Event Information

Lisa Langstraat, Sue Doe, and Jenny Pickett

Over a quarter of a million veterans are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, and a quarter million more have applied for GI Bill education benefits. In total, nearly 2 million military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are eligible for the 2009 Post-9/11 GI Bill. In many ways, CSU is well-situated to respond to the needs of this student population; we have earned a "veteran-friendly" designation and have initiated efforts to identify and reduce barriers to veterans' educational goals, to assist veterans as they transition from active duty to college life, and to provide timely and accurate information about veterans' benefits and services. As we continue to strengthen programs we need to focus our efforts at the pedagogical level. According to a 2010 NASPA report, student-veterans often report a sense of isolation on campus and frustration with traditional students: they express concern about entering into a potentially liberal college culture that may conflate anti-war sentiment with anti-military sentiment, and they can face difficulty finding mentors amongst faculty whose values may differ significantly from their own. Not only are some student-veterans struggling with financial pressures and dealing with physical and mental health disabilities (including the "signature wounds" of TBI and PTSD), they also share the challenges many nontraditional students face, such as childcare, "relearning" study skills and understanding (often unspoken) academic expectations. Only a well-informed faculty can understand and address such challenges to ensure retention and degree-completion. This short course draws from recent research on best practices for working with student-veterans.

November 18 - November 19, 2013 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

TILT 104