MAE 7-3 (April 2012)

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Education Navigator Dr. Mary Redd-Clary Director Navy Voluntary Education Program Center for Personal and Professional Development

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April 2012

Volume 7, Issue 3

Special Section:

Academic Minors Financial Aid O Careers in Education

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Military Advanced Education

April 2012 Volume 7 • Issue 3

Features

Cover / Q&A

Special Section: Academic Minors Minors Matter

5

Most people who have yet to set foot on a college campus know that a major is an area of study that a student specializes in, but what is a minor? Although less rigorous than a major and not required by many universities, an academic minor holds significant value.

By Celeste Altus

From One Service to Another

9

Finding a job in this economic environment can be a challenge for anyone. For the servicemember retiring from active duty, the challenge is especially daunting as they may not know which civilian career path fits them. However, after dedicating years to the military, servicemembers may find another worthwhile career in education.

By Kelly Fodel

Payment Plan

11

Taking full advantage of the military’s money-for-college plans is an astute tactic. Even with these valuable benefits, however, there’s a good chance that servicemembers who are transitioning from the armed forces to academia will come across some difficult monetary gaps to bridge, as well as a few expenditures that might be overlooked at the beginning of the process.

By J.B. Bissell

Connecting at CCME

20

The hot topics in military education were all on the table at CCME’s 2012 Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Throughout the week, attendees had the rare opportunity to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and directly pose their pressing questions to the decision-makers.

By Maura McCarthy

17 Dr. Mary Redd-Clary Director Navy Voluntary Education Program Center for Personal and Professional Development

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 3 Program Notes 4 People 14 Class Notes 25 CCME Grapevine 26 Money Talks 27 Calendar, Directory

University Corner

28 Alan R. Davis President Empire State College

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Military Advanced Education Volume 7, Issue 3 April 2012

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember Editorial Editor Maura McCarthy mauram@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editor Laural Hobbes lauralh@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents Celeste Altus • J.B. Bissell • Kelly Fodel Kenya McCullum

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE Although many veterans enroll in online schools or pursue a trade, an increasing number of veterans are attending traditional colleges and universities. While there is a general tendency to focus on support services—and rightfully so—there is also the question of whether higher ed is doing enough to recruit veterans. In a November 2011 Doonesbury comic, Garry Trudeau subtly criticized the establishment for their apparent disinterest in this cohort. B.D., the Vietnam-vet-turned football coach, complains to the admissions director: “Athletes? Sure. Legacies?

In spades. But veterans? Some of the most talented, motivated kids? Not so much!”

Maura McCarthy The traditional campus culture seems to have come full circle in Editor respect to the recruitment and treatment of veterans. Following World War II, many schools worked to meet the needs of returning vets whose educations were financed by the original GI Bill—with some schools even creating new adult learning programs. During the Vietnam era, some campuses grew hostile or unwelcoming to the military, either as a result of violent anti-war protests or a rejection of ROTC. Today, these schools not only tout their “military-friendly” culture but also enact policies and practices that live up to the hype. After banning ROTC in 1969, Columbia University finally welcomed the program back on campus in 2011. Since 2009, the elite university has actively been recruiting servicemembers by sending recruiters to military bases. Columbia was also a founding member and the first Ivy League school to join the Marine Corps’ Leadership Scholar Program, which promotes partnerships with military-friendly colleges and universities and facilitates the application process for Marines. Once veterans are on campus, a number of schools are developing unique programs to meet their needs. Institutions that offer for-credit courses open only to veterans, such as University of Iowa’s “Life after War: Post Deployment Issues,” demonstrate their support of veterans and desire to work with them in their transition to the classroom.

Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA has issued approximately $17.24 billion in benefit payments to 702,576 individuals. With about 22,000 troops expected to return home from Afghanistan by fall 2012, the numbers will only rise. Higher ed leaders must do more to both recruit and retain veteran students. Imagine the possibilities for success if more colleges and universities approached the recruitment of veterans with the same zeal they do when scouting out the most talented athletes.

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The Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012 Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.), author of the landmark Post-9/11 GI Bill, introduced bipartisan legislation to preserve those veterans’ education benefits from abuses by certain schools. Troubling statistics show that the cost to taxpayers to send a veteran to a for-profit school is more than double the cost of a public university and that eight of 10 educational institutions collecting the most VA benefits are for-profit schools.

The Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012, cosponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.), would make critical reforms to protect the integrity of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and military tuition assistance. It would require schools participating in educational assistance programs through both the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to meet the same educational standards currently required for other federal funding.

“I introduced the Post-9/11 GI Bill my first day in office, starting with a simple concept: That we owe those people who have served since 9/11 the same type of quality educational benefits that those who served in World War II received,” said Senator Webb, who served as a combat Marine in Vietnam and later as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. “I’m very proud to say that we were able to do that and it continues to be a great investment in the future of our country through the people who have served.

“Some for-profit institutions are providing our students a great education, but with the significant federal dollars being spent, we owe it to taxpayers and our veterans to carefully monitor and provide adequate oversight,” continued Senator Webb. “Growing concerns of abuses by some educational institutions put at risk the Post-9/11 GI Bill itself, and the invaluable benefits it provides our veterans. Abuses of the World War II GI Bill, especially among for-profit vocational schools, led to follow-on restrictions of that program and then to even fewer benefits for those who served in Korea and Vietnam. Fixing these problems is not taking anything away from our veterans, it is preserving the greatest GI Bill our veterans and military members have ever had.”

“Senator Webb did a great thing by leading the charge to expand education opportunities for this generation of veterans, but it’s clear

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that we need to do more to protect this hardearned investment and provide the basic oversight and protections against educational fraud and abuse that our men and women in uniform deserve,” said Senator Harkin. “These critical and common-sense reforms will go a long way toward ensuring that GI Bill and Tuition Assistance benefits are a gateway to a good education and a fulfilling career and will empower our veterans and servicemembers to make educational choices that fit their needs through better transparency and support.”

“For years, the GI Bill has helped to strengthen our country’s workforce by raising the skill levels of the Americans who have served in our military and are returning to civilian life,” said Senator Carper. “However, once our troops return home to seek higher education, they often do not have adequate resources to make determinations about quality institutions and adequate career paths. Achieving accreditation is generally viewed as the only universal standard for sorting reputable schools from disreputable ones. By extending accreditation protections currently in place for federal student aid recipients to veterans using the GI Bill, this bill takes needed steps towards strengthening the protections currently in place for veteran and military students seeking to use their taxpayer subsidized benefits. It also builds a stronger support network to help our servicemen and women navigate the complicated process of picking a school.”

“This bill will help ensure that veterans are able to make sound educational choices and can get the job training and education that they need to transition to the civilian workforce,” said Tom Tarantino, deputy policy director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

“Many returning veterans today do not have the tools they need to properly evaluate their college options so they can take full advantage of their GI Bill benefits. Some for-profit schools are deceptively recruiting veterans and then failing to provide them with the job training and education that they advertised. This puts the future of the New GI Bill in jeopardy. IAVA fought hard for passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008, and we’re committed to ensuring all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can take full advantage of their benefits.

The Military and Veterans Education Reform Act of 2012 is critical to that mission.”

The Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012: • Requires that all programs receiving funding from Tuition Assistance and Post-9/11 GI Bill be “Title IV” eligible, which is already a requirement for schools receiving other types of federal funding. Title IV eligibility requires, among other things, accreditation by a Department of Education-approved accrediting agency, new schools to have an undergraduate withdrawal rate for all students of no more than 33 percent, and mandated reviews by the Department of Education if a school has high dropout or default rates, which could lead to sanctions or other penalties.

• Expands the training responsibilities of the State Approving Agencies by requiring them to conduct outreach activities to veterans and members of the armed forces, to conduct audits of schools, and to report those findings to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

• Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to develop a centralized complaints process to report instances of misrepresentation, fraud, waste, abuse and other complaints against educational institutions.

• Requires that all schools with 20 or more students enrolled in VA and/or DoD educational assistance programs provide support services to veteran and military students.

• Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs and DoD, to the extent practicable, to provide one-on-one, in-person educational counseling to veterans and members of the armed forces participating in programs of educational assistance at or before the individual enrolls.

• Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to conduct a compliance review of an educational institution whenever certain quality measures are triggered.

• Increases the transparency of educational Continued on page 4



MAE 7.3 | 3

PROGRAM NOTES

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

 continued FROM page 3 institutions by requiring them to disclose graduation rates, default rates and other critical information to potential students to ensure that they can choose the best academic program for their needs.

• Increases interagency coordination by requiring the Department of Veterans

Affairs, DoD, and the Department of Education to improve information sharing.

Signed into law on June 30, 2008, the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers returning servicemembers up to 36 months of benefits including

payment of tuition, fees and educational costs, plus a monthly housing allowance while enrolled in full-time training. Since 2009, more than 1.1 million servicemembers and veterans have applied to use their new benefits and nearly 700,000 have received benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

DHS Forms Academic Advisory Council U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the formation of the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC), comprising prominent university presidents and academic leaders charged with advising the secretary and senior leadership at the department on several key issues. “The formation of this council represents an important milestone towards engaging the academic community in our homeland security efforts,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Their collective expertise will be a critical asset to the department, and I look forward to working with them.”

The new council underscores the department’s commitment to working with the academic community. Secretary Napolitano has asked the group, which will be chaired by Dr. Wallace Loh of the University of Maryland, to provide advice and recommendations on issues related to student and recent graduate recruitment; international

students; academic research; campus and community resiliency, security and preparedness; and faculty exchanges.

Members appointed to the HSAAC are: Dr. Joseph E. Aoun, President of Northeastern University in Boston, Mass.; Ms. Carrie L. Billy, President of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium in Alexandria, Va.; Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington, D.C.; Dr. David M. Dooley, President of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I.; Dr. Royce C. Engstrom, President of the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont.; Dr. Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities in San Antonio, Texas; Dr. Rufus Glasper, Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges in Tempe, Ariz.; Dr. Jay Gogue, President of Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.; Ms. Marlene M. Johnson, Executive Director and CEO of the

Association of International Educators (NAFSA) in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Eric W. Kaler, President of the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, Minn.; Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, President of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas; Dr. Wallace Loh, President of the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.; Dr. Gail O. Mellow, President of LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, N.Y.; Ms. Ruby G. Moy, President and CEO of the Asian Pacific Islander American Association of Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Hunter R. Rawlings III, President of the Association of American Universities in Washington, D.C.; Dr. John Sexton, President of New York University in New York.; Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz, Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.; Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber, President of Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C.; Dr. Holden Thorp, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, N.C.

