a project manager for the California Virtual Campus and CCC Technology Center.