New

York

Post,

Tuesday,

February

28,2012

nypost.com

43Education

By ERIKA PRAFDER

WHILE training intheMarineCorps,28-year-old SteveMoylan knew thatthe skills that hewas developing

were invaluable for the battlefield.Knowing how to translate thesestrengths into a resume for thecivilianworkplace, however,waschallenging.“I knew that riflemarksman-

shipwasn’t going to be a corecompetency ofmy job outside ofmilitary service, but the pride andownership vets takewith this taskis unmatched,” saysMoylan,who’scurrently completing his secondyear of FordhamUniversity’sMBAprogram.During the last couple ofmonths

of hismilitary service, asMoylanbegan to plot his transition into aca-demia, he decided to concentrateon the businessworld.Moylan,whohad excelled as an

infantry officer during tours in IraqandAfghanistan,was accepted toFordham’s business school, but onbeginning classes there, cultureshock began to set in.“Coming out of theMarines, you

bring a very unique perspective tothings. There are such difficult deci-sions beingmade. Most businessschool students have a couple ofyears ofwork experience and a dif-ferentway of looking at theworld.During school groupprojects, thereis a lot of petty stuff that occurs. I’doften say [to student colleagues]‘You can’t be serious. This is notdifficult. Let’s figure it out and get it

done’,” saysMoylan.Through an armed forces club at

Fordham,Moylan connectedwiththe school’s Edge4Vets program(reclaimingthesky.com) launchedthrough theHumanResiliencyInstitute at FordhamUniversity’sGraduate School of Social Science.Led by directorTomMurphy,

the organization leadsmilitary-to-career transition supportworkshops.“Wehelp student vets identify

strengths developed in themilitaryand teach themhow to apply themas tools to succeed in school, andas a platform for getting a job andcareer,” saysMurphy,who launched

the series of threeworkshops this pastfall semester andplans to expand theprogram to otherCUNYschools.As student vets

transition fromdesert to desk, “Wewant them tomoveforward, be clearon their assets andbecome a fish back inwater,” he adds.It’swidely known

that the core beliefsespoused in the

military are duty, integrity, justiceand honor.“Businesses look for these char-

acter traits— they’re verymuch indemand,” saysMurphy. “Wehelpstudent vets identifywhich of thosebeliefs aremost important to them,and develop a personal action plantomake [thema] part of their lifeand career.”For example, one vet oversaw

the servicing of transport planesat BaghdadAirport, according to

Murphy. “Consequently, using goodjudgment and a sense of duty arethings he takes very seriously,” hesays. “We’re nowaiming for him towork at a SiliconValley incubator inthe high-tech department.”Another student vet hasworked

hisway up at the Fordham radiostation to become its operationsmanager.“Everyone there trusts that he

makes good judgments. They’rereally confident in him,” saysMurphy.Edge4Vets also helps student

vets overcome the common chal-lenges encountered as they re-enteracademic life,which include forgingrelationshipswith peerswho are,inmany cases, younger, aswellas dealingwith various rules andregulations.

“One fellawasn’t doingwell inliterature class. In Iraq, hewas veryskilled at breaking downhis rifleevery day. Cleaning it is somethingthatmust be done— it’s a life-or-death issue.We advised him tobreak downhis literature assign-ments like he did his rifle duty. Byfinding that commonality, hewasable to overcomehis academichardship,” saysMurphy.ForMoylan, one central benefit

of the Edge4Vets program is thevalidation of the re-entry shock heinitially experienced.

“In the classroom, themostmind-numbing, tedious taskswouldkeep usworking past five at night,andmany studentswouldwant toreturn home. I thought itwas justme feeling thiswas nuts. If a jobisn’t done in themilitary,we didn’t

just leave,” saysMoylan.Murphy’s programalso enabled

Moylan to identify the core valueshe’s looking for in an employer.“Tom’sworksheets push you

to extract civilian job skills out of[your]military skills. This allowsme to better [tailormy] resumeand answer questions in a jobinterview.”In the private sector,Moylanwill

be looking for a position on theoperations side of a company thathas a culture of responsibility andintegrity, he says.And if a job interview for the pri-

vate sector doesn’t pan outwell, “Ithink vets are uniquely experiencedto identify the point of friction of anevent. I’ll knowwhat I need toworkon to improvemyplan for the nextinterview,” he says.

COMINGOUT OF THEMARINES,

YOU BRING AVERY UNIQUEPERSPECTIVE TOTHINGS.”

—SteveMoylan, Fordham business schoolstudent and formerMarine.

FROM dESERT TO dESk

Steve Moylan (left) discusses his transition into graduate education with Fordham’s Edge4Vets director Tom Murphy.

The Montgomery GI Bill Thisbill offers up to 36 months ofeducational benefits to veteranswho qualify: usmilitary.about.com/cs/education/a/admgib.htmTroops to Teachers (TTT) This

national program aims to assist

eligible military personnel intheir transition to new careersas public school teachers inspecified schools. Financialaid is available to those whoqualify: highered.nysed.gov/tcert/career/ttt.html

Veterans Tuition Awards (VTA)Offers monetary awards for full-and part-time study for qualifiedveterans who arematriculatingat an undergraduate or gradu-ate degree-offering institutionor in various vocational trainingprograms throughout New YorkState: hesc.com/content.nsf/SFC/2/Veterans_Tuition_Awards

Finding Funding

Helping studentvets put militarytechniques into

classroom settings

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