PEOPLE Paul M. Bobrowski, associate professor and former dean of the College of Business at Auburn University, in Alabama, has been named dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Dayton, in Ohio.

Jack Cline, assistant vice president for federal relations at the University of Massachusetts System, has been chosen as director

4 | MAE 7.3

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

of federal relations at the University of Kansas.

Thomas W. Durso, senior director of marketing and communications at Holy Family University, in Pennsylvania, has been appointed as associate vice president for college relations and marketing at Albright College, also in Pennsylvania.

Robert J. Pietrykowski, assistant vice president for

human resources and chief negotiator at Cleveland State University, in Ohio, has been selected as vice president of human resources at Nova Southeastern University, in Florida.

Jeffrey A. Moshier, vice provost and dean of the graduate school at Wheaton College, in Illinois, has been named provost at Taylor University, in Indiana.

Deneese Jones, dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Longwood University, in Virginia, has been selected as provost at Drake University, in Iowa.

Ezat Parnia, provost and executive vice president at Nichols College, in Massachusetts, has been selected as president of Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School.

Carol S. Pearson, executive vice president and provost at Pacifica Graduate Institute, in California, has been promoted to president there.

Ramon Torrecilha, executive vice president of Mills College, in California, has been chosen as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State UniversityDominguez Hills.

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Special Section:

Academic Minors

Although less rigorous than a major and not required by many universities, an academic minor holds significant value.

By Celeste Altus MAE Correspondent

Most people who have yet to set foot on a college campus know that a major is an area of study that a student specializes in, but what is a minor? In essence, it is the same as a major, but requires fewer classes to obtain. It does not need to be related to a student’s major, either. For example, a student majoring in a foreign language can minor in history or music.

“The primary purpose of a minor is to give students a wellrounded education; that is our philosophy on minors,” said Kenneth Osborne, dean of Instructional Technology and Special Projects and ROTC coordinator at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island and former Army infantry. “You can train a person in a discipline or technical skills, but to be well-rounded in society, they need to learn something outside of their core expertise. One course of study is not as attractive to an employer; having a minor shows a diverse background in multiple disciplines.”

This perspective is echoed by many faculty members in the university setting. “A minor provides the student with an opportunity to expand her or his knowledge in another subject area outside of a major,” explained Tony Tjaden, online academic advisor at the Center for Distance Education at Upper Iowa University.

“The additional educational background could be helpful in gaining future employment.” A minor can also provide a student with a more focused academic path. “A minor may be more beneficial to the student’s career path over completing random classes to meet the graduation requirement,” explained Tjaden. “From the adviser’s perspective, if I see a student that needs to complete more than 15 semester hours to reach the total number of hours to earn their degree, I suggest the student consider a minor to www.MAE-kmi.com

enhance his or her employability.”

Randy Masten, a retired USMC lieutenant colonel and program assistant at the Office of Professional Military Graduate Education at Kansas University, acknowledged that a minor can make a student more employable, but it serves another purpose as well. “It helps students with critical thinking, drawing correlations, it broadens your knowledge base and helps you see how two sides look at the same problem,” he explained. “It only helps build a stronger intellect and more marketable skill set.”

Choosing a minor can be a challenge, as there are many different ways to approach the decision. You should take advantage of the resources available, and the best place to start is setting up a meeting with an academic counselor at your school. Marine Corps Sergeant and current student Kurtis Reilly knows firsthand how daunting the task can seem when first entering the university setting. “I was definitely there, trying to get over that hurdle; it took a lot of question asking,” Reilly said. “Not knowing where to begin, asking myself, ‘What do I do first?’” Reilly advised against getting in touch with the VA to figure it out.

“Going through the VA can be a difficult process, especially finding the right person to help you out,” he explained. “Rely on the resources available at the school; it’s more efficient than trying to figure it out for yourself. Make an appointment with the adviser they assign you, which you could get that day or that week.” Many keep ‘walk-in’ office hours when students can drop by to have questions answered.

Speaking to someone inside the institution has inherent advantages as well, since they are part of the organization and MAE 7.3 | 5

Special Section:

Academic Minors

familiar with its faculty. Reilly gave an example of a math class in which he struggled with the professor; after he spoke with his adviser and switched classes, he had a more positive outlook. “He told me, ‘That’s the wrong math teacher to have,’” Reilly explained.

“I had transferred in a satisfactory math credit, but didn’t have the knowledge. So this will be my second time in college, third time overall taking the course. Now that I’ve got the right professor I love the class.”

Masten also noted the value of seeking guidance from school staff. “It’s important to talk to your academic counselors and career counselors so you’re planning ahead, you’re not just taking it semester by semester,” he explained. “The student has to make a point to meet with them to explain what they hope to accomplish beyond the next semester. They need to share goals and objectives for being at the university.” Students who consider such goals when meeting with an academic adviser can facilitate the creation of a meaningful game plan. “The first thing we ask a veteran or soldier is, ‘Where are you going?’” explained Osborne. “Are you looking to stay in the military? Then take courses that will help you advance, or that will help you in front of a promotion board.

Someone moving on to a civilian career, we point them in a different direction. There is no one path for active duty or recently released veteran.” For either, the first year of school inevitably takes a lot of adjustment. “I haven’t declared a major or a minor yet,” Reilly said. “I know for sure that I want an education. Right

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off the bat, I’m adjusting to school, getting in there and knocking out general education classes. Then I’ll take some exploratory classes.”

Fortunately, choosing a minor right away is not necessary and does not need to be treated like a top priority. Masten suggested that it should be selected by an undergraduate’s third year of college. “You run out of general education classes required by the university in your second year,” he explained. “So when it comes to choosing a minor, the sooner the better. You don’t want to take classes that aren’t going to fulfill the requirements for the degrees you’ve chosen—major or minor.”

While it is possible to change one’s minor or major, it can become time and labor intensive, and increasingly so the more a student changes his or her area of study. A key piece of advice to students is to take care of their core credits—also known as general education requirements—first, then move on to classes that advance the student toward their major. Not surprisingly, students often change their mind once they have learned a significant amount about an area of study and find that it may not necessarily be what they had in mind. If this happens, it creates an opportunity to declare a minor related to the previous area of study. “If you switch your major, don’t abandon that area of study, turn it into a minor,” explained Masten. “Say you start with a math major and then opt for something else; see if you qualify or are close to qualifying for a minor in something related to what you’ve already invested time in.” Take for example a person who was a math major and changed their mind; the credits are not necessarily wasted as the student could declare a math minor and move on. USMC Colonel Michael Denning (Ret.), director of Kansas University’s Office of Professional Military Graduate Education, had insight as to how a student could make this happen.

“Linking up with a good adviser or academic counselor is key in that situation,” he explained. “They’ll be able to walk you through the specific requirements.”

That conversation should also cover an advantage that members of the military have over civilian students. Their experience serving their country may actually already be sufficient to earn them a minor from the moment they officially become a student.

“Anyone coming out of the military is going into college with credits,” Osborne noted. By passing a test related to their military experience, members of the military can earn college credits. “For people coming from the service, if you’re not pursuing a degree in line with what your MOS specialty was in the military, you may look to see if you could get credits that would put you close to a minor,” Masten advised. “You don’t want to just walk away from that. With a three or four year enlistment, you’ve invested years of your time that you need to have quantified in some way. A minor is a good way to do that.”

Of course, there are more deliberate ways of selecting a minor.

One way is to select a minor that is complementary to one’s major.

“Say you’re a business major and you get a Spanish minor,” Masten said. “That is seen as complementary to your major in case you’d like to go to Central or South America to do business, or you think that it is beneficial because of the large number of Spanish speakers in the United States.” A minor can also expand the knowledge base of a major.

“A minor can assist the student who is interesting in gaining knowledge and credentials that support the major. For example, www.MAE-kmi.com

Special Section: a student with a public administration major could complete the minor in emergency disaster management,” Tjaden noted.

Once a student has figured out what his or her major is, they will have a better understanding of what other skills will help them become successful in their career. “People going into criminal justice will often take psychology,” explained Osborne. “For those taking marketing and management, a minor in sociology will give you an idea of how people interact in society and could help with marketing campaigns or give you an understanding of how people make decisions.” This sort of logic begs the question, “does my minor have to relate to my major in some way?” The answer is no; it can be of a completely different nature than a student’s major and complement it in a different capacity. “That’s the other option,” Masten said. “Say you’re pursuing a business degree but you have an interest in painting. An art minor gives the student an opportunity to pursue something they’re deeply passionate about that may not have large earning potential or the job market isn’t strong for that area. The degree is seen as a money earner that is complemented by a minor they’re interested in.”

While this may seem frivolous to some, Denning, contended that pursuing seemingly disparate interests has real value. “Put faculty who are artists, scientists, in business, journalists, etc., in the same room and once you start talking about a particular topic, it’s amazing how each one will have something to add to that topic that in isolation, they would have never considered those possibilities,”

Academic Minors

Denning explained. “The same thing happens with a student who takes a minor that seemingly doesn’t have any complementary relevance to their major. But they start putting certain things together that they wouldn’t have otherwise, so it opens things up.”

Minors can also provide additional ways of obtaining financial aid to help cover the cost of higher education. “There are scholarship opportunities,” explained Masten. “If you minor in an Asian language such as Chinese, Japanese or Uyghur at KU you can try to obtain a FLAS, or foreign language and area studies fellowship, which pays a significant amount toward a year of study. To do that you need to show you’re actually studying a foreign language in an area or culture. Being enrolled in those sorts of classes is a good step; declaring it as a minor is a better step.”

If the path to a minor still seems daunting, one can always tap into the network of former or active members of the military likely to exist at any university to seek guidance. “At KU we have the collegiate veterans association made up of like-minded people with a similar history,” said Denning. “There’s nobody you’re going to be more comfortable with than peers who are in the same situation from the same background as you. They’re just a couple years down the road from you.” O For more information, contact MAE Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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After dedicating years to the military, servicemembers may find another worthwhile career in education.

