Notes From The Edge - Military Times Edge

The good news: VA apparently is “more efficiently” cutting checks for veterans to attend college this semester. In fact, as of Feb. 5, almost 90 percent of enrollments for the 167,000 veterans submitted to VA for the Post-9/11 GI Bill had been paid out, VA said. And all those claims submitted by Jan. 19 were paid.

The not-so-good news? VA already is pursuing repayment of the $3,000 advance payments of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits it made to ease the burden on students waiting for delayed benefits payments. According to a report by Rick Maze in Military Times, VA wants the $3,000 back, interest free, within one year, and requires a monthly payment plan, which would mean monthly payments of $250.

The names of anyone who does not respond to VA’s request for recoupment will be turned over the Treasury Offset Program, which can garnish salaries or tax refunds to collect money owed the federal government, the story said.

It all just seems a bit aggressive, especially given the months of financial hardship and uncertainty many of the first crop of Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients went through while waiting for their payments last fall semester. Many students were forced to live off of savings or credit cards, or even drop out of school, while waiting for payments that often were months overdue.

Many colleges and universities — already cash-strapped themselves in our tough economy — also felt the strain for extending a helping hand to veterans in the form of emergency loans or generous deadline extensions on due dates for student bills.

The $3,000 advance payments should, of course, be paid back. Unfortunately, many of those who were forced to take the payments in the first place likely still are struggling to regain their financial footing.
VA is offering an alternate payment plan for those experiencing financial hardship. Being a successful college student is difficult enough when all conditions are ideal. Let’s hope veterans will consider the alternate repayment route to avoid another financially stressful semester.

Support for service member and veteran students is at an all-time high on college and university campuses across the nation.

Last month, I reported that $6 million for student veterans centers was to be included in the 2010 Education Department budget. But not every school is sitting back to wait for the federal money. Many excellent veterans programs already are in existence, with more coming online seemingly every day. Some recent additions:

* The University of North Texas Veterans Center
* The University of Louisville Office of Military and Veteran Student Services
* The University of Michigan-Flint Student Veterans Support Center

The purpose of such centers is to assist veterans with the transition from service member to student, and to put access to all the tools, departments and programs that promote academic success under one roof.

As part of a story for an upcoming issue of EDGE, I recently spoke to Andrew Rendon, director of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Mississippi State University. Rendon made an excellent point about the importance of making schools veteran-friendly for the long term.

“We are at war right now,” he said. “There is a lot of emphasis on helping veterans. But someday when the war goes away, there won’t be as much emphasis on helping veterans. That’s why we need to right now work on making universities and departments become more veteran-friendly.”

If schools and their individual departments and programs become more attuned to the needs of veteran students, he said, the need for separate veterans centers may go away. “You need [veterans centers],” Rendon said. “But you need the departments on campus to continue to change their policies and become more veteran-friendly.”

Readers, what do you think? Do you see a future in which schools become so attuned to the needs and interests of student veterans that the need for veterans centers goes away?

Proof that miracles do happen? A government form just got shorter – and easier – to complete.

On Jan. 1, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, debuted a sleeker, simpler look on the Web. Changes to the form, which is used to determine eligibility for student financial aid ranging from federal and state grants to work-studies and loans, include fewer questions, friendlier online navigation and the ability to import tax information from the IRS, according to the Education Department.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan hopes the streamlined FAFSA will encourage more students to apply, according to USA Today.

Jan. 1 was the first day students were eligible to file the 2010-2011 FAFSA. The College Board recommends filing as close to that date as possible, since deadlines vary and aid often is determined on a first-come basis.

One final word of advice: Before you start filling out your FAFSA, take the confusion out of whether or not your Veterans Affairs educational benefits affect your eligibility for financial aid by visiting http://www.gibill.va.gov/training/Presentations/FAFSA_and_VA_Education_Benefits.pdf

Private, for-profit colleges in California apparently are stepping up to fill a need in public higher education caused by budget shortfalls and increased enrollment demand. According to a recent article in the Vallejo (Calif.) Times Herald, for-profit schools like University of Phoenix and Kaplan University are seeing huge jumps in enrollment, as limited slots at California community colleges and public schools are making it difficult for students to fulfill their degree requirements.

