Taking Back the Term: “Military Friendly”

• Kathy McMurtry Snead

• Director, SOC

Taking Back the Term: “Military Friendly”

• Kathy McMurtry Snead

• Director, SOC

• Credit Recognition for Military Training and Experience

• Active Engagement with Military and Veteran Students

• Public Commitment to Helping Military/Veteran Students Succeed

• Accountability Mechanisms for Tracking Success

Basic Requirement for Term Usage:

• Overall budget request for Training and Education $11.3 Billion FY 2012 DoD

• $3 Billion requested for Recruit Training and Specialized Skills Training in FY 2012

• American Council on Education contract with DoD/DANTES for military evaluation program since 1945. Equivalent credit recommendations produced in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services

DoD Investment in Military Training

• Non-traditional prior learning credits awards from 162 SOC Degree Network System Schools

• 764,000 evaluated credits applied toward degrees /45,000 servicemembers

• 13.77 average semester hours, 2-year degrees

• 20.71 average semester hours, 4-year degrees

• More than $191 million in cost avoidance, given $250 per credit hour (TA)

Evaluated Credit for Military Training = TA Cost Avoidance

Evaluated Credit for Military Training = TA Cost Avoidance

• Communicates “college-capable” message to enrolling servicemembers

• Institutional value statement about military service to country (affirmation that veterans and military students matter to school)

• Motivates a servicemember toward degree completion for advanced academic progress and prior learning

• Accelerates their entry into the work world by shortening their degree completion time

• Optimizes TA and VA educational benefits for additional certificates, degrees

Servicemember Benefits for Evaluated Credit Recognition of Military Training

Examples include:

• Form an working group to explore responsive ways to meet military population needs. Engage servicemembers/ veterans in efforts to identify concerns, and develop and implement solutions.

• Host focus groups of veterans and servicemembers on institutional policies and services

• Build a strong web presence with interactive options for online military students

• Provide opportunities for participation in student veteran clubs such as the Student Veterans of America.

Active Engagement with Military Students

It’s not specifically WHAT you do to help the military

student population enrolled at your institution…

Rather that you DO SOMETHING specifically to address

their educational needs, focusing on degree completion

and other student success indicators/measures.

Public Commitment to Helping Military Students Succeed

Examples include:

• Establishing a “center”— a gathering space

• Borrowing elements of existing programs with positive impact; promising practices

• Replicating entire programs with proven results• Creating new initiatives based on feedback from your

military students.

Public Commitment to Helping Military Students Succeed

Examples include:

1. Expand IPEDS definition for tracking students to include military students in the cohort and reporting.

2. Improve self-reporting and data systems at institution, state and federal agency levels to better track military students and veterans.

3. Institutions should continue to offer flexible enrollment opportunities for military students, and develop appropriate definitions of retention and persistence for this population.

Accountability Mechanism(s) for Tracking

We must work across institutional or sectoral lines with stakeholders in associations, advocacy groups, and legislative bodies

Because the goal – to make sure that military and veteran students and their families get the best possible education at institutions that treat them fairly and with respect – is truly military-friendly.