Finding a job in this economic environment can be a challenge for anyone. For the servicemember retiring from active duty, the challenge is especially daunting as they may not know which civilian career path fits them. This concern may be compounded by statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor reporting that the unemployment rate for veterans who served since September 11, 2001, was 11.5 percent in 2010. These alarming statistics also revealed that the unemployment rate for veterans with higher levels of education was lower than for veterans with less education. So what to do? For those who are considering becoming teachers, there is fortunately quite a lot of information and assistance available.

“I think teaching is a natural career path for veterans who are trained leaders and who often had opportunities to mentor and train fellow members of the military during their service,” said Wendy A. Lang, director of Operation College Promise (OCP). “With a difficult job market, pursuing a career in education makes a great deal of sense.

Traditionally, men have been underrepresented in the teaching profession and many of our nation’s teachers are at or near retirement age.

As a result, the prospects for long-term employment in the teaching profession are quite good. There is a long track record dating back to the Post-WWII era of veterans becoming successful teachers and school administrators.”

Thanks to resources like Operation College Promise and Troops to Teachers (TTT), servicemembers have readily available resources to support their journey transitioning from active duty to a civilian teaching career. OCP has developed one of the most comprehensive websites in the nation, www.operationcollegepromise.com, which regularly provides updates on benefit changes. More frequent updates are also posted on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and OCP staff works with various transitional programs, like the National Guard’s “Yellow Ribbon” events, to disseminate information to servicemembers. “Through our Certificate for Veterans’ Service Providers (CVSP) training, OCP supports partner institutions in developing our ‘Framework for Veterans Success,’ which is a comprehensive rubric of support services for veterans,” said Lang. “Schools use this framework as a blueprint for developing the most appropriate services for their veteran population.”

Additionally, OCP is working in concert with partner institutions to develop condensed degree programs to optimize Post-9/11 GI bill benefits for degree plans that exceed the 36-month benefit limit.

VETeach at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is the first of these initiatives for veterans seeking a teaching certification. The VETeach program leads to a baccalaureate degree and completion of the requirements necessary to apply to the State Board of Examiners for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, which would authorize the veteran to seek employment as a teacher in grades K through 8 and in certain secondary education fields. Educational expenses incurred by eligible students will be covered under the www.MAE-kmi.com

By Kelly Fodel MAE Correspondent Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill. A condensed engineering management program is also in the planning stages at Rowan University. Lang explained the impetus behind the program: “Currently, the ability to attain a teaching certification would be hindered by the length of the degree plan.

The VETeach pilot at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is designed to accelerate the curriculum to permit student veterans to gain certification within the time constraints of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.”

Troops to Teachers has been a DANTES program since its inception in 1994, when it was strictly a military transition program funded by the Department of Defense. At the time, the end of the Cold War had been declared and the military was downsizing significantly. “As a matter of fact, the Troops to Teachers program at that time included those veterans transitioning out of military service, DoD civilians as well as other selected government agencies and departments of the government who were to be released as a result of the military’s downsizing,” said William P. McAleer, chief of Troops to Teachers. “The program not only assisted those eligible individuals with becoming teachers, but also with those interested paraprofessionals/teacher aides.”

In 2002, under the No Child Left Behind Act, Troops to Teachers was funded by the Department of Education but managed by DoD. At this time, First Lady Laura Bush became interested in Troops to Teachers, and McAleer said the program benefited greatly from her emphasis on TTT. Troops to Teachers’ mission under Public Law 111-107 is to assist public, charter and Bureau-funded schools with hiring eligible veterans as highly qualified teachers, and to assist veterans transitioning into the teaching profession, particularly into high needs schools.

Special emphasis is placed on assisting eligible veterans in becoming state certified in the critical subject areas of special education and career technical, as well as the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “We accomplish the mission of Troops to Teachers through the use of stipends and bonuses,” said McAleer.

“The stipend of up to $5,000 is available to assist veterans with earning their state certification. Each state has its own certification requirement. Being certified in one state does not mean you will be certified in adjoining states or other states across the nation—there is no ‘national certification.’” Each subject and each level (elementary, middle school, junior high or high school) have specific certification requirements that every teacher must meet.

Troops to Teachers offers no shortcut to the classroom. “As a matter of fact we are very proud of the fact that our troops meet exactly the same certification requirements as any other individual entering the classroom in the selected state and school district,” McAleer said. “The bonus of $10,000, on the other hand, is used as an incentive to entice a servicemember to teach in a high needs school.

The combination of a stipend and a bonus cannot exceed $10,000.”

There are obligations incurred by the individual as a result of accepting MAE 7.3 | 9

a stipend or a bonus that servicemembers must consider. In essence, the individual must agree to teach for three years and, if not retired, commit to an additional three years of actively drilling in one of the reserve components. There are exemptions for the continued reserve commitment for those separated from military service for a service connected disability.

McAleer noted that in the early days, the majority of their TTT participants were officers. This has changed over time to a point where currently the majority are enlisted (NCOs). McAleer credits this as a result of DANTES and the services’ efforts in creating a better educated servicemember and the emphasis placed on education by the Department of Defense. In other areas, the demographics of the program have not changed significantly, such as the hiring age, which McAleer said has remained very close to 44 to 45. This leads to another attribute that has not changed much: The largest single grouping that is employed as teachers are those that have retired after at least 20 or more years of service. Men predominate the cadre of TTT but in about the same proportion as they do in the military.

“Education plays a vital role in the transition to a civilian career,” said Major General Robert F. Dees, U.S. Army (Ret.), current associate vice president for military outreach at Liberty University. “The job market is a challenging place presently, and veterans need to have an edge above their competition. Their military service gives a large advantage, and an accredited education gives another large advantage and experience that can be applied in the workplace. In addition, such education provides added confidence for moving into new employment arenas which require technical and cultural adjustments.”

“The military places a strong emphasis on education and particularly invests in teaching excellence. Many servicemembers have acquired excellent educational skills in the course of their duties and anticipate fulfillment using this skill in their civilian occupations. The Troops to Teachers program uses the ability that many veterans possess, to help utilize their military training to make a career in education a reality,” Dees continued.

Given that a servicemember has acquired a multitude of skills that lend themselves naturally to teaching, one might think the transition to this career would be relatively easy. However, experts say there are definite challenges. “The preparation received in the service prepares veterans to handle many challenges in civilian jobs,” said Dees. “The primary challenge we have seen is the job market and the limited positions available. It is simply hard for veterans to find the jobs they desire and envision after being entrusted with so much in their military career. The biggest challenge most will face in a civilian career is a change in the reporting and organizational structure. In addition, after a decade at war, many of our servicemembers wrestle with varying degrees of military trauma. This often makes it challenging to maintain sustained focus on a new career or on educational objectives.”

Lang emphasized the individuality of veterans. “I would say it depends on the individual and circumstances. Schools that work with OCP have made it a priority to develop veteran-specific programs and services tailored to the transitional needs of this population. Our programming is designed to ensure that veterans on campus have access to the information and services they need to meet their higher education objectives. While not all services can be provided on a college campus, having knowledgeable staff and faculty makes certain that students can access any support that may be necessary.”

One thing everyone agrees on is the imperative of a good education. “In an economic environment that is as challenging as the one we are experiencing today, having a college degree is increasingly 10 | MAE 7.3

relevant. A study conducted at Georgetown University showed that those with a bachelor’s degree make almost $1 million more than their counterparts with only a high school diploma. It is encouraging to see the amount of first-generation learners that are pursuing a college degree as a result of the generous provisions of the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” Lang noted.

Dees said that veterans should look for an accredited school that strives to meet the academic and financial needs of today’s servicemember. This includes, but is not limited to, tuition discounts within the Tuition Assistance cap per credit hour, a free evaluation of military training for college credit, book credits and fee waivers to assist with the side costs of education, and experienced counselors to assist with the often complicated process of Tuition Assistance and veterans benefits, such as the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill. In addition, the servicemember should look for schools who partner with government organizations to offer additional incentives to veterans, such as Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Network, GoArmyEd/College of the American Soldier, Air University–Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (AU-ABC) Program and the Navy College Program Distance Learning Program (NCPDLP). All of these programs can assist servicemembers in reaching their educational goals more quickly and efficiently.

In addition, even though many teachers stop with a bachelor’s degree, servicemembers should consider even higher levels of education. Dees explained that servicemembers are advised to obtain a Master’s in Education, which typically results in higher pay and an advantage over other applicants in the field. Penn State’s World Campus, in partnership with the College of Education, offers 16 graduate certificate and master’s degree programs online, including applied behavior analysis, autism, children’s literature, distance education, educational technology integration, family literacy, institutional research, reading instruction for special education, special education supervisory program for Pennsylvania certification, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. The school regularly ranks high on U.S. News & World Report’s list of top graduate schools, and this year the World Campus earned an “Honor Roll” recognition for graduatelevel programs in four areas, including education, in the inaugural U.S. News 2012 Top Online Education Program Rankings. “One of the key advantages of online learning is that it allows people who have jobs, families and other time commitments to be involved with some of the best researchers in the world—from a distance,” said Gregory J. Kelly, associate dean for Research, Outreach and Technology in Penn State’s College of Education.

The road from servicemember to faculty member may take some time and considerable effort, but the journey is worth it for most.

After all, both teachers and troops have difficult and important jobs that shape the society we live in. No wonder a servicemember who has defended our country would choose yet another job involving service: the valuable service of educating our youth. “Our military has served their nation well,” said Dees. “They have acquired discipline, technical skills and leadership capabilities that make them excellent candidates for the education field and beyond. Now is the time to tap this significant reservoir of talent by integrating these experienced military veterans into educational careers, a high and noble calling.” O

For more information, contact MAE Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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Payment Plan

Don’t despair over the cost of a college degree; there is plenty of aid money out there for those who know where to look and how to use it responsibly.

