The summer has flown by, and institutions of higher education are preparing to welcome students back to campus in the coming weeks. On July 28^th at the HigherEdMilitary Careers and Coffee chat hosted by Kat Schorr, the program manager at the Military/Veteran Resource Center at Anne Arundel Community College, attendees spoke about the importance of hosting special orientation sessions for military-affiliated individuals. Those that work with military populations at universities and colleges provided unique perspectives on their institutions' activities when welcoming new students to campus.

One way that many institutions greet non-traditional students, such as the military-affiliated community, is by incorporating custom orientation sessions for these groups. Jaye Ferrone, a student support specialist at the University of Arizona, talked about the necessity of having multiple orientation sessions to accommodate those living in different areas of the United States, as well as for those living abroad. Additionally, Michael Barany, director of Military and Veteran Success Center at Stockton University, spoke to how their orientation focuses on helping military-affiliated students not only better understand their benefits, but also how to navigate campus life and how to succeed on campus. Amherst College prioritizes finding current staff, faculty, and students from the military-affiliated community to speak at their orientation for transfer and military-affiliated students. Hira Byrne, Amherst College's assistant dean of admission, explained that these information sessions are of utmost importance to try to get this distinctive population acclimated to this new, sometimes overwhelming, environment.

Unique bridge programs have also been beneficial to transitioning students. For example, the University of Arizona provides transitional programs for individuals exiting the military. In addition to programs that exist at individual schools, there are several outside organizations that schools can utilize to help their military-affiliated students return to the classroom.

The Warrior Scholar Project is geared towards enlisted veteran and transitioning service members and assisting new students to make informed decisions about higher education. In addition to providing information on how to choose the right institution for individuals, the Warrior Scholar Project also supplies support to this community throughout the time that they attend a university or college. Through one- or two-week intensive boot camps, this project aims to prepare attendees with the necessary tools and resources for succeeding at an institution in the realms of humanities, STEM, and business & entrepreneurship. In addition to general workshops, the Warrior Scholar Project also delivers workshops specifically for female veterans. Many institutions take part in this project, and a list of those universities and colleges can be found here.

Service to School also provides personalized support for transitioning and veteran service members and veterans by helping them apply to rigorous undergraduate and graduate programs across the country. This program provides countless workshops dedicated to certain aspects of higher education, such as researching colleges, writing application essays, and evaluating offers. The free application is always available and is a great resource for students uncertain of where to begin with their application process.

Ultimately, it is important to ensure that the military-affiliated community has the distinctive tools it needs to succeed at each university. These can be presented in various ways, however, the most common among our affiliates seems to be a specialized orientation session prior to the school year. Additional programs, such as the Warrior Scholar Project and Service to School, provide extra support to institutions of higher education in their goal to make the transition for military-affiliated students easier.

As the beginning of the school year approaches, we will host another Careers and Coffee chat on August 18^th on how to stay organized for the upcoming school year!

Sign up here to join in on the fun next time!

Article Topics

Military Educational Benefits Military Focused Events Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Women Veterans