From the Front Lines to the Front of the Class: Student Veterans at SXU Presenters: John Kelly, Veteran Recruitment Specialist Sheri Gross, Veteran Coordinator

Agenda Meet John and Sheri Military Culture Veterans at a Glance Our SXU Student Veterans Common Misconceptions Questions and Discussion

A little about John… Marine Veteran Former SXU student/worker What I do at SXU Transfer Counselor Veteran Recruitment First Point of Contact Advocacy Oversees the Student Veteran Admission Asst.

A little about Sheri… Army Spouse Former Counselor What I do at SXU Benefits Advocacy Student Organization Advisor Everything in between

Military Culture While In The Service Chain of command Never off duty Camaraderie Teamwork Post Separation Not used as strictly as it is in the military You are off when you punch the clock Everyone goes their separate ways after work Although it obviously exists in the civilian world, it is to a much lesser extent

Military Culture Military Skills Highly motivated to be successful Leadership experience Timely Preparedness Attentive Organized Disciplined How they can be utilized in Higher Education WANTS to be here Takes charge in groups, but can also follow directions Completes work according to syllabus, on time Comes prepared to learn and pays close attention to lectures Respects authority/hierarchy Fantastic multi-tasking abilities

Flip side? Can be easily bothered by traditional students who: Complain about trivial things (early classes, parents, etc) Text during class Do not respect professors/instructors time Slack in group projects Arrive late to classes or meetings Take their time here for granted

Veterans Stats at Glance Nationally Total Veterans: ~22 milion Male/Female: ~19.7 million males/~2.3 million females Age Ranges ~3 million between Conflicts: WW2-current 2.2 million joined after 9/11 Utilizing GI Bill: 3.5 million Unemployed (2013): ~722, ,700 are between years old Illinois Total Veterans: 744,710 Male/Female: ~677k males, 68k females Age Ranges: Almost 100k between Conflicts: WW2-Current ~53k joined after 9/11 Utilizing GI Bill: As 0f 11/ k Unemployed (as of 2012): Total: 7% Total Post 9/11: 9.9% 18-24: 20.4% 25-34: 10.6%

SXU Demographics 120 “Military” Students 22 Dependents (Spouses, Children), 98 Veterans 15 dependents receive VA education benefits 81 veterans receive VA education benefits 23 (7 dependent, 17 veteran) students receive no VA benefits toward tuition and fees Gender Veterans: 33 female, 65 male Dependents: 17 female, 5 male 39 Graduate, 81 Undergraduate UG: Business, Nursing, Psychology, CJ, Biology GR: Business, Nursing, Education Generally, student veterans are years old Years of service Ranges from years Generally 3-10 years We are currently collecting data to better understand our military population at SXU (student survey and Institutional Research project) SXU students VA Education Benefits include: Post 9/11 GI Bill (Ch.33 and Ch.33YR) Montgomery GI Bill (Ch.30) MGIB-SR (Ch.1606 ) DEA (Ch.35) Army Tuition Assistance (TA)

What is SXU up to? Student Survey Institutional Research Data Collection Hines MMU at Health Fair Point people in critical departments Illinois Joining Forces Affinity Group

Student Veteran Alliance Formed in August 2013 Nationally Affiliated ~30 students Social Activities Service Oriented Open to ALL students Special events on campus VetCenter Grant Initiative

Grant Proposal Video Student Veterans of America VetCenter Initiative Video Pitch Student Veterans of America VetCenter Initiative Video Pitch

Common Misconceptions Every veteran has PTSD or another form of mental illness Statistics show that % of veterans have a mental illness—studies vary Every veteran has been to war and/or served in a combat role Every veteran has a free ride to college Left the service with marketable skills Veterans do not like/want to get along with their civilian counterparts

Common Misconceptions The student veteran will make it clear to everyone that he/she is a veteran Members of the military are uneducated The military preys on the poor

Questions?

Sources NCVAS (National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics). Overview of Military Culture, Jeanette Hsu; VA Palo Alto Health Care System. culture.pdf act.pdfhttp:// act.pdf Million Records Project, Student Veterans of America 3/2014 New Veterans in Illinois: A Call to Action, 12/2012 (McCormick Foundation) (Veteran reports)