By J.B. Bissell MAE Correspondent

A number of high school graduates join the military as a precursor to pursuing their college diploma. The plan is not to forsake higher education but to pay for it ahead of time, and it’s a solid strategy. The Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a multitude of benefits, such as tuition payments, an allowance for housing, and a books and supplies stipend—all of which make school more affordable. In simple terms, how much assistance one receives is based on his or her aggregate period of active duty. For example, a soldier with at least 36 months of service is eligible for 100 percent of the benefit, which includes tuition and fees coverage for up to the amount of the most expensive undergraduate public university tuition in his or her home state. Those with 30 months are entitled to 90 percent; 24 months earns 80 percent; and so on. At certain universities where the tuition price tag exceeds what the basic GI Bill can provide, such as at more expensive private schools, the Yellow Ribbon Program can help make up the difference.

Taking full advantage of the military’s money-for-college plans is an astute tactic.

Even with these valuable benefits, however, there’s a good chance that servicemembers who are transitioning from the armed forces to academia will come across some difficult www.MAE-kmi.com

monetary gaps to bridge, as well as a few expenditures that might be overlooked at the beginning of the process. With this in mind, it’s important to explore all financial aid options and not rely solely on the GI Bill when considering how to pay for higher education.

Getting Started “There are some expenses that may not be covered by veterans’ benefits, such as documented dependent care costs or the price of a personal computer, that can be paid for with financial aid,” explained Jennifer Martin, senior content development specialist at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). Fortunately, the beginning of the financial aid process is actually very straightforward: simply file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There are other sources of assistance, of course, but the FAFSA essentially is a one-stop form that makes you eligible for as much federal, state and institutional help as possible, and gets you started with Title IV Programs such as the Federal Perkins Loans.

“Students may also qualify for federal grant funds,” continued Martin. “It is always good to research options for financial assistance that doesn’t have to be repaid.”

Grants that don’t need to be repaid are ideal, but most people’s reality is that the bulk of their monetary assistance must be squared at some point. Because of this inevitability, Michelle Virden, a VA certifying official for the Student Veterans Resource Center at the University of Michigan-Flint, said every student should speak with a financial aid adviser to be sure “they fully understand what they are being offered, how interest is charged for student loans, whether they will be required to pay taxes on the funds at the end of the year, which is common with scholarships, and how and when they’ll be expected to pay back funds once they are no longer attending school.” Another significant detail that can go unnoticed until it starts causing problems is whether the awarded financial aid money will work in conjunction with GI Bill benefits. “Any funds received that are designated to be used toward tuition and fees only will reduce the amount of monetary benefits the student gets from the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” said Virden.

The trickiest thing about this bit of fine print is that students themselves typically won’t know—or have access to the documents necessary to figure out—whether the scholarships, grants, or other support resources can be applied only to tuition and MAE 7.3 | 11

fees or can be used for other costs until it’s too late. “If the student is unaware of how their awards will affect their funds,” Virden said, “they may be in for a shock when they realize the school has no choice but to reduce the tuition they bill to the VA for that semester and that they cannot have the additional funds to help pay for books and living expenses.” The best way to avoid this predicament is to speak with a financial aid officer who can easily check the status of funds and determine how they can be used.

Financial Friends In fact, the best way to handle almost all of your financial aid queries is with the help of a professional. “Park University has a dedicated financial aid counselor who is happy to sit down with students and review the financial aid processes,” said Carla Boren, director of student financial services at Park. “We also have a financial aid specialist that is dedicated to default management and student financial literacy.” In addition to talking through traditional financial aid matters, these advisers at Park and other institutions can assist students with application deadlines, organize workshops to ensure that borrowers are informed consumers and, in certain instances, even help secure emergency funds to help pay unforeseen bills that fall outside of the academic realm.

Perhaps one of their most important assignments is the exit interview that takes place after students have put all the financial

aid money to good use and are ready to move on to life after college. “We remind them of what the parameters for payment are and offer information on repayment so that when it comes time, they have options to choose from,” said Boren. “For those who are getting close to the timeframe for default or who have defaulted, we actively work with them to remediate the situation and get the default off their records.” They’re also a student’s best resource when it comes to seeking outside funding, an important supplement to the GI Bill and regular financial aid programs that can provide a huge financial relief to students who are concerned about pinching pennies. “I recommend that students develop a profile on Fastweb.com to be notified of possible funding opportunities,” added Boren.

One of the most popular, militaryfocused sources of outside funding is the Pat Tillman Foundation, which, since 2004, has provided more than $2.2 million worth of assistance to veterans, active duty servicemembers and their spouses. “Approximately half of the scholarships they award are designated for students attending one of the 14 partner schools in the U.S.,” said Virden. “Since the University of MichiganFlint is a Pat Tillman University Partner, our students have a competitive advantage to receive the very generous scholarships.”

In fact, “our Student Veterans Resource Center has compiled a list of scholarships available only to veterans and active duty personnel, as well as their dependents,” Virden continued.

Military Aid Perks In addition to this military-exclusive list of possible funding resources, Virden and her colleagues are working on creating University of Michigan-Flint scholarships specifically for men and women with ties to the armed forces. They’re hoping those will go into effect for the 2012-2013 academic year.

At Eastern Oregon University, military folks who attend at least 51 percent of their courses on the main campus in La Grande are qualified to apply for the school’s Service to Country scholarship. “It pays the full cost of tuition for students who meet the criteria, which includes a minimum 2.5 GPA,” explained Melanie Casciato, associate director of financial aid, Eastern Oregon University. “It covers up to 15 credits per term, and the student has 12 terms of the award.”

This particular scholarship is a “last dollar award,” so it offsets the cost of tuition after other grants and available monies have been applied. A fully-funded servicemember is able to transfer $1,000 annually to their enrolled spouse, Casciato added.

Some may consider allowing fullyfunded servicemembers to transfer aid to their spouses or dependents to be overly generous, especially in our current economic climate, but there really is plenty of financial aid out there. “You would be amazed at how much free money is available to students that maintain a good academic standing and strive to make a difference in their community,” said Virden. “My best piece of advice to students is to apply themselves to their

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studies, volunteer in the community and apply for scholarships. I have students that have made a very good living off scholarships while attending school and not working and who were able to graduate debt free.”

The Ultimate Goal After a quick glance at all the costs associated with earning your college diploma, graduating debt free may seem like a pipe dream. The key though, is to not take just a quick glance, but instead really study it all and make informed decisions about both your educational lifestyle and how to pay for it. “Counselors at Eastern Oregon take a holistic approach when consulting a student because we understand they have a life outside of their education,” Casciato said. “We want to make sure we discuss their lifestyle, budgeting, college career, loan debt and repayment as well as future planning.”

This holistic approach should be utilized for selecting an institution as well. It’s easy to choose whichever university is closest to home, and on the surface it probably

doesn’t seem like there’s much difference between State U and U State, so soldiers who are preparing a return to school might not think one would be a better fit than the other. That’s a mistake, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org, and author of Secrets to Winning a Scholarship, who believes all students “should consider the net price of a college when comparing them.” The net price is “the difference between the total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board, textbooks and supplies, etc., and all grants, including veterans benefits,” Kantrowitz explained. “That will show the real bottom-line cost. Then the student can consider tradeoffs between quality, reputation and other factors, as well as the net price.”

Hettie Scofield, a financial aid specialist in the Office of Student Affairs for the University of Hawaii System, agrees that researching all of the costs associated with enrollment compared to the money you’re set to receive is imperative because students need to “determine if it is even necessary to borrow more,” and if they do end up seeking

further financial assistance to “only borrow the minimum that they need to pay for college costs.” In other words, the schools will process your maximum loan eligibility and seeing the number on paper can be quite tempting. However, just because you’re entitled to it, though, doesn’t mean you have to take it—or that you should.

It all comes down to financial literacy.

“Students need to be educated consumers when it comes to their finances and budgeting,” said NASFAA’s Martin. “They should check to find out what is available on their chosen campuses, because many schools are responding to the needs of veterans by providing additional support.” Just like earning your diploma will greatly impact your overall future, financial “decisions made today can have ramifications for years to come, too,” Martin concluded. O

For more information, contact MAE Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

My Degree. My Future.

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SUNY Empire State College values my military experience and provides the support I need while completing my degree.

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For Information: Call 888 -372-3523 Visit www.esc.edu/military www.MAE-kmi.com

MAE 7.3 | 13

CLASS NOTES New Doctorate Degree in Military Health and Wellness

Cal State University Students to Save on eTextbooks

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved a Ph.D. degree in psychology to begin at the University of Texas at San Antonio in fall 2012. The university’s 24th doctoral degree program will be administered in the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

The new doctoral program in psychology will build on the collaborative efforts of researchers from military and civilian institutions in the San Antonio area and is expected to become one of the leading programs in the nation for investigating health and mental health care issues that relate to military personnel and their families. Additionally, UTSA has submitted the appropriate documentation for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation for the new Ph.D. in psychology program.

Graduates from the program will have the research skills necessary to become leaders in this growth area of military health care, as well as in the broader area of health and wellness. Only one other doctoral program in the country offers a comparable emphasis on research skills that are uniquely tailored to investigate issues related to military health.

“This new program will prepare desperately needed specialists in health psychology and contribute directly to the wellness of our citizenry, particularly our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Daniel Gelo, dean of the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts. “Our graduates will have the needed quantitative skills and research methods to be leaders in the development of new preventions and treatments. I congratulate the psychology faculty for their steady work in developing the program and thank our partners at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and San Antonio Military Medical Center for their vital collaboration.”

Research indicates that a large percentage of military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from mental health disorders or psychosocial behavioral problems including post-traumatic stress disorder. Recruiting efforts for the new degree program will focus on diverse doctoral candidates with a focus on military health and wellness issues, especially at institutions that are members of the Hispanic Association of College and Universities and historically black colleges and universities.

The California State University announced partnerships with Cengage Learning, CourseSmart and Follett that will provide more than 5,000 of the most popular eTextbooks at discounted prices as part of a systemwide digital textbook rental program.

“This program will ease the financial burden on students by providing access to quality online materials that are priced significantly lower than traditional textbooks,” said Gerry Hanley, senior director of CSU Academic Technology Services and executive director of the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT). “Our exceptional partners in this collaboration share in the commitment to maintaining affordability for our students. We will continue to explore opportunities for lower-cost course materials that students need to reach their goal of a college degree.”

