Transcript Defining the Role of Faculty in Interacting with Military

Defining the Role of Faculty
in Interacting with Military
Military Culture & Curriculum Planning Meeting
November 8, 2010
Dr. Bruce Brunson
The transition into the military
was not an overnight process.
Colleges should not expect the transition
from the military to the classroom to be any quicker.
Who is in your classroom or online?
 Active Duty
 Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marine Corps, and Coast
Guard
 National Guard
 Reserves from all services
 Spouses
 Dependents
 Veterans
From All Services
 Spouses
 Dependents

General Understanding of Military Students
 Military terms, acronyms, jargon
 Ranks
 Each student’s situation
 Reasons why they may require something extra –
time to complete an assignment, for example
 Shortage of time
 Need for flexibility
Population Qualifying for Veteran
Education Benefits
• 2,142,719 Deployed since 9/11 as of June 2010
 1,532,980 Active Duty
 609,739 Guard/Reserve
• 260,610 Currently Deployed
Greatest influx of combat veterans in last 40 years;
will continue to increase in coming years.
CTS Deployment File June 10
-Provided by SERV.ORG-
Military Demographics
AGE
Primary Occupations Deployed
Infantry/Seamanship
Electronic Repair
Commun./Intelligence
Health Care
Other Tech./Allied
Func. Support/Admin
Elec./Mech. Repair
Craftsmen
Svc and Supply Handlers
General Off./Exec.
Tactical Ops. Officer
Intelligence Officer
Eng./Main. Officer
Scient./Professionals
Health Care Officer
Administrators
Supply/Procurement Off.
Active
Reserve
46.5%
----
----
32.8%
19.7%
---- 26-30 Years Old ----
14.3%
13.8%
---- 31-35 Years Old ----
12.6%
11.3%
---- 36-40 Years Old ----
15.0%
----
25.3%
8.7%
25 or Younger
41 or Older
----
MARITAL/GENDER
%
Single Male
Single Female
42.7
Married Male
6.2
47.1
Married Female
4.0
Carolyn L. Baker, Chief Continuing Education Programs, CCME 2010
6
Families
55% of the Force is married
40% of the children are under 5
32% 6-11 years old
25% 12-18 years old
Married Service Members Deployed
Men
Females
47%
4%
Carolyn L. Baker, Chief Continuing Education Programs, CCME 2010
7
Voluntary Education
DoD Vision
Life-Long Learning for the DoD Adult Family Members
PB2009 Voluntary Education Programs: $800M (Tuition Assistance
and Operational Costs)
Education Sites World Wide: 350 to include Iraq and Afghanistan
In FY09
 657,715 Individuals Participated in Vol Ed Programs
 376,759 Troops Enrolled in Postsecondary Courses
 44,160 Troops Degrees from College

2,017 Certification / Licensures Awarded
Carolyn L. Baker, Chief Continuing Education Programs, CCME 2010
8
DELIVERY
Traditional Classroom 29%
Distance Learning 71%
Carolyn L. Baker, Chief Continuing Education Programs, CCME 2010
Source: FY2009 Voluntary Education Report
Active Duty
Diplomas/Degrees/Certifications Awarded
Masters
3,485
Doctorates
20 Certificates/Licensures
2,017
HS/GED
9
Bachelors
12,352
Associate Degrees
29,276
46,186Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates
Earned (FY 09)
Source: FY2009 Voluntary Education Report
Carolyn L. Baker, Chief Continuing Education Programs, CCME 2010
Characteristics of Students
 Excellent candidates for college recruitment/retention
 Serious, motivated, goal-oriented
 Focused on career goals—and for many, earning a degree IS
the pathway toward those goals
 Have money and educational
benefits for college
Characteristics of Students
• Adult Students
 Mature and motivated to complete goals
 may have different priorities than 18-20 year old peers
• Have been in disciplined job environment
 responsible individuals with proven work ethic
• Possess leadership skills
What unique challenges must
this group overcome?
 Heightened sensory awareness of sights, sounds & smells.
 Identification and closeness with their military unit
 Regimentation into highly structured and efficient routines.
 Reconnecting with friends more difficult than expected.
 Difficulties arise in trying to generate a “new normal”
What unique challenges must
this group overcome?
 Life at home/work/school may not have the edge and
adrenaline associated with wartime duty
 Higher substance abuse rates than general population
 Higher Divorce Rates than general population
 Significant rate of
 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 and Depression
Degree Obstacles - Military vs. Civilian
Civilian
Veteran
 Economic

