1 Winter 2011 Veterans KC The Veterans Knowledge Community will advance Veterans Best Practices through the education and activation of its members NASPA Inside this issue: Amanda Erdmann University of Wisconsin One of the newest Knowledge Communities, the Veterans Knowledge Community is continuing to roll strongly from its first to second year. As a community that works to advance best practices for student veterans, the following priorities will be at the core of the work the KC does in the upcoming year: -Priority registration for classes -Priority enrollment for transfer student veterans -Moving the School Certifying Official position from an ad- ministrative position to a student affairs position -Implementation of assessment measures for veterans ser- vices on all campuses -Integration of veterans issues into student government or- ganizations If you have any resources to offer the Veterans KC regarding these priorities, or would like to learn more about how to get involved, please contact Amanda Erdmann at aman- [email protected]Veteran’s Knowledge Community Identifies Top 5 Priorities for Student Veterans Best Practices Opening Message ………………… 1 VET NET Ally Seminar ……………….. 2 Veteran-Related Presentations at NASPA Annual Conference ………….. … 3 Get Connected…………… ………… 3 Mark Your Calendars …...………4 Survey ………... ………………… 4 Call for Articles..………………… 4
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Winter 2011
Veterans KC The Veterans Knowledge Community will advance Veterans Best Practices through the education and
activation of its members
NASPA
Inside this issue: Amanda Erdmann
University of Wisconsin
One of the newest Knowledge Communities, the Veterans
Knowledge Community is continuing to roll strongly from its
first to second year. As a community that works to advance
best practices for student veterans, the following priorities
will be at the core of the work the KC does in the upcoming
year:
-Priority registration for classes
-Priority enrollment for transfer student veterans
-Moving the School Certifying Official position from an ad-
ministrative position to a student affairs position
-Implementation of assessment measures for veterans ser-
vices on all campuses
-Integration of veterans issues into student government or-
ganizations
If you have any resources to offer the Veterans KC regarding
these priorities, or would like to learn more about how to get
On Saturday, March 12th, as part of the NASPA Annual
Conference in Philadelphia, the VET NET Ally Seminar
will be presented from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. This seminar is the
result of an action research dissertation by Dr. Marshall
Thomas and includes two other higher education staff, both
of whom, like Dr. Thomas, are U.S. military veterans.
The VET NET Ally Seminar is a faculty and staff aware-
ness program designed to educate the campus community
about the needs of military veterans in higher education and
the diversity of experience and background they bring to
our institutions. Modeled after LGBT Safe Zone (or Safe
Space) programs common on college campuses across the
U.S., the half-day VET NET Ally Seminar focuses on pre-
and post-military culture, personal identity issues, and the
services available to veterans to assist them in achieving
their personal, social, and educational goals.
After attending the seminar, participants are given a sticker
to display in their personal workspace to show their support
for veterans on campus. These stickers serve as visible re-
minders that veterans are welcome and appreciated on cam-
pus, and that they have allies to provide support, infor-
mation, and assistance in their pursuit of academic and per-
sonal success.
The program will be presented Dr. Marshall Thomas, Asso-
ciate Director, Learning Assistance Center (former Marine),
Dr. Michael Barraza, Staff Counselor, Counseling and Psy-
chological Services (former Army soldier), and Patrick
O’Rourke, Director of Veterans University and the Veterans
Affairs Services office (retired Army officer). All three
presenters work at California State University, Long Beach
(CSULB).
The half day seminar includes
VET NET Ally program mission and what CSULB is
doing to help veterans
Why I joined – a discussion about the reasons men and
women join the military
Military and post-service culture - debunking the myths
about veterans and their service
The experience of veterans in the classroom
Veterans issues in higher education
Student veteran panel
Proven outcomes from the VET NET Ally Seminar include
Over 225 staff and faculty have participated in the seminar since February 2010
99% of participants responded that they would “recommend” or “strongly recommend” that their col-leagues attend this seminar.
Requested by several California Community Colleges, the University of California – Irvine, and the California Community College Student Financial Aid Administrators
Selected for presentation at the 2011 NASPA Annual Conference (pre-conference time)
Due to scarce resources, seminars have been limited to
CSULB and other local institutions. While some programs
work well in a webinar format, the VET NET Ally program
relies on personal interaction between participants, present-
ers, and perhaps most importantly with the student panel.
Because the webinar format doesn’t lend itself to this type
of interaction, higher education leaders from more distant
colleges and universities have travelled to CSULB to attend
seminars on our campus, and have asked how to build simi-
lar programs. We believe there is a place for a Veterans’
Ally program on every campus that serves veterans, and we
invite collaboration with other institutions interested in de-
veloping programs for their campuses.
The logo below represents the symbol given to VET NET
Ally Seminar at the end of training. If the attendee chooses
to openly support student veterans and agrees to hold con-
versations with veterans in confidence, they are encouraged
to display the symbol outside their work station. For more
information please contact Patrick C. O’Rourke, Director of
Veterans Affairs Services, California State University, Long
Veteran-Related Presentations at NASPA Annual Conference
Amanda Kraus, Corey Rumann, Mark Bauman Past, Present and Future: Student Veterans on Campus Sunday, March 13 - full day Marriott Franklin 10 Wade Livingston and two colleagues from Clemson Coming Home: Academic and Social Transitions of Student Veterans Monday, March 14 (3:45 PM - 5 PM) Convention Center 118A Christy Willis and three colleagues from GW Student Veteran Transitions: Overcoming Disability, Loss, & Grief Tuesday, March 15 (10:45 AM - 12 PM) Convention Center 118A
Susan Iverson Meeting the Needs of Women Veterans on Campus Tuesday, March 15 (1:45 PM - 3:00 PM) Convention Center 120 Sarah Minnis Troops to College: Collaborative Veteran Student Success Strategy (Sponsored by VKC) Tuesday, March 15 (12:15 PM - 1:30 PM) Marriott Franklin 4 Sarah Minnis
Military Transition and Re-careering Tuesday, March 15 (3:15 PM - 4:30 PM) Marriott Franklin 10