Beginning in the fall, students will be have the choice to rent digital versions of texts—eTextbooks—at a cost savings of 60 percent or more compared with the cost of purchasing the same text as a new printed version. Students will have access to the digital material for the length of the academic term and also have the option to print out the material from the eTextbooks.

ETextbooks can be rented conveniently by CSU students through their campus bookstore supported by cengagebrain.com, coursesmart.com and cafescribe.com. ETextbooks and other digital materials will be available through laptops, desktops, tablets and various other devices, and can be accessed online or offline and include interactive capabilities such as note-taking and highlighting.

This spring, the three partners will work with the CSU to market the discounted eTextbooks, and to provide professional development opportunities for faculty on the interactive capabilities of the Cengage, CourseSmart and CafeScribe services to help improve learning outcomes of students. Cengage Learning, CourseSmart and Follett have also committed to providing the CSU with plans for the continued improvement of the accessibility of their eReaders and eTextbooks.

The CSU’s digital rental program is just one facet of the system’s Affordable Learning Solutions initiative. Launched in 2010, Affordable Learning Solutions is guided by the three key principles, choice, affordability and accessibility, to provide students with more affordable course materials while offering greater access to no-cost or low-cost academic content for faculty.

Under the initiative, the CSU has produced innovative business strategies and technologies that drive down the cost of learning resources for students while offering greater access to no- or low-cost academic content for faculty. In 2011-12, CSU saved students approximately $62 million by providing lower and no-cost print and digital alternatives to new textbooks, and that figure is expected to increase to almost $118 million in savings for students through the shift of using digital alternatives to textbooks.

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Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Pace to Encourage Entrepreneurship Pace University has launched an Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab), which is expected to both nurture the entrepreneurial spirit on campus and serve as a beacon for innovation in the Lower Manhattan community. In addition to the site in Manhattan, Pace opened an Entrepreneurship Lab at the Goldstein Academic Building on its Pleasantville, N.Y., campus. Both E-Labs will provide the tools and mentoring for the development of business plans and the seed capital for new ventures. The E-Labs will also host events featuring guest speakers, workshops and competitions, many of which will be open to the public.

“Entrepreneurship, in its broadest sense, is a personal approach for developing ideas into plans and plans into reality. It is interdisciplinary ‘doing.’ Entrepreneurial leadership is as important in large companies as it is in startups; it’s a mindset toward relentless problem solving that leads to successful execution,” said Neil S. Braun, dean of the Lubin School of Business and former president of the NBC Television Network and CEO and chairman of Viacom Entertainment. “It is therefore at the heart of business education; it is the ultimate capstone for applying the knowledge and skills of the discrete disciplines to a product or service for a specific market opportunity.

“Professor Bruce Bachenheimer is ideally suited to lead the E-Labs and grow the program,” continued Braun. “Bruce’s relationships throughout the New York City venture community and beyond will be an important building block as we seek to further enhance our standing and access to professionals in the field.”

Bachenheimer is a member of the board of directors and past chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City and has served on the organization’s Global Board. Bachenheimer also serves on the board of directors and advisors of LeadAmerica and has served as a consultant to the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the New York City Economic Development Corp. He founded Annapolis Maritime Corp. and co-founded StockCentral Australia. “The Entrepreneurship Lab aims to foster an entrepreneurial mindset—a way of thinking and acting that focuses on developing new ways to solve problems and create value,” said Bachenheimer, who drafted the initial proposal of the E-Lab. “These skills are important not only for those seeking to establish a new venture, but are increasingly critical in a wide variety of professional careers given today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, where rapid technological innovation and globalization has led to corporate downsizing and a dramatic change in the very nature of work.”

New M.S. in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis Beginning in the fall semester of 2012, Saint Joseph College will be the first university in the state of Connecticut to offer a Master of Science degree program in autism and applied behavior analysis (ABA). As part of the Institute for Autism and Behavioral Studies, the co-educational graduate program prepares professionals skilled in the science and practice of ABA to serve individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the lifespan in a variety of clinical and educational settings.

Courses are offered as a comprehensive Master of Science program in autism and applied behavior analysis at Saint Joseph College’s centrally-located West Hartford campus and are approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board; this program leads to certification in Behavior Analysis. Additionally, an optional Supervised Experience program with a competency-based mastery system to ensure skill development is available.

Students may enroll in the program

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in the fall or spring semesters and can choose a full-time (two-year) or parttime (three-year) program of study. The program requires 39 credits of instruction with an additional six credits of thesis research.

Associate professor of Behavioral Sciences and Psychology Deirdre Fitzgerald, Ph.D., BCBA-D, who serves as director of this new graduate degree program, said, “As the population of individuals with autism grows, so does the demand for professionals, particularly those trained in ABA. Increasingly diverse employment opportunities are available for graduates of our program including: educational assessment, planning and program evaluation; staff and parent training; prevention and community intervention; therapy/counseling; developmental disabilities and autism; organizational behavior management and human service administration; sport and health psychology; and much more.”

First Graduate Program in Health Care Simulation New York Institute of Technology’s New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) has launched the nation’s first graduate program focused on human and robotic patient simulations. The program will prepare professionals to educate, develop and manage patient simulation and patient safety programs at hospitals and medical, health professions and nursing schools.

“Patient simulations are increasingly used in health care education to teach and assess clinical and professional skills,” said Anthony Errichetti, chief of Virtual Medicine and director for NYCOM’s Institute for Clinical Competence, known as the ICC. Established in 2005, the ICC’s patient safety programs train medical and nursing students using state-of-the-art computerized manikins as well as actors who portray patients with medical problems.

The training is designed to help prevent serious medical errors in diagnosing, treating, or monitoring patients correctly. “In hospitals and ambulatory settings, simulations help clinicians practice and retain their skills and ensure patient safety,” Errichetti said. “Our goal is to educate physicians and health care teams in the best practices of their professions. We want to help them save lives and protect their patients.” Scheduled to begin in the fall semester, the Master of Science in Health Care Simulation will include online courses, hands-on workshops and faculty advising by national experts.

MAE 7.3 | 15

Education Navigator

Q& A

Helping Sailors Chart a Course for Success Dr. Mary Redd-Clary Director Navy Voluntary Education Program Center for Personal and Professional Development As director of the Navy Voluntary Education (VOLED) Program, Dr. Mary Redd-Clary is responsible for the supervision of over 180 government personnel assigned to the Virtual Education Center, the Pensacola VOLED support detachment, and 35 Navy college offices located in the continental U.S., Asia, the Middle East and Europe. She also oversees the execution of the Navy’s multi-million dollar tuition programs supporting sailors’ education goals, whether assigned ashore or afloat.

Redd-Clary began her government career as an education specialist intern with the Navy’s Chief of Naval Education and Training headquarters. After completing the internship, she worked as a training program coordinator (TPC) for electronics basics training on the staff of the Chief of Naval Technical Training, Memphis, Tenn. After five years as the TPC, she spent threeand-a-half years as an Army education counselor for the Army Military Community in Giessen, West Germany. She returned to her position as a TPC and later transferred to a position as the Army Apprentice Program Coordinator and Counselor at the Army Transportation Command, Fort Eustis, Va. Subsequent to this position, Redd-Clary worked on the staff of Commander, Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet as a Navy training assessment analyst, Deputy Equal Employment Opportunity advisor, and special assistant for Total Quality Leadership and Management Control Program. Prior to her present position, she worked on the staff of the commander, Fleet Forces Command in the Readiness and Training directorate as branch head for training synergy. She’s held positions as adjunct professor for Troy University and Old Dominion University.

Redd-Clary attended Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala., completing a bachelor’s degree in education. She received her Master of Science in personnel services and counseling from Memphis University and a Naval War College diploma from the College of Continuing Education. Additionally, she completed the Army War College senior Professional Military Education program and received a master’s degree in strategic studies. Old Dominion University conferred on her the Doctor of Philosophy degree in urban management from the School of Business and Public Administration in 1999. Redd-Clary completed additional graduate level course work through the University of Massachusetts, George Mason University and Georgetown University as a part of the Department of Defense Leadership and Management Program. Her published dissertation is entitled Organizational Change Theory and the Determinants for Sustaining Change: www.MAE-kmi.com

A Case Study of Three Public Sector Organizations—Winners of The Virginia Senate Productivity and Quality Award. She has had the honor of being the commencement speaker for graduation ceremonies held in the Hampton Roads area, presenting papers at national conferences/symposiums and being a member of local civic boards in Hampton Roads, Va. Recent awards and honors include: Navy Civilian Superior Service Award, Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Fleet Forces Command Senior Civilian of the Year, CINCLANTFLT Civilian of the Quarter, Lead Hampton Roads (class 2001), and Commander Training Command, Atlantic Fleet Civilian of the Quarter.

Q: Could you please highlight your responsibilities as director of Voluntary Education for the Navy?

A: As the director of the Navy Voluntary Education [VOLED] Program, I’m responsible for managing the people, programs and processes required to execute voluntary education policies.

In this capacity, I work for the commanding officer of the Center for Personal and Professional Development [CPPD], a major learning center reporting to Naval Education and Training Command. I supervise a staff of 170 located in fleet concentration MAE 7.3 | 17

areas worldwide assigned to 35 Navy College Offices [NCOs], the Virtual Education Center [VEC] and small headquarters support units located in San Diego, Pensacola, Fla., and Virginia Beach, Va. Managing this dispersed organization requires constant communication to ensure the efficient and effective execution of all VOLED programs, including the Tuition Assistance program, Navy College Program for Afloat College Education [NCPACE] and all other services/resources sailors need to achieve their education goals.

Q: How do your past professional experiences shape your decision-making?

A: Broadly, my decision-making style is consensus building. This style comes from a background of experiences I had while working not only on headquarters staffs, but in education offices while a counselor for Army’s Continuing Education System and in my current position. Before making a decision, I tend to examine facts, consider multiple options, take input from subject matter experts on the topic in question, and consider potential unintended consequences of a decision I make. I’ve been fortunate to have many professional experiences that have taught me to seek the support and/or endorsement of my chain of command, and then communicate the reasoning of decisions that I make on personnel, resources or execution of internal work processes to my subordinates. This approach has been instrumental in my current position as the Navy’s VOLED director. I’m not hesitant about making decisions when I’ve done my homework, ensured support from higher authority, if necessary, and communicated the decision’s intent to those expected to execute it.

