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Support Throughout the Life Cycle of a Student
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Brown University’s Office of Military-Affiliated Students (OMAS) has been making great strides in serving student veterans. Under the umbrella of the Diversity and Inclusion Center at Brown University, OMAS is the youngest and smallest office, yet that does not stop Christian ‘Mac’ Manning, the program director of OMAS, and OMAS staff from having a large impact on the school’s community. The office serves prospective, current, and alumni students within the Brown community.
Institutions of higher education are often looking towards new ways to attract and matriculate student veterans. Military-affiliated students often differ from the traditional undergraduate student. Manning says, “There are often big misunderstandings of what groups people fall into as a veteran.” Manning goes on to say that veterans are much more diverse than people might guess. “They bring a level of leadership that can be refreshing,” Manning states. Oftentimes, they are well-versed at managing time and performing to high standards. They tend to be very reliable, despite often having many responsibilities off campus.
The Life Cycle of a Student
Although student veterans bring many positive attributes to campus, there are many barriers that prevent them from applying and attending highly selective institutions, such as Brown University. Manning mentions, “The idea of attending an elite top tier institution is sometimes not in the conversation for [veterans].” Brown University, with OMAS staff and student veterans, have come up with novel approaches to recruiting and matriculating more student veterans. Manning notes that one of the most important things to do when accounting for student veterans on campus is to consider the three stages of the student life cycle.
1) Prospective Students: Institutions should have a specific point of contact for veterans interested in applying to a university. This is a unique benefit that not every school may have the ability to provide, however having the opportunity for prospective students to build rapport with a professional within the higher education community could be essential for them to succeed. Brown’s Veterans Initiative Application anticipates that the professional experiences of veterans may not always align with the typical application process that many undergraduate students are expected to complete. The application fee is also waived for veterans.
2) Matriculated Students: Most schools have small military-affiliated populations in comparison to the general student population, however only a staff member or two can do wonders helping this group become aware of the resources available to them. In addition to providing resources, allowing student veterans a place to come together, communicate, and meet others they may have more common with than the traditional college student is imperative.
3) Alumni Students: Sustaining relationships with alumni students creates a lifelong network among faculty and staff. The Brown University Veteran Alumni Council, formed to maintain these connections among Brown University student veteran alumni, has been instrumental in maintaining OMAS and providing support to matriculated students. Ideally, this population should be looped into the current student population and generates avenues for these students to support and connect with many people within this network.
Offer a Warrior-Scholar Project Academic Bootcamp
Brown recently hosted their first Warrior Scholar Project (WSP) bootcamp. The WSP’s mission is “to propel enlisted veterans and service members towards success in higher education and beyond through transformative programming that advances skills, builds confidence, and forges lasting connections.” These academic professionals host academic workshops at a plethora of colleges and universities across the country to prepare transitioning service members for the challenges they may face while seeking a degree. These workshops also come with a curriculum unique to the university created by WSP and the university provides the lecturers and venue. Attendees are taught how to maximize and manage time as well as interact with other students on campus. This one-week workshop was open to prospective and matriculated students at Brown University and the surrounding area, in hopes to give these students a better understanding of the higher education culture while they adjust to life outside of the military. Manning reported that the first cohort of students in Brown’s WSP workshop had a high success and satisfaction rate, and he hopes that it will continue next year. If you are interested in hosting a WSP workshop, start the process here.
Resources for Faculty and Staff
Not only has Brown pushed to improve the lives of student veterans on and around campus, OMAS also provides resources for faculty and staff. During Veterans Appreciation Week in November, faculty, staff, and students can participate in the Teaching and Advising Student Veterans Workshop. Additionally, the school provides many articles and statistics that everyone can learn about when interacting with student veterans and their families.
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) recommends that Green Zone Trainings are available at campuses in order to inform faculty and staff about the non-traditional experiences of student veterans and other military-affiliated students. The expansion of the GI Bill® has allowed more student veterans to attend colleges and universities across the United States than ever before, so it is critical that all individuals on campus are aware of the unique strengths and challenges student veterans may have on campus.
Each school has distinctive ideas and processes for serving their military-affiliated populations, and it can be of utmost importance to learn from each other as we all work towards including and supporting student veterans through their time in higher education.
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