Tuition Covered by Tuition
Assistance or GI Bill
 Transition
 Military to civilian
 War Zone to Campus
 Freshmen Age Difference
 24yr old vet vs. 18yr old
 Career Goals
 Vets more Mature
 Less likely to change majors
 Economic
 Tuition Costs
 Part-time job
 Scholarships
 Student Loans
 Parents
 Transition
 High School to College
 Career Goals Change
 18yr olds change majors
Bernadette Gray-Little, Dean College of A & S, UNC, May 2006 http://www.unc.edu/depts/trustees/Time%20to%20Degree.pdf
SERV
Proprietary and Confidential
Transition to College
Three Key Areas
 Freshmen Age Difference:
 24 year-old or older active duty or veterans
 .vs. 18 year-old general student population
 Disciplined lifestyle
.vs. socially acceptable
standards among students

 War Zone to Campus
First Day – Class or Online
 First Days as new student:
 Don’t know where to go for information, who to talk to
 Registration not as efficient or intuitive as what they are
accustomed to in the military and no one is telling them
what to do next
 Classes/Curriculum
 Reluctant to volunteer that they are a Veteran (not sure if
instructor, advisor, or other students will react negatively)
 Reluctant to admit they lack confidence in the course or are
struggling
First Day
Class or Online
 Re-Connecting with other veterans
 Civilians do not know what they have experienced
 Some miss the camaraderie
 Feel that only other veterans understand their situation or
struggles
Servicemembers are trained to complete missions and
are not quitters. If they can make it through the
challenges of the first semester, they succeed.
Transition Success
Military and Veteran Only Classes
 Comfortable learning environment
 Traditional classroom environment creates distractions
 Attention span is low and anxiety of an unfamiliar setting
 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A classroom of peers that entails trust among men and
women with shared experiences will create a
comfortable learning environment.
Transition Success
Military and Veteran Only Classes
 First semester veteran only classes, Second semester half
veteran, half mixed
 General education classes for all majors: English 1301,
Math 1301, etc.
 Study hours/ group therapy sessions similar to athletes and
fraternities
Student Success
 Enter students info into a military database
 Need for stats for reporting
 To “Push” them support and changes in benefits
 Assign veteran mentor
 Military advisors
 Priority registration/ Tuition Assistance/ VA Benefits /Financial
Aid
 Expedited application process/ flexible enrollment deadlines
Military & Veteran’s Organization
 Form on Campus
 Form in Distance Learning Environment
 Support from:
 Advisor - Military Veteran or Spouse
 Faculty Mentors -Veteran or Spouse
 ROTC Student Mentors
 Active Duty going full time on campus
Academic Support
 Are course mentors aware of which students in their class
are military or veterans?
 Do course mentors receive any additional training regarding
challenges and strategies for overcoming challenges?
 Do military and veteran have the ability to identify other
students who are veterans in their class?
 Is there a mechanism for military
and veterans to identify themselves
to course mentors?
Number 1 Reason for Low Success Rate
 Inability to concentrate when taking exams
 Environment (classroom) distractions very high
 Concentration on questions very low

Exam scores are low-Grades drop- Drops out
 To improve concentration on exams – study shows:
 Minimize environmental distractions

Remove civilians from the environment
 Guardian mode drops-Vets feel more comfortable
 Memory/recall improves-Scores/Confidence Improves
6 months of discussions with Vietnam-Persian Gulf veterans Jan-June 2007- Cleveland VA Stress Recovery Ctr,
SERV
Proprietary and Confidential
Ken Prabucki, Holly Hirsel, counselors/directors
Military Friendly College or University?
 Yellow Ribbon Institution – tuition rates
 Members of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
 Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Army (SOCAD
 Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Navy (SOCNAV)
 Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Marines (SOCMAR)
 Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Coast Guard
(SOCCOAST)
Military Friendly College or University?
 Award American Council on Education credit for military
specialties (MOS/Rating/AFS) education and training
 Accept standardized tests from:
 College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
 Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support
 DANTES ____ Standardized Tests
 College Board Advanced Placement Program
 Graduate Record Examinations
 Defense Language Aptitude Battery
 Defense Language Proficiency Tests
Why More Spouses & Dependents?
Transfer of Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits to Dependents
 GI Bill can transfer education entitlement to:
 Spouse.
 One or more of the children.
 Any combination of spouse and child
 May transfer up to the total months of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill
benefits, or the entire 36 months if the member
Why More Spouses?
Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)
 Limited to $4,000 maximum benefit with a $2,000 fiscal year
cap
 Must finish their program of study within 3 years from the start
date of the first course.
 Funding is limited to:
 Associate’s degrees, certifications
and licensure programs.
Why More Spouses?
Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)
Spouse of an:
 active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine service member,
or activated Reserve member
 pay grades enlisted - E1-E5; warrant officer -W1-W2, or
officer - O1-O2.
 National Guard and/or Air Guard
 On federal Title 10 active duty orders
 Guard or Reserve in an Alert, Transition Assistance, or Post
Deployment status are not eligible.
VA Resources for Educators
 GI Bill Website:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/
 Counseling Veteran Students:
http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/College/
 Behavioral Health Assistance:
http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/index.asp
STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA
http://www.studentveterans.org/about/
Thank You
Dr. Bruce Brunson
[email protected]
[email protected]
904-509-4674