Q: What types of resources are available to sailors through the Virtual Education Center? What do you consider to be the center’s most significant achievement in its first year?

A: The VEC is a state-of-the-art call center with highly trained professionals who not only authorize tuition and fees for sailors enrolled in college courses, authenticate completed degrees to sailor personnel files, and help update Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcripts [SMART], but also answer an average of 32,000 questions each month. The VEC is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time to accommodate sailors who don’t have a Navy College Office in their commuting area. Many calls for assistance come from remote locations like American embassies. The VEC staff can count many achievements since it opened for business. One is our virtual counseling service, which allows customers to see a representative or share documents via a video-enabled Internet chat service. The VEC’s most impressive achievement is the start of a centralized, web-based tuition assistance process. This was significant because it allows individuals to apply for and receive their Tuition Assistance [TA] vouchers electronically instead of having to visit the NCO and physically route a paper TA request through their chain of command. We’re also proud of the constant feedback that reflects the high-quality customer service our VEC staff provides on a regular basis.

Q: How important is a college degree for advancement within the Navy?

18 | MAE 7.3

A: Both enlisted and officer personnel benefit from completing a college degree while on active duty. Enlisted personnel can receive two promotion points for an associate degree and four promotion points for a bachelor’s degree. Officers who complete a master’s degree through a military war college or specialty program are also better positioned to be competitive for promotion. Regardless of rank, the intangible benefit of a college degree for a sailor is reflected in strong on-the-job performance. Degree programs require students to demonstrate and develop analytical competencies and critical thinking skills. These competencies are needed to successfully perform in the complex working environment of a maritime force. Those who have proven academic success and have earned a degree will end up applying these reasoning abilities on the job and often prove to be high performers who are well positioned for promotion.

Q: Could you provide some stats on the number of sailors participating in voluntary education?

A: Overall, approximately 20 percent of the Navy will either enroll in college courses using tuition assistance or through NCPACE. In fiscal year 2011 [FY11], our Navy College Offices provided support services that directly contributed to 53,321 participants enrolling in 136,917 courses at the postsecondary level. As a result, there were 8,994 degrees completed during this period. Our United Services Military Apprenticeship Program [USMAP] is another voluntary program that allows sailors to receive a Department of Labor Apprentice certificate in any one of 124 trades. In FY11, Navy recorded 52,496 participants in USMAP. Q: In your opinion, what are the defining trends and challenges in military education today?

A: One trend in military education is a renewed focus on the value of an education or certificate. Sailors transitioning to the civilian workforce after a first enlistment or at retirement are calling the VEC to update their SMART documents so they can receive the maximum number of credits toward completion of a degree.

Sailors are visiting the local NCO for advice and assistance on the type of degrees or credentials needed to be better positioned for promotion. Another challenging trend is increasing tuition costs.

This is not an issue unique to military personnel, but it does challenge the tuition assistance budgets of all the military services.

A third significant trend is the rising quality of distance learning [DL] courses and students increasingly enrolling in DL programs.

Q: The Navy College Program for Afloat College Education seems to be enjoying tremendous success. Could you explain the program?

A: NCPACE is an education program for commanding officers who lead deploying units. The Navy contracts with Central Texas College to deliver basic skills instruction and undergraduate and graduate courses, which are taught by college professors in classroom spaces on board the deploying unit. The Navy also contracts for the delivery of selected distance learning courses that are delivered via CD-ROM, MP3 and other mobile devices. NCPACE supports sailors who want to continue their education while deployed to all parts of the world. www.MAE-kmi.com

Q: How does enrolling in NCPACE courses differ from directly enrolling in an online course offered by a college or university?

A: NCPACE distance learning courses do not rely on the Internet as do many other online courses offered by academic institutions.

The delivery methods may be different, but the academic rigor and overall quality are the same for courses offered under the NCPACE contract and those funded by tuition assistance.

Q: Which Navy education programs are you most encouraged by?

A: The Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership [NCPDLP] and NCPACE offer sailors flexible options for taking college courses and completing a college degree. Our academic partners who support these programs are clearly focused on ensuring the academic success of the military personnel who enroll in these courses. These partners are not just military friendly in the classic sense; they truly understand the challenges facing sailors and recognize the balance they must achieve between school, family and the Navy mission. The NCPDLP has 42 partner schools that offer more than 300 degree programs in which every course is provided by distance delivery method. Both NCPDLP and NCPACE schools adapt to the mobility of our sailors. I’m encouraged that all our partner schools—not only those supporting NCPDLP, NCPACE and Servicemember Opportunity Colleges [Navy SOCNAV]—value the contributions of our military and want to contribute to their education success.

or providing education counseling on the VOLED side—to the sailors they counsel, test, brief and teach to help them improve their lives on and off duty. These are true professionals who set the bar high and use teamwork to empower and inspire sailors to achieve personal and professional excellence and keep them mission-ready. It’s a big job, and I couldn’t manage this program without the direct support of VOLED Deputy Director Jennie Humes. This is truly a collaborative effort that includes all the VOLED staff personnel, both junior and senior. Over the past six years, these exceptionally talented individuals have kept their focus on one thing: ensuring the men and women of the Navy have the resources necessary to be successful.

Q: Are there any closing thoughts you’d like to share?

A: Our chief of Naval Personnel said it best: “The caliber of our sailors has never been better.” I’d offer that the Navy’s Voluntary Education program is positioned to ensure our sailors have the educational opportunities to raise the level of their performance.

The Navy offers its workforce education programs and funding that rival the best private companies. I’m encouraged that more sailors are taking advantage of education counseling services and are enrolling in college courses that will not only enhance their skills, but also make them individually ready to meet the war fighting and humanitarian demands of a Navy that is an ever-present global force for good. O

Q: What are your priorities as director of Voluntary Education?

A: I have several priorities. One priority is to make sure the Navy College Office and VEC staffs have the resources to accomplish their mission to help sailors achieve their education goals.

Another priority is to keep improving on our internal processes such as counseling, briefing and testing. A third priority is to ensure sailors receive the right information at the right time from our education professionals to help them attain their higher education goals.

Q: What advice can you offer to sailors who are preparing to transition out of the Navy and do not yet have a college degree?

A: Contact your local Navy College Office or call the VEC to make sure your education plan is current and your SMART is up to date. I’d also recommend sailors visit the Veterans Affairs website, attend a Transition Assistance Program brief and make plans for lifelong learning after leaving the military. As a veteran, sailors will face a plethora of education options that can be overwhelming. Let our education professionals help you establish an education plan before leaving the service. This document can be filed under the “My Education” tab on the Navy College Program website [www.navycollege.navy.mil/], so it can be electronically retrieved at any time.

Q: What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned since assuming your current position?

A: What’s really impressed me is how dedicated CPPD personnel are—whether teaching a course on the command’s training side www.MAE-kmi.com

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“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.”

- G. K. Chesterton

By Maura McCarthy, MAE Editor

The hot topics in military education were all on the table at CCME’s 2012 Symposium in Orlando, Fla., in February. Throughout the week, attendees had the rare opportunity to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and directly pose their pressing questions to the decision-makers. Of course, bringing military educators together is the purpose of CCME— that attendance was just shy of 1,000 during a year of budget cuts and DoD Worldwide speaks volumes to the credibility of the organization and its important role in the community. During his presentation, Robert L. Gordon III, deputy under secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, reframed the debate on budget cuts and benefits, advocating a shift from a “do more with less” mindset to one of “do better differently.” He asserted that doing so requires innovation, collaboration and partnerships, and his audience was exactly the group of people needed to make this happen. www.MAE-kmi.com

MAE 7.3 | 21

On behalf of the CCME Board and membership, this award is presented to MAE in recognition of their ongoing support of the military community and CCME's mission.

CCME's visibility in the military education environment has increased substantially in recent years, due in part to MAE's annual coverage of the CCME President, the CCME symposium, and the CCME Grapevine monthly column. Thank you, MAE! -Linda Frank, CCME president, 2011-2012

Connections and Access With close to 1,000 attendees and over 150 exhibitors, opportunities to connect with old colleagues and network with new ones abounded. “The symposium offered the opportunity to meet and connect with ESOs 22 | MAE 7.3

from bases and installations throughout the country. In addition, we were able to meet and speak with representatives from institutions similar to ours that are also providing educational opportunities to members of the military. These opportunities were especially beneficial to first-time attendees like Fordham

PCS,” noted Glenn S. Berman, director of admissions at Fordham University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

The sentiment was mutual on the military side, with ESOs and ESSs expressing the importance of networking with their counterparts in other branches. “The ability to meet with your counterparts from the other services and exchange ideas as well as processes provides for an opportunity to compare not only best practices but also lessons learned,” said Jose A. Velazquez, education services specialist for the Coast Guard. “Meeting with decision-makers from higher education institutions eliminates all the middle men and bureaucracies. Explaining to a school how their policy changes affect our members and knowing that something can be done to mend or revamp a policy is a great advantage and benefit of CCME,” he continued. “Additionally, the occasion to meet program managers from Department of Education, Department of Veteran Affairs, SOC, ACE and other organizations that assist in making the education service programs easier for our members. These meetings go a long way to discussing future changes on policies and processes.”

The chance to hear under one roof directly from those both making the decisions and those affected by the decisions is unique. “If I were giving advice to a school who wanted to learn how to better support their military students, participation in CCME’s annual symposium would be near the top of the list. It’s an opportunity to explore the key issues with perspective from the military branches, the VA, DoD, the schools and directly from the servicemembers. It also assists you in keeping on top of new or policies and best practices,” emphasized Scott A. Kilgore, senior vice president of military affairs at Kaplan University.

The Symposium featured two student panels, one comprised of veterans and the other of active duty. Active duty students spoke candidly about their priorities when selecting an institution and emphasized convenience, access, ease of transferring credits and flexibility. For many, the decision to pursue a degree was directly influenced by the advice—or in some cases, urging—of their commanding officers. “Just get started, take even one class,” or “Start with CLEP” were common suggestions. The challenges active duty and veteran students expressed ranged from macro institutional ones of difficulties receiving credit to the micro level of feeling disconnected on campus. An active duty sailor recounted his experience of taking www.MAE-kmi.com

classes through distance learning while at sea. When he arrived onboard and went to commence his classes, he learned that sailors of his rank didn’t have access to the Internet.

