Serving Those Who Serve: Higher Education and America's
Veterans
Serving 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.org
The 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 Released
A 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 Released
A 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 Grants
Washington, 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:
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- California State University, Sacramento
- Clackamas Community College (OR)
- Colorado State University
- Empire State College, SUNY
- Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ)
- Fresno City College (CA)
- George Mason University (VA)
- Hunter College School of Social Work, CUNY
- Lane Community College (OR)
- Los Angeles City College
- Madison Area Technical College (WI)
- Onondaga Community College (NY)
- Park University (MO)
- Ramapo College (NJ)
- Southwestern College (CA)
- Trident Technical College (SC)
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of Maine, Augusta
- University of Maryland, University College
Read
the entire press release.
Post-9/11 GI Bill Regulations
The 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 Bill
The 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 Brief
An 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.
Please direct questions about this page to:
STWS@ace.nche.edu
This page last updated on 11/09/2009
| American Council on Education, ACE, Center for Lifelong Learning, Serving Those Who Serve, Veterans |
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