Abstract
One of the significant benefits the higher education community provides to the nation and our military families is educating the Next Great Generation of engaged citizens and leaders—service members, veterans, and their family members. This educational mission has become more prominent in recent years with the passage of the current iteration of the GI Bill. More than 1.5 million military-affiliated individuals used some form of educational benefit to enroll in postsecondary education annually in 2014. Three key issues surfaced during the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): institutional policies allowing service members and family members access to, withdrawal from, and readmission into the educational environment without educational or financial repercussions; financial support mechanisms and strategies to fill initial education benefit funding gaps; and transition programs and supports for military service as well as civilian support communities for veterans whose terms of enlistment were satisfied. Over the past decade, education associations and veteran service organizations have developed an evidence-based body of knowledge and practice centered on educational issues related to military-connected student populations. As educators develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing educational challenge in future military conflicts, they would do well to focus on the lessons learned during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
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Notes
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GI Bill Transferability, VA website accessed in October 2015 (http://www.gibill.va.gov/post-911/post-911-gi-bill-summary/transfer-of-benefits.html).
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Data compiled from Voluntary Education Fact Sheets found at http://www.dantes.doded.mil/service-members/resourceslinks.html#sthash.KN7U8GpJ.dpbs.
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Fayetteville State University has partnered with the US Army and the US Navy to increase the number of Social Workers within the military. To learn more about the FSU-Army MSW Program at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, or the MSC Navy Social Work program, refer to http://www.uncfsu.edu/sw.
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Downloaded 11/16/15 from http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/handouts_forms.asp. Education and Training. Post 9/11 GI Bill: Transferability (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015, p. 1).
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Press Release U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), No. 632–10 July 20, 2010.
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http://www.militaryonesource.mil/footer?content_id=279104. Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy). (2016). 2014 Demographics: Profile of the Military Community. ICF International.
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Educators and interested citizens may find the following resources and publications useful in understanding of the educational challenges, promising practices, innovative solutions, and potential development opportunities related to military-affiliated student populations.
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American Council on Education’s Toolkit for veteran friendly institution. Retrieved from https://vetfriendlytoolkit.acenet.edu/Pages/default.aspx.
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Helping veterans succeed: A handbook for higher education administrators. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
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From soldier to student: Easing the transition of service members on campus. Cook, B., and Kim, Y.
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From soldier to student II: Assessing institutional services for veterans. McBain, Kim, Cook, and Snead.
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Student Veterans of America’s The Million Record Project. Retrieved from http://studentveterans.org/index.php/aboutus/what-we-do/million-records-project.
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Snead, K.M., McBain, L. (2018). The Higher Education Community: Educating America’s Next Great Generation. In: Hughes-Kirchubel, L., Wadsworth, S., Riggs, D. (eds) A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families. Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68984-5_9
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