The issue was remedied and the sailor—the first in his family to graduate from college— is now pursuing a master’s degree.

This opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of servicemembers pursing a degree while on active duty or learn from veteran students what could make their transition from a unit to a classroom easier is invaluable for both DoD officials and for institutions of higher learning. “The student panels are always good. It’s inspirational to hear from these individuals who are truly America’s best. This year, a panel member spoke of his experiences in a leadership class; this student, unlike any others in his class, had been responsible for the lives of five downrange team members and $16 million of machinery.

These are special students and we must help them realize their educational potential, not just earn a degree,” recounted Kilgore.

“I found all of the general session presentations and panel discussions informative: Sir

John Daniel’s opening keynote presentation, the Institution President’s panel, the workforce transition panel, the active duty student panel, veterans panel, the Q&A with the service chiefs and DoD, etc.,” said Linda Frank, now past-president of CCME. “That’s the great thing about CCME—there’s a wealth of expertise in all areas associated with supporting our military community.” With leaders in the field bringing their expertise to the symposium, the opportunity to learn about trends, challenges and practices is significant.

“Those not experienced with serving in the military education field can learn best practices from those who have been successful doing so. This year’s symposium attracted many new institutions, and according to survey responses, the benefit of attendance was tremendous,” said Joycelyn Groot, president of CCME.

Professional Commitment The commitment of CCME’s board to the success and smooth sailing of the symposium was evident throughout the week and their

hard work should be applauded. “It seemed to me as if the CCME board was particular of what was happening. CCME board members were actively ensuring that attendees had every possible question answered, from things such as lodging to did you get enough to eat. During the concurrent sessions, they were always around to make sure you found the correct room or to ensure the speakers had what was needed for the session. I felt welcomed and appreciated by the CCME Board,” recounted Velazquez.

Throughout the week, attendees were encouraged to stop by the CCME Cares table, where they could build care packages and write letters to deployed troops. By the end of the week, the effort had raised $14,000 and assembled 1,000 packages for Operation Gratitude, which is just another example of the dedication and passion of military educators.

After an invigorating week of discussion and networking, participants enjoyed a night at Universal where Frank acknowledged the commitment and dedication in the field of military education by presenting the following awards:

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MAE 7.3 | 23

• •

•

• • • •

President’s Award–Louis Martini (Thomas Edison State College) Barry Cobb Government Organization Award–Ramstein Air Force Base John Brian Service and Leadership Award–Ann Hunter, Chief USN Education CCME Institution Award– American Military University Lifetime Achievement Award–Jim Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award– Marcy Shapiro Lifetime Achievement Award– Jeffrey Haycraft

Making it Even Better The 40th anniversary of CCME will bring the 2013 symposium to San Diego and the board is already making preparations. “It is our goal to have a 40th anniversary celebration that includes a night to honor all our past CCME presidents. If you know how to reach one of our prior CCME1 2839 MAE ad_Feb2012_ArtInstitutes_Layout

presidents, please take a moment to reach out and encourage their involvement,” urged Groot. Looking ahead, there are some things participants would like to see more of. “I would like to see more involvement from the Department of the Veterans Affairs, as well as more information related to issues the military community faces outside of the education environment,” Frank said.

Additionally, collaborative discussions were popular and could be integrated more next year. “The SOC Burning Issues Summit used a working group approach, which given the collective talents and perspectives at CCME is a great idea. I would like to see this approach used in additional working sessions on topics such as ‘how to customize learning delivery for a specific underserved audience,’” noted Kilgore.

Sir Daniel’s remarks on openness could warrant further discussion next year as well. “The U.S. is falling behind Europe and Asia in openness. We need to get the Department of Education to come and discuss how policy affects openness and how freely 4:12 can institutions 2/22/12 PM Page 1 adapt openness,” said

Velazquez. “I’d like to see more involvement from the Department of Labor and corporate America to engage in opportunities for transition from education to employment as well as discussions that can be of direct benefit to servicemembers, such as a panel on Entrepreneurship for Veterans,” reflected Groot. With this in mind, CCME is planning an agenda focused on education and transition and hopes to engage the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs to play a more vital role in the sessions.

While there is always room for improvement, the quality of the symposium and its value to the military education community is evident. “The fact that our attendance reached 976 during a DoD year is indicative of CCME’s growth and visibility within the military education environment,” concluded Frank. O

For more information, contact MAE Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mae-kmi.com.

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CCME GRAPEVINE

ACME–What is it?

The October 2011 issue of MAE provided great background information regarding the Council on Colleges and Military Educators (CCME) and its relationship with state ACMEs (Thank you Gary Woods!). However, with the growing interest in ACMEs and CCME, I felt a more colloquial version of what ACMEs are and their benefit would be appropriate. Attendance at the 2012 CCME conference in Orlando had record-setting numbers of first-time attendees, who brought questions not only about CCME but about ACMEs. Additionally, a number of the ACME organizations held meetings and presentations during the CCME conference.

ACME, as the name suggests, is an advisory council on military education at the state level. Currently, there are 14 active state ACMEs: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and the South (COMETS), Virginia and Washington.

There are also a number of states not listed that have institutions interested in pursuing ACMEs for their state. Even though this focus began primarily for active duty personnel, there has been a steady migration to supporting veterans and their families as well, and deservedly so. As a growing number of veterans exit the military and pursue a degree, the need for educational assistance is greater than ever.

ACMEs typically consist of leaders from institutions in their respective states who simply have a sincere and dedicated concern for our military members and their families.

These leaders, while representing different institutions around the country, all share an authentic desire and drive to contribute resources in an effort to resolve challenges experienced by military families as they navigate their educational journey. Bringing these organizations together in a collaborative effort creates a more powerful and knowledgeable resource than if each operated independently. Additionally, within the ACME organizations there are often active duty and retired military members as well as base educational services officers (ESOs) from within the state. Having military members and ESOs participate with the ACMEs provides the direct connection the institutions need to fully understand the issues that are subjective www.MAE-kmi.com

to their state and particular locations around the state.

Membership numbers in state ACMEs vary by each organization, ranging from around 20 or 30 up to over 100. Members in the ACMEs are all connected to the military in some fashion. Many members operate directly with the military programs within their institutions, while others are faculty and administrators who work with military students. These many different connections provide a variety of conduits to the military and their families during their educational experience. Connecting these conduits with the base ESOs can often help solve a problem and also effect institutional change in support of military students. Some institutions are able to waive application fees, provide discounted tuition rates and dedicate counselors for military students.

A large part of what ACMEs do is to liaison with state legislative leaders to affect change at the state level as needed to support military members. One example now taken for granted is in-state residency: Providing in-state residency status to active duty servicemembers under orders and their families is a significant accomplishment that was driven by ACME organizations. This legislative liaison function is the primary reason ACMEs were formed in the 1970s. In this sense, working with state legislature and the decision-makers for state policy that directly affect military personnel and their families is one of the most important aspects of an ACME. Most ACMEs have an annual get-together, such as a conference, symposium or workshop, which provides members the opportunity to interact directly. The agenda is driven by each ACME’s planning committee and goals and features professional training topics on military support. Additionally, legislative representatives attend for direct communication with the educational institutions, ESOs and military personnel who are experiencing specific issues as a result of state as well as federal policy. An advantage that state ACMEs have over the national organization CCME is their smaller size—ACME meetings are typically a more intimate gathering, which fosters very intense and productive discussion along with sharing of information and ideas.

However, the partnerships ACMEs have with CCME are vital to the growth and strength of the ACME organizations, as CCME embraces the ACMEs at the annual conferences and provides a strong professional development forum.

Why should you join your state ACME? The answer is simple if you have a sincere concern for and are supportive of our military members and their families: Your state ACME can provide strong resources for this deserving cause. Participating with your state ACME will provide a network with a variety of individuals who, even though they work for different institutions and organizations, all share a common goal of support for our military personnel.

As the ACME liaison for CCME, I have personally met most of the ACME presidents and many of the members of the different state ACMEs. While many of these folks are veterans, many are not, yet they are no less committed. I am confident the state ACMEs’ leadership teams are clearly focused on what is best for our military personnel and their families. In a recent discussion on this very topic with the Virginia and Georgia ACME presidents, it became very clear to me that the dedication permeating these organizations is pure. I am proud to be part of this ACME and CCME network and am excited to see what this powerful collaboration of patriots accomplishes next. O

Joycelyn Groot

Note from Joycelyn Groot, president of CCME: For this month’s CCME Grapevine, I’d like to thank Marc Churchwell from the University of West Florida for his informative article on ACMEs. Make sure you plan on attending the 2013 CCME Symposium at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, February 25-28, 2013.

MAE 7.3 | 25

MONEY TALKS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Department of Labor Supports IT Training in Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) a grant of $4,870,648 to support its Skill Up program, a comprehensive IT training solution for the Greater Dubuque area. The program provides training for those currently working as well as the unemployed so that workers complete the program with the necessary skills in the manufacturing, health care, and professional and business services fields.

The funding comes from the H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant Competition. These grants, authorized by the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), are funded through fees paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B non-immigrant visa program. “This innovative program brings the best of both worlds together: funding that supports the training of skilled workers to meet local demand for jobs,” said Harkin. “I applaud NICC’s continued work in this effort

Department of Education Awards $1.57 Million Grant Cal State East Bay has been awarded a $1.57 million grant by the United States Department of Education to implement the university’s “Student Service Operation to Succeed” program— referred to as Project SSOS—to make admission and career success more accessible for students who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). CSUEB, which was designated by the Department of Education as an “Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution” in 2008, will use the grant funds to provide specialized services for these students.

The intent of the grant, to be allocated over the next five years, is to increase recruitment, retention and career success of students of the AAPI communities, according to Meiling Wu, CSUEB associate professor of modern languages and literature, and the grant’s principal investigator and program director.

