The Veteran Student’s Re-Entry Experience and Financial Aid’s Role Presenters Rachel Cavenaugh, Director of Financial Aid and Veteran services Michael O’Grady, Client Services Outreach, Financial Aid Services, Atlanta, GA Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Veterans’ Re-entry Experience and Financial Aid’s Role Billy Ray Davis, Associate Director of Communications/Enrollment Support, Northern Virginia Community College Matisa Schraven, Senior Federal Compliance Analyst, MOHELA Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Veteran Persistence/Retention Accountability - Accountability - Accountability Discretionary budget has a bull’s eye on it Huge waste of tax payers’ money when students don’t graduate “Stop outs” are less likely to pay their student loans Higher Education Act reauthorization proposals Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017 Trends By 2020 65% of all jobs will require postsecondary education In 1993 the average student loan debt load (in today’s dollars) was $14,500 In 2012 the average debt was $29,400 In 1999 the national default rate was 5.6% In 2010 the national default rate was 9.1% In 2014 the national default rate was 13.7% Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Challenges to the Combat to Class Transition Less than 1 percent of U.S population has served— women and minorities are the increasing percentage of the veteran demographic 25% of homeless have served—Impact on professional judgment and FASFAA completion Suicide rate for veterans is above the national average Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Combat to Class- Big Picture-CA Study 67% of student veterans reported that parents had no degree 75 % ( of that same population) are first generation baccalaureate students The probability of a student persisting was greater if registration for classes was “easy or very easy.” Source: “How Military Service may Affect Student Veteran Persistence” P.C. O’Rourke, California State University Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017 Combat to Class “You go from a (military) bureaucracy that tells you everything to do to a (higher education) bureaucracy that doesn’t tell you anything to do.” University of Arizona Assistant Dean for Veteran Educational and Transitional Services Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Occupations of Veterans by Gender: 2013 Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017 Retention Funnel Recruiting students that don’t matriculate is extremely expensive and is a “lose lose” proposition. Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Graduated Admitted Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Real Reasons Students Leave Higher Education Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Model of Communication Sender Encoder Decoder Receiver Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Other Barriers and Opportunities Different quality of transition assistance programs (TAPS) Effectiveness of the Family Service Center Challenges of decentralized campuses Campus Departmental “silos” Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

A new Hat for Financial Aid Veteran’s Advocate Early registration Integrate financial aid with the veteran’s lounge FASFAA outreach specific for veterans Hire veterans and build a FCWS pipeline of veteran student workers. Maximize Pell Other? Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Triangulation on Campus Business Office Financial Aid Office Veteran’s Office and Veteran’s Lounge Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Veteran’s Center at Cape Fear Community College Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Engagement and other Factors Advisor Interaction: Student that met with their advisor in their first year were 30% more Likely to graduate School Clubs: Those students participating in school clubs were 39% more likely to graduate Work Hours: Those students working more than 20 hours a week were 19% more likely no To obtain a degree than those not working Full-time Enrollment: Student attending full-time are 2 times more likely to graduate Stop Outs: Students that stop out are 60% less likely to graduate 4 Year Institution: Students entering a four year institution are 63% more likely to obtain a degree Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Confronting Retention Challenges College Liaison Program Intrusive Advising Major Maps It’s all about the family One-Stop Enrollment Services Coordinated Communication Plan/Website Targeting Institutional Aid Dollars Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Injury (PTSD/I) Re-entry issues for veterans often result in alcohol abuse, drug abuse, family or marital problems or suicide. Symptoms of PTSD may include anger and irritability, “spacey stare,” short attention span, confusion, trouble sleeping, and “self-medicating”. What is your SAP policy regarding PTSD? Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Injury (PTSD/I) continued… One in five veterans will experience re-entry issues or possibly PTSD/I Approximately 200,000 women served in Afghanistan and Iraq 23% to 33% of women veterans report experiencing “MST” of which 42% will acquire PTSD Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017 Conclusion Communication is key Consider the customer Focus on centralization Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017

NCASFAA would like to thank our Professional Affiliates! Spring Conference April 9 - 12, 2017