Introduction
As demographics of college and university students in the United States evolve, so too must the policies and procedures used to assist students in their pursuit of post-secondary education (Radford, 2009). By the passage of educational acts such as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 78-346), the 1985 Montgomery GI Bill (Public Law 110-252), and now the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Public Law 100-48), institutions of higher education have committed themselves not only to educate the recently discharged and deactivated, but to address a student population with unique needs. Student development practitioners must adapt strategies to assist the transition experience of their military students.
Unlike any other student population, developmental progression and academic acclimation following military enlistment is compounded by a host of obstacles such as mental health needs and psychosocial disruption (Sachs, 2008). As growing numbers of post-9/11 veterans return from their deployments and the numbers of enrolled active service members continue to rise, leaders in higher education must determine how to support the mental, physical, and social needs for this student base.
While considerable research addresses veteran and military service members’ civilian re-entry challenges (Ackerman, DiRamio, and Mitchell, 2009; Radford, 2009) there is a lack of theoretical models for which practitioners can look to for information regarding the specific population of community college student soldiers and veterans. Existing student development theories can be adapted to support this population; what is lost in the adaptation is an holistic approach focused on the unique life experiences attributed only to this specific popu...
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...pringer Publishing Company.
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In the year 1944, US Legislation passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights. It is one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the federal government; one that impacted the United States socially, economically and politically. The GI Bill offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including financial assistance for higher education for veterans of U.S. military service. The benefits of the GI Bill are intended to help veterans readjust to civilian life following service to their country and to encourage bright, motivated men and women to volunteer for military duty. Many factors and contributions have gone into the development of the GI Bill, and it has changed over the years. This research paper will introduce the reader to a brief history of the formation and evolution of the GI Bill, discuss the current benefits that it offers to student populations in response to their specific needs, and introduce current implications that the GI Bill has placed on student veterans and institutions across the nation.
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There is an every growing need for college graduates that need government benefits. There are a surplus of able body men and woman looking for a career or a chance to better their life’s using the benefits provide by the Mandatory Military Services Act as a catalyst to improve the standard of living for each citizen. By having experience that will transience to the job market, with the job market being flooded with highly train workers with military background the overall productivity will greatly improve. (Ruschmann
After my first few months of college, I realized I enjoy being a college student much more than I enjoyed being a high school student. However, the transition between the two extremely diverse worlds, was challenging at first, I found out how to overcome it. Originally, I couldn’t realize how different the two were, but as time went on, I was about to notice the differences. Not everyone is able to be aware of the many similarities and difference. Some differences include: cost, amount of freedom, and reasons why people are there. On the other hand, both high school and college have similar class structure and both require time management. The better prepared a student is to challenged with these many similarities and differences, the more
PTSD in Service Members and New Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. (2009). PTSD Research Quarterly, 20(10501835), 1-8. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/newsletters/research-quarterly/V20N1.pdf
Veterans have struggles with their civilian life after separating from the U.S Armed Forces. Returning to the civilian life seem to be a big challenge for veterans who have no prior job’s skills for civilian life because they had been influenced from military’s training, have physical and psychological damage.
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As a byproduct of the change in college culture, it will create a “friendlier” environment for first generation. Students need to feel safe rather than out of place. Additionally, prestigious institutions need to take initiative to create new programs that will make college a painless transition for first generation students by implementing new policies such as mentors or clubs. As many colleges and universities have not taken the initiative to help first-generation students, North Carolina State University is one of the few exceptions. As a fellow first generation college student at North Carolina State University, I have reaped many benefits from the different organizations they have around campus. In the Poole College of Management, I was assigned a professional mentor in my future line of work that made the transition into college a better experience for me. After listening to his forums, I was able to use the skills I had learnt from my parents and apply it to college and my study habits benefiting me in countless possibilities. Additionally, the sociology department at North Carolina State University has created a program that guides first-generations students throughout all four years of college making the transition as
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
My decision to enroll in college has been one that I have been pondering for the last three decades. During my last year of high school, I met a friend who was surprised that was not planning on enrolling at the local community college. As I've matured and joined the United States Marine Corps, I had an opportunity to start my college journey. Surprisingly, that was in 1978. From 1978 to 2009 my journey took me to my midpoint and I received my Associates Degree. The thrill of receiving that Associates degree motivated me to start on my undergraduate journey. There were several reasons why I decided to start this journey in addition to the thrill and it ranges from making new friends, preparing for new career, learn new skills, and most importantly to increase my knowledge. That is why I decided to enroll at American Military University in pursuit of my undergraduate degree in Emergency Management (EM) and Preparedness.
I lived until the age of 18 in Lacey, Washington, a small town made up mostly of the strip malls and Taco Bell fast food restaurants that line Interstate 5 from Portland to Seattle. Very few of my high school classmates left this town, and instead moved back into the service industries and lower rungs of state bureaucracy where their parents had worked before them. For those of us who wanted to leave, the only routes, at the time, seemed to be the military or higher education. Since, by middle school, I had been tracked into college prep courses, I assumed that I would go to college but did not know where or what to study.
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
As a woman on active duty in the United States Coast Guard I have benefited from numerous experiences that have molded and prepared me for my academic career. As a Health Services Technician, I have had the unique opportunity to treat patients and truly help my fellow shipmates. Seven years of experience has shown me how much listening to someone’s story is treatment alone. I have selected Sociology as my major because I have learned that understanding how we operate in society is an essential tool when making an effort to really understand someone and more importantly understanding what tools are necessary to succeed in a particular environment. Sociology is a specialty that will aid in a future career in medicine because treating the person is as crucial as treating a disease. A focus in Sociology expands our imaginations, broadening our capacity to feel compassion for our fellow man.