Having a university champion at the highest levels has been one of the most impactful strategies I've used as a veteran services coordinator -- and it has paid off in spades.

Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) President Philomena Mantella has been one of the fiercest and most vocal voices for military-connected students in higher education. In 2020 Student Veterans of America (SVA) awarded her the William Pearson Tolley Champion for Veterans in Higher Education Award. She's written a national op-ed advocating for Afghanistan veterans' education. She's helped to secure our student veterans not just one, but two campus veterans lounges -- and much, much more at an institutional and national level.

Frankly, I'm not sure I would even have a job if it weren't for GVSU's President "Philly" Mantella. It was her vision that allowed the university to set aside funds for a full-time support position for GVSU's Laker Vets.

So, when I attended NatCon, SVA's national conference, and had the opportunity to talk with all sorts of military-connected students, faculty, and staff who don't have this level of support, I felt compelled to help others get the same level of support from their senior administration (no guarantees -- your results may vary).

I offered to write a template letter that chapter presidents could use at their own universities. I had a huge response to this offer, and I want to share the template here on HigherEdMilitary so you can use it at your institution.

A caveat: Letters like this are always best when you can personalize it and add in your own twist. So, while you could simply take this letter and only plug in your own identifying information, I highly suggest you make it your own. Include statistics from your own institution, including the number of military-connected students you serve, their graduation rates, and average GPA (if you have access to those statistics).

Also, I suggest that you think hard about who you want your senior administration "ally" to be -- it may or may not be the president. The provost or even a vice president might be a better fit.

My hope is that this letter helps you gain more visibility, opportunities, and access to resources at the university level. Please let me know how it goes! Reach out to me via my LinkedIn profile and we can swap stories and strategies.

Enjoy!

_______________________________________________________

Dear Dr. [PRESIDENT],

Almost half a million men and women enter military service every year with the promise of the GI Bill® paying for their education. I am writing you today so that we can work together to ensure them the best possible chance of collecting on that debt with solid support from [YOUR INSTITUTION].

My name is [FIRST LAST] and I am a [BRANCH] veteran. For [X] years I proudly served as a [MOS], and was deployed/stationed at [LOCATION]. After my service, I decided to come to [YOUR INSTITUTION] because [WHY -- SEE YOUR UNIVERSITY'S MISSION/VALUES/VISION FOR INSPIRATION]. I currently serve our university as [YOUR PROFESSIONAL ROLE ON CAMPUS].

I'm asking on behalf of all the [UNIVERSITY]'s military-connected students and staff for your sponsorship and advocacy. We see you as a potential champion for an incredible group of students, staff, and faculty and I promise your return on investment will be repaid ten times over.

What Military-Connected Students Bring to Campus

Besides bringing a rich diversity of thought, experiences, and backgrounds to the classroom, student veterans are some of the most successful students on our nation's campuses. According to the Institute of Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University:

• 92 percent of student veterans either agreed or strongly agreed that higher education is a crucial component in navigating the post-service transitional process from military to civilian life.

• Veterans receive degrees and/or certifications at a rate of 72 percent compared to 66 percent of their peers.

• Student veterans graduate from college at a slightly higher rate (54 percent vs. 53 percent) than non-veterans and higher than most other adult learners (39 percent).

• Veteran students' national average GPA is 3.34 vs. 2.94 for non-veteran students.

• Given that student veterans receive the lion's share of their funding from the VA, the university's financial aid resources are freed up to be used to meet other institutional goals.

• They are excellent alumni, donating at higher levels and showing higher loyalty to the university.

Overall, these students highly value their education and are unmatched in their allegiance and generous contributions. In addition, veterans continually extend their dedication through their post-service contributions.

Where Student Veterans Struggle

However, student veterans still face an uphill battle. When fully supported, student veterans have higher GPAs and better career outcomes, on average, than non-military students. But they also have unique challenges:

• 62 percent of student veterans are first-generation college attendees and thus don't have existing networks to turn to for advice or know what resources we should use or can trust fully.

• A third of student veterans struggle with paying for tuition (the Post 9/11 GI Bill® typically only covers 36 months of tuition).

• 47 percent of student veterans are parents, and 47 percent are married; due to their non-academic responsibilities, student veterans are less likely to invest time outside of the classroom on activities that they deem inessential to their degree completion.

To be clear, the most significant challenges student veterans face are not related to their ability to succeed in the classroom.

Where We Need Help

Here's what you can do to help support [UNIVERSITY]'s student veterans:

• Advocate at the upper levels of the university for tailored, culturally competent academic advising, career services, and campus counseling.

• Help us secure a trusted and inclusive physical space dedicated to providing military-connected students, faculty, and staff the community they need.

• Support giving student veterans access to high-quality trauma and disability resources.

• Encourage community conversations that reduce veteran stigmas and stereotypes.

What We Promise in Return

We believe you are in an excellent position to help us support these diverse and committed campus leaders. In return for your sponsorship, we pledge as a group to produce consistently excellent work, we will raise our hand to participate in university-wide initiatives and events. We will strive to add value to important strategic projects for the university, build our skillsets, add to our experiences, and interact with new people across the organization. We aim to help develop a reputation at [UNIVERSITY] for being reliable, growth-minded leaders focused on making the university a better place than how we found it.

We believe that it's in both your and the university's best interest to retain and advance student veterans, and I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and talk more about how we might work together.

Very respectfully,

[NAME]

Article Topics

Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Women Veterans Working as a Veteran in HigherEd Workplace Inclusion

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