It’s a disturbing trend in higher education that bears further attention. In November, I wrote about increased occurrences of community colleges having to turn away would-be students because of overcrowding and underfunding.

Private for-profits can provide education where it otherwise might not be available, but these schools are not for everyone. Tuition costs can be much higher than at public institutions, and, as I pointed out in another recent post, the dismal economy is making some employers pay close attention to where job applicants received their college educations – with many giving less-than-favorable marks for degrees obtained from private for-profits.

Community colleges and public institutions are working hard to find solutions to the overcrowding/underfunding problems, but budgetary constraints imposed by the economy have placed a chokehold on any quick solutions. As demand for a college education increases and opportunities grow more limited, your best bets for acceptance remain:

* Applying early.

* Applying to more than one school.

* Conveying your seriousness as a student at every opportunity – on the application itself and on tests such as CLEP, ACT and SAT.

A Center of Excellence for Veterans Success could be coming to a college campus near you.

The FY 2010 budget bill includes $6 million for the Department of Education to fund a 2010 pilot project that would award federal grants to colleges and universities for establishment of the centers, according to AMVETS.

“These centers will provide a critical one-stop shop for student-veterans, offering all the necessary tools to succeed in academic life,” said AMVETS national legislative director Ray Kelley.

Veterans groups say such centers would be an important resource for schools and student veterans, especially in light of the increasing numbers of vets taking advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the problems caused by that overwhelming response.

AMVETS, which lobbied for the centers for excellence, works with Cleveland State University Professor John Schupp, founder of the Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran (SERV) program, as a model for campuses to meet the needs of their student-veterans.

I had the opportunity to speak with Schupp back in March for a story about veterans making the transition from combat to college. I was impressed then with SERV, a program with a highly personalized approach to helping student veterans, sans the bureaucracy, confusion and condescension that often greet this population when they arrive on campus. Other campuses would do well to mirror the success of Schupp’s project when establishing veterans’ centers of their own.

Once the Education Department clarifies the grant process, AMVETS plans to work closely with campuses to acquire funding and establish quality student-veterans’ centers.

As the economy continues to spell bad news for recent college graduates, potential employers are paying more attention to the quality of education received by job-seekers – and those employers have pretty strong opinions about their likes and dislikes.

A recent article from Bloomberg.com examined the value in today’s job market of a college degree from for-profit online colleges. Such colleges are popular education options for military learners, in large part because of the convenience and flexibility of their programs.

Criticisms of for-profit online institutions by others in the higher education community are not new and some of these criticisms are legitimate: There are plenty of schools out there that are glorified diploma mills, preying on military learners. But there are also many legitimate, high-quality for-profits schools that truly have the best interests of the students at heart.

In the Bloomberg article, criticisms of the value of for-profit degrees are not limited to peers in higher education. Employers and job-search firms go on record citing reservations about the quality of degrees earned from for-profit online schools.

I’d be curious to see a similar article exploring the weight, in our current economy, of degrees from different-caliber traditional schools. How does a degree from “Podunk College,”

Talk about a great idea whose time has come.

The nation’s first transitional housing and rehabilitation center for wounded combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is scheduled to open its doors in January. Located on the campus of Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Mass., the Northeast Veteran Training and Rehabilitation Center will provide combat-wounded veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other injuries and their families with access to housing, campus services and academic programs – all free of charge – while the veteran participates in therapy, rehabilitation and community reintegration programs.

The $8 million center is being constructed by the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Veteran Homestead and will consist of a rehabilitation complex and a condominium community of 10 two-bedroom apartments. Ten additional housing units are expected to be built in 2010.

The program is open to Iraq or Afghanistan veterans from any state or territory. For more information, contact program director Michelle Wilmott at (978) 353-0234, or visit www.mwcc.edu/info/newsarchive/news102009.html, www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=136995204207, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTvF5-XXwBA or www.veteranhomestead.org/facilities/nvtrc.html.

The phrase “military friendly” is one that gets thrown about a lot in higher education circles. Many schools identified as military friendly are legitimately so, with a deep respect for and commitment to the unique educational needs of service members and veterans.

