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Serving Those Who Serve: Higher Education and America's VeteransServing Those Who Serve is a broad-based initiative designed to promote access to and success in higher education for more than two million service members and their families who are eligible for newly expanded benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. For any questions about the STWS initiative, send an email to STWS@ace.nche.edu. ACE Launches TodaysGIBill.orgThe American Council on Education (ACE) has launched www.TodaysGIBill.org, a comprehensive college guidance web site to provide information and inspire veterans to enroll and succeed in higher education. Created with the support of Lumina Foundation for Education, TodaysGIBill.org is designed for returning and about-to-return veterans interested in going to college, as well as family members and dependents receiving transferable benefits. In order to increase the number of veterans enrolling in and completing a college education, TodaysGIBill.org provides detailed information that will help demystify the college selection, admissions and financing processes. The site offers guidance on college preparation, transferability of credits, institution and program choice, application timelines and benefit eligibility. To reach veterans who are seeking information about their benefits and their education options, ACE is engaging a wide range of veteran-service organizations, military-focused publications and social media outlets like Twitter (www.twitter.com/todaysgibill). Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education Report ReleasedA new report suggests that future military undergraduates (defined as veterans and military service members on active duty or in the reserves who are pursuing undergraduate education) may be more likely to enroll full-time for the full academic year and may be more likely to matriculate at four-year public institutions than past military undergraduates. Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education: What the New GI Bill May Mean for Postsecondary Institutions, released today by the American Council on Education (ACE), draws on numerous data sources to help higher education administrators understand and anticipate the enrollment choices of returning veterans and military personnel and the services needed to accommodate these students under the new GI Bill. The report, authored by Alexandria Walton Radford of MPR Associates, Inc., is part of ACE's Serving Those Who Serve initiative and was produced with support from Lumina Foundation for Education. The report can be downloaded as a PDF from the ACE web site. Veterans Programs and Services Survey ReleasedA new report, based on data from 723 institutions of higher education, finds that 57 percent of responding institutions currently provide programs and services specifically for service members and veterans, and highlights areas in which campuses should strive to make additional progress. The report, From Soldier to Student: Easing the Transition of Service Members on Campus, offers a first-of-its-kind national snapshot of the programs, services and policies in place on campuses to serve veterans and military personnel, as well as areas in which campuses need to improve their offerings. It is the product of a collaboration between the American Council on Education (ACE), the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the National Association of Veterans' Program Administrators (NAVPA), and was produced with the generous support of Lumina Foundation for Education. The report is available electronically (PDF; 1.7MB). ACE, Wal-Mart Foundation Announce Recipients of $2 Million in Success for Veterans Award GrantsWashington, DC (April 22, 2009)—The American Council on Education (ACE) and the Wal-Mart Foundation today announced the award of $2 million in Success for Veterans Award Grants. These $100,000 grants were awarded to 20 institutions across the U.S. that operate model programs advancing access and success in higher education for veterans and their families. The recipient institutions include:
Read the entire press release. Post-9/11 GI Bill RegulationsThe Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published final regulations in the Federal Register (PDF) for the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The regulations ensure that all tuition and fee costs for in-state undergraduate degree programs at public institutions will be fully paid for veterans who are eligible for the maximum benefit. Also included are provisions that provide increased flexibility under the Yellow Ribbon Program for institutions charging more than a state's highest cost undergraduate program. Institutions will be allowed to enter into separate Yellow Ribbon agreements for individual colleges or schools. These agreements may also be used by public institutions to help defray the costs of out-of-state tuition or graduate training. The Department of Defense has issued regulations on the transferability portion of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. To learn more about transferring benefits to a spouse or children, please visit the DoD website. Q&A: Post-9/11 GI BillThe Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill) represents a sea-change in veterans education benefits. ACE is dedicated to ensuring that institutions have access to the most up-to-date information available. The legislative language is lengthy and complex, therefore, ACE is providing a Q&A document designed to help your institution navigate the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Review the Q&A document (PDF). Issue BriefAn Issue Brief (PDF) that provides an overview of today's veterans, identifies obstacles to transitioning from military service to college enrollment, and highlights successful veteran-friendly policies and practices, including 10 that can be quickly and easily implemented on campuses is now available.
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