Veteran Ally: Practical Strategies for Closing the Military-Civilian Gap on Campus
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Veteran Ally: Practical Strategies for Closing the Military-Civilian Gap on Campus Nicholas J. Osborne
Published online: 21 September 2013 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill was enacted in 2009, student veteran populations have nearly doubled while services that support their transition to higher education have dramatically increased. Despite a surge in resources, however, institutions are deficient in training faculty and staff about veterans’ issues, consequently leaving student veterans susceptible to inaccurate perceptions about their service and wellbeing. In an effort to provide an inclusive environment for service members, this article discusses findings from two focus groups and 14 interviews with student veterans. Recommendations for training faculty and staff and enhancing the visibility of veterans’ issues through Veteran Ally training and student veteran discussion panels are discussed. Keywords Student veterans . Multicultural competence . Faculty and staff development In the summer of 2008 Congress approved the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act as a benefit to more than two million service members engaged in over a decade of fighting in the Middle East and in military operations around the globe. The “Post-9/11 GI Bill,” as it is often called, provides eligible veterans with generous financial support for postsecondary education including a housing allowance and stipend for books and fees (Radford, 2011). Robust financial aid opportunities along with the recent drawdown of operations in Iraq and high rates of unemployment in the civilian sector suggest that student veteran populations will rise steadily in the future (Elliott, Gonzalez, & Larsen, 2011). Since taking effect in 2009, more than 817,000 veterans have pursued an educational program under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Sander, 2013). The transition from a highly structured military environment to a college or university can be overwhelming for veterans, who may confront a variety of barriers during their transition in areas related to academic preparedness and confidence, Veterans Affairs administrative procedures, denial of academic credit for military training as well as combat-related mental Nicholas J. Osborne has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Davis; a Master of Arts in Sociology from Humboldt State University; and a Bachelor of Science from Lees-McRae College. He is Assistant Dean of Students and the Director of Veterans Programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He can be reached at [email protected] N. J. Osborne (*) Veteran Student Support Services, 300 Student Services Building, 610 East John Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA e-mail: [email protected]
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Innov High Educ (2014) 39:247–260
and physical disabilities (Ackerman, DiRamio, & Mitchell, 2009; Armstrong, Best, & Domenici, 2005; Hassan et al., 2010). These stressors are made more complex by veterans’ perceptions that faculty and staff members do not un
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