The trouble is, any school — or diploma mill — can call itself military friendly, even if there is no substance to back up the claim. A recent survey by the education and student resource Web sites GI Bill Hub and Military MBA suggests that overuse of the phrase “military friendly” has led to its devaluation in the eyes of veterans.

Among the survey’s results:

* When asked if the term “military friendly” provided a meaningful indicator that could be used to make a good decision about a school, the majority of respondents (52.2 percent) said it provided no meaningful value. The remaining 48 percent could not agree on what it actually meant to be “military friendly.”

* Most respondents (69.5 percent) felt “military friendly” schools and lists were overused.

* 85 percent said they would not enroll in a university that advertised its “military friendly” status.

As one survey respondent put it, “I see too many institutions preying on service members and veterans and claiming to be military friendly just because they can accept GI Bill money.”

It should be noted that the survey had a response rate of only 4.13 percent of 1,114 military personnel across all service branches. That said, the findings of the survey and sentiments expressed by respondents reflect very valid points.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill has made being “military friendly” a potential gold mine for colleges and universities. Before deciding on a school, military students need to ensure that the institution is backing up its “military friendly” claims with hard evidence.

Some reliable indicators:

* Is the school a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges?

* Does the school participate in Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon Program?

* Are veterans’ groups such as Student Veterans of America welcome on campus?

* Are there special admissions counselors or offices dedicated solely to supporting the needs of service members and veterans? This goes beyond school employees serving merely as VA certifying officials.

* Does the school accept credit for military experience? Does it recognize CLEP/DSST examinations?

* Does the school have a veteran-specific page on its Web site?

As final exam season approaches, many college students are battling dueling urges to procrastinate and panic. More so than their so-called traditional student counterparts, military students perhaps might have even more reason to dread exam season than their traditional student counterparts. Competing priorities of work and, often, family leave precious little time to hit the books.

Fortunately, with a little forethought and planning, studying for final exams need not dominate your life for the foreseeable future. Back in July, I wrote a story about starting off your new semester on the right foot by studying smart. Much of the advice in the article holds true for final exam week, as well.

In the article, I quoted perhaps my favorite study expert, Cal Newport, an MIT postdoc and author of the books “How to Become a Straight-A Student” and “How to Win at College.” Newport is also the man behind the popular Study Hacks blog. While he blogs about every aspect of college life, his philosophy for studying — in a nutshell, study smarter, not harder or longer — should ease minds troubled by the impending “doom” of multiple final exams. Also helpful are Newport’s entries on test-taking and time management.

Some other final exam study (and survival) sites worth mentioning:

* MIT

* University of Pennsylvania

* University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

* Lock Haven University

Community college long has been a popular education choice for service members. In fact, a recent American Council on Education report found that 43 percent of military undergraduates in 2007-2008 attended public two-year institutions.

Affordability, transferability of credits and open admissions policies that generally require only a high school or graduate-equivalency diploma in order to attend are hallmarks of community colleges — and they hold broad appeal not just for many military learners, but for students in the general population as well.

Popularity, though, has its price. Recent reports indicate that community colleges across the country are struggling with surging enrollment numbers fueled, in large part, by individuals returning to school as a result of the foundering economy.

These higher numbers are forcing many community colleges to close admissions sooner and turn away some students. According to a Nov. 11 New York Times story, five of New York City’s six community colleges were forced to cut off applications for the fall semester much sooner than in the past. And according to a story in Newsday, Miami-Dade Community College in Florida expected to turn away as many as 5,000 this fall.

Students who make it in under new enrollment deadlines will notice changes at many schools, including larger class sizes, more class sections and unconventional scheduling — classes are being held earlier and later each day to accommodate the growth. Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts is offering classes from 11:45 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. to accommodate shift workers seeking retraining, Newsday reports. And classes at New York City’s LaGuardia Community College start as early as 6:45 a.m., according to the Times.

Community colleges are working to meet these challenges within the constraints of their budgets. But resolution will not come overnight.

An education option once taken for granted is no longer such a sure thing. Pay close attention to any new deadlines or restrictions on enrollment at your school so you don’t have to put your plans for a college degree on hold.