Notes From The Edge - Military Times Edge

I cannot overstate the importance to student veterans of finding strong, reliable support systems to help navigate the waters of higher education. I’ve written before about the emerging positive trend to help vets make the successful transition from combat to college

Student Veterans of America is just one more strong example of that.

Founded last January, SVA is a coalition of student veterans’ groups from across the country, working together to develop new groups on college campuses and to coordinate those already in existence. The organization also serves as an advocate for student veterans.

Even better, SVA chapter members don’t pay dues, so you won’t be forced to stretch that student diet of Ramen noodles any thinner in order to be a member.

The International Franchise Expo must rank among Washington, D.C.’s tastiest trade shows thanks to “restaurant row,” where franchise restaurants entice potential new owners with samples of sandwiches, smoothies, tacos and pizza.

This year’s expo is coming up March 20-22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and it’s free for veterans who can produce proof of their service.

Attending the annual expo really is a great way to learn more about the concept, to find out what new franchises are out there — it’s not just a food-service industry by a long shot — and to learn which companies offer discounts to vets through the International Franchise Association’s VetFran program.

If you’re new to the idea of franchising, you won’t want to miss the “Franchising 101 for Veterans” seminar scheduled for 3:30-5 p.m. Saturday, March 21. Our good friend Ed Totanes — Navy veteran and Virginia Barbeque franchisee — is a panelist at this year’s seminar.

You can read more about Ed’s entrepreneurial endeavors in the premier edition of EDGE the magazine, which will be included in Feb. 2 subscriber editions of the Military Times newspapers.

In the meantime, here’s more information about the show.

You don’t have to search long to find news that taking college courses online is a surging trend.

The Raleigh News & Observer today reported that the University of North Carolina’s online enrollment was up 20 percent in 2008 over the prior year.

The Defense Department is just starting to track numbers of online students across the military — the first such figures are due at the end of this month — but Navy and Air Force data show that online learning has already surpassed its classroom-based counterpart among sailors and airmen using tuition assistance.

While investigating this topic, we’ve uncovered another trend. Colleges, lawmakers, government officials and the military services all have the same problem we do. We know what to call online courses

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