“The goal of Project SSOS is to reach out to underrepresented AAPI students and connect them to high quality resources and a strong foundation to help them graduate from Cal State East Bay,” Wu said. “It is designed to increase the number and proportion of successful AAPI students who will earn degrees and achieve career success.”

Project SSOS is a partnership between various segments of the university, including Academic Affairs; Planning, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs; its four colleges; and numerous community organizations. As part of its outreach to the AAPI population in Northern California, Cal State East Bay will host an Educational Summit on Saturday, May 19, on its Hayward Campus. It is patterned on an annual summit CSUEB has been hosting annually for nearly a decade for African American and Latino students and their families.

and I thank the U.S. Department of Labor for recognizing Iowa’s advancements in job training.”

NICC is working with several key partners on the Skill Up program, some of which include the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, Clarke University, Loras College and corporate partners such as Cabela’s, IBM and John Deere. This NICC announcement is part of a nationwide announcement by the Department of Labor. DOL has awarded $183 million to 43 grantees representing 28 states.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Opens Student Loan Complaint System Until recently, borrowers of private aid for college lacked a central agency responsible for oversight. While federal student loan borrowers could bring their concerns or complaints to the Department of Education’s federal student aid ombudsman, private borrowers had to navigate among a variety of government agencies. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act established within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau an ombudsman to assist private loan borrowers and the Bureau recently opened their student loan complaint system. Once a complaint is filed, the Bureau will bring a borrower’s concern to the attention of the financial institution. To file a complaint, or share your story, visit www.consumerfinance.gov/ complaint or call 1-855-411-CFPB. The Bureau has also launched the Student Debt Repayment Assistant, an online tool to explore repayment options, as well as “Know Before You Owe,” an effort developed in concert with the Department of Education to create a draft “financial aid shopping sheet” to increase transparency.

Miami Dade Students Talk Money A group of Miami Dade College (MDC) business students have had the opportunity to talk to their peers about money management and the importance of financial literacy during one-hour training sessions from February through April. Sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank and the South Florida Center for Financial Training (CFT) in collaboration with MDC’s School of Business at Wolfson Campus, the Hands on Banking sessions will focus on credit, budgeting, fraud and identity theft.

In train-the-trainer sessions, the Wells Fargo partnership enabled MDC professor Christine Balmori and bank executives to give the student trainers handson instruction with the goal that they would apply

26 | MAE 7.3

those skills to their own financial literacy workshops.

“The goal of the train-the-trainer and peer-to-peer workshops is for students to learn how to better manage their finances, such as student loans, car loans and credit card usage,” said Connie Laguna, executive director of the CFT. “By teaching these skills to advanced business students, we believe they can effectively pass on the message to their peers in a manner in which they would understand. The financial decisions students make in college have an effect on so many areas of their lives—both short and long term.”

Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking program is also available online with free financial curriculum materials designed for individuals, educators, nonprofits

and entrepreneurs. For their participation in the Hands on Banking Train-the-Trainer sessions, the students will receive a tuition scholarship between $250-$350.

Laguna added, “A financial situation in college can also affect academic performance, and that is why financial literacy is essential to helping college students manage their money, debt and credit in today’s economic climate. Our goal is to spread the financial literacy program to the entire community through this student body. We want to help students understand the implications of today’s decisions on tomorrow’s finances. We hope these students will share this information with their family and friends.”

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The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

MAE CALENDAR & DIRECTORY Advertisers Index

Calendar

The Art Institutes...................................................................... 24 www.veterans.artinstitutes.edu Ashford University....................................................................... 7 www.military.ashford.edu/mae Baker College Online................................................................. C2 www.bakercollegeonline.com Barry University......................................................................... 8 www.barry.edu/ace Colorado Technical University.................................................... 19 www.coloradotech.edu/military Empire State College................................................................. 13 www.esc.edu/military Kaplan University...................................................................... 16 www.military.kaplan.edu Northeastern University............................................................. 23 www.northeastern.edu/discovercps Thomas Edison State College...................................................... 12 http://military.tesc.edu University of Maryland University College.................................... C4 http://military.umuc.edu/degreefits Upper Iowa University................................................................. 6 www.uiu.edu/mae

April 12, 2012 Council on Military Education in Texas and the South Fort Worth, Texas www.cometsmilitaryed.org

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April 25-27, 2012 Florida ACME 2012 Conference St. Augustine, Fla. www.fla-acme.org/conference June 4-8, 2012 GEOINT Community Week Washington, D.C. www.usgif.org June 27-29, 2012 Military Child Education Coalition 2012 Annual Conference Grapevine, Texas www.militarychild.org/annualconference

July 23-27, 2012 DoD Worldwide Education Symposium 2012 Las Vegas, Nev. www.ww2012.com/common/home. action September 9-12, 2012 NGAUS 134th General Conference Reno, Nev. www.ngaus.org/content. asp?bid=20256 February 25-29, 2013 CCME Symposium San Diego, Calif.

MAE  7.3 | 27

UNIVERSITY CORNER

Military Advanced Education

Alan R. Davis President Empire State College Q: Could you please provide a brief overview of your school’s history, mission and curriculum?

A: The State University of New York [SUNY] Empire State College was established in 1971 as a distinctive statewide SUNY institution focused on nontraditional teaching and learning, where college faculty mentors guide learners through designing an individual degree program. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the college primarily serves working adults pursuing associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees on site at 35 locations in New York state and abroad, as well as online everywhere.

The college offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and sciences and other career fields in 12 undergraduate areas of study. We offer master’s degrees in six areas, along with several graduate certificates that can be integrated into our master’s degree programs.

Q: What is your school’s background in military education?

A: Empire State College has been educating the military community for more than 30 years. The college is a member of the SOCAD, SOCNAV and SOCCOAST networks, which support guaranteed transferability in select courses. We were among the initial group of partner schools selected for the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership and the eArmyU program more than a decade ago. As a GoArmyEd partner school, we offer a variety of degree programs, including several business degrees for the Career Non-Commissioned Officers Program. We participate in the Air Force’s Air University Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative and the Community College of the Air Force’s General Education Mobile program. Students can pursue our Master of Arts in teaching through the Troops to Teachers program, and we support military spouses through our participation in the My Career Advancement Account. All of our programs are VA approved for VA tuition funding.

Q: What unique benefits and programs do you offer military servicemembers?

28 | MAE 7.3

A: Empire State College has a unique approach to teaching and learning. Understanding that the military community has responsibilities and learning experiences outside of the classroom, the college’s mentoring and individualized degree planning structures provide the flexibility to create degree programs as unique as the individuals themselves. In addition to accepting ACErecommended credit for military training and awarding credit for standardized exams, the college assesses college-level learning gained through life experiences.

We conduct unofficial preliminary reviews of prior learning credit at pre-application for military students at no cost. The review gives students an idea of how their potential transfer credit will apply towards a degree at Empire State College.

To accommodate busy schedules and deployments, courses are offered in eight and 15-week terms starting in September, November, January, March and May. Delivery formats include online, guided independent study, study groups, small seminars, residencies, cross-registration at other schools, or a combination of formats. Military points of contact are located at each of the college’s regional locations.

Q: What is your school doing to keep up with growing technologies and opportunities related to distance learning?

A: Empire State College is a leader in the adoption of emerging technologies. We offered our first-ever Massive Open Online Course [MOOC], which included weekly synchronous sessions via Blackboard Collaborate as well as asynchronous interactions through blog posts, Twitter and in the MOOC discussion space. Also, we developed several courses for mobile delivery and are experimenting

with a mobile application for communications with students. In 2011, we received the Sloan-C Award for Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching. The central component of our faculty development effort is an online orientation program that was recently revised this year as a collegewide resource for teaching online. Finally, we use Elluminate Web conferencing in our online courses and for academic support, student services and faculty development efforts.

Q: How has your school positioned itself to serve military students?

A: Empire State College has established itself as a trusted and reputable military education institution. We have a strong presence in New York with office space at Fort Drum, attendance at education fairs and Yellow Ribbon events across the state, briefings at National Guard armories, and regularly scheduled visits to several Coast Guard locations on Long Island. On a national level, our military outreach specialists are located at several military installations in California and Virginia, and we attend military education fairs in several states annually. We conduct regular visits and briefings at the Army National Guard Headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., at the Pentagon, and at military bases in Florida and Georgia.

The college maintains connections with local and national organizations that support servicemembers and veterans, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Labor, Department of Defense Voluntary Education, the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), and Veteran Outreach Centers. In collaboration with the New York State Department of Veterans’ Affairs, a NYS VA benefits advocate is located at the college. In addition, the Office of Veterans and Military Education staff serves on military-specific boards and committees such as CCME, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Veterans Affairs Working Group, and the State University of New York Veterans and Active Military Advisory Council.

We are proud to be able to support our military servicemen and women and our veterans. O www.MAE-kmi.com

NEXTISSUE

May 2012 Vol. 7, Issue 4

Journal of Higher Learning for Today’s Servicemember

Cover and in-Depth Interview with:

Dr. Pamela Raymer Director Army Continuing Education System

Features: Summer School

Online Academic Honesty

Forgoing the traditional summer break from classes can offer students greater flexibility, help them to spend fewer years in school and may even save them money.

The online environment poses unique challenges for academia. For example, how can a school be certain the student signing up for a class is the student actually doing the work? Does the institution have a responsibility to take steps to ensure academic honesty more than it would for onsite courses? MAE asks leaders in the field.

Credit by Exam Earning college credit for knowledge acquired outside the classroom or through prior coursework is a smart way to kick start or even complete a degree. Through CLEP, DSST and institutionspecific exams, veterans and servicemembers can save time and money while working toward their degree.

Health Care Armed with one of many available degrees in health care, a servicemember increases the ability to leverage his or her practical experience and transition to a civilian career. MAE presents a University Roundtable on the subject.

Insertion Order Deadline: April 26, 2012 | Ad Materials Deadline: May 3, 2012

36,000 Active-duty students. on bAse. on-site. online.

Wherever your mission takes you, anywhere in the world, you’ll find University of Maryland University College (UMUC). We offer courses on base or on-site in more than 25 countries—and over 100 bachelor’s and master’s programs entirely online. That’s our mission, because since 1947, UMUC has been educating America’s armed forces.

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University of Maryland University College is the nation’s largest public university.

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