Are you a professor who experienced challenges with supporting military-connected students when they were called to military duty? Are you an academic institution that seeks to enhance their military veterans center to support military-connected students? Are you a military leader who experienced the dilemma of supporting both mission requirements and a student's higher educational goals? If so, then this discussion is for you.

The Military-Connected Student

The term military-connected student refers to any student who is serving, has served, or is affiliated with any of the United States Armed Forces. A military-connected student also includes spouses, children, and other dependents affiliated with the military veteran. Support is also critical for military dependents enrolled in higher education while coping with the absence of their loved ones called to serve their country. While transitioning from active duty into the Army National Guard as a full-time student, I recall some highlights that affected my experience balancing military obligations and academic goals. Educational success significantly relies on the support from academic institutions, university professors, and military leaders. Academic institutions with a robust military veterans center were critical to my success in higher education. The academic staff and service programs provided educational support, individual tutoring opportunities, career advice, one-on-one counseling, and motivational support to endure conflict when I was summoned for military duty. Supporting the needs of spouses and children of activated service members may not look all that different than the support a service member needs. Spouses and children may need extensions on assignments, one-on-one counseling, tutoring, or motivational support to only name a few.

The Impact When Called to Service

A military-connected student faces significant challenges when called to serve and support local communities or missions abroad in the U.S. Armed Forces. Service members reluctantly face leaving their civilian jobs, family members, and the traditional academic experience while being forced to consider transitioning as an online student if they decide to continue their academic program. Military-connected students, spouses and children included, are met with complex decisions that may significantly impact their lives, and some may even consider pausing or discontinuing their higher education goals to meet other priorities, such as their family. It should be noted that the services provided for military-connected students overseas are not equally the same depending on the job occupation and military operational tempo. Some overseas educational programs may also not be funded by the federal government. Therefore, the support needed from university professors, institutions, and military leaders is critical to the success of a military-connected student's educational goals.

The Support Needed from Academic Professors

Most academic professors respond well to extension requests or assignment accommodations when met with conflict between military obligations. Professors that are professional, respectful, empathic, and reasonable when accommodating military-connected students help to maintain equal opportunities. One aspect that enabled me to complete my assignments on time was when professors allowed early access to future assignments. The transparency and access to future weekly materials allowed me to back plan and strategize to effectively complete the tasks that conflicted with my military obligation during periods of academic instruction. Furthermore, professors should also be mindful that military spouses, children, and dependents who seek higher education may need special accommodations as they balance their school-military lifestyle. Military spouses are challenged to take on multiple roles while their military spouse is serving their country. While support from academic professors is vital for the military-connected student, academic support should not all fall on faculty members. Academic support requires input from the institution's military veterans center.

The Support Needed from the Military Veterans Center

Many academic institutions have a veterans resource center. However, not all are equally the same. A military veteran center primarily serves as a liaison office to support military-connected students within their academic institutions. Dr. Marshall Thomas and a team from California State University Long Beach realize the need to bridge the gap between the military-connected student and their academic institutions and developed the VET NET Ally program. Dr. Thomas and his team recognize the need to enhance the awareness of veteran affairs among academic staff, faculty members, and veteran support programs. VET NET Ally is committed to fostering a campus environment that understands and supports the military-connected student community (Inquire with your institution and see if your campus offers similar programming. If not, it may be a new initiative to pursue).

The program provides support services for military-connected students and educates academic staff members, such as professors, on how to effectively serve their military-connected students. The program provides professors with a "Military 101" seminar that increases awareness related to the military culture, veteran statistics, why students serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, some of the challenges experienced by veterans, and how to best serve their needs as academic professors. Since its development, the VET NET Ally program has been a model for over 30 academic institutions ranging from community colleges to public and private universities across the United States. Any academic institution interested in strengthening its veterans resource center will gain valuable insight by attending one of the VET NET Ally seminars.

The Support Needed from Military Leaders

Furthermore, military senior leaders significantly contribute to a military-connected student's academic success. Sometimes, military leaders find themselves at a crossroads when deciding to excuse or accommodate a service member to attend their academic classes in lieu of their military obligation. Military leaders are challenged to ensure all their members within the organization are adequately trained, administratively healthy, and combat-ready to respond to the call of duty. However, this does not mean that military leaders cannot find innovative solutions to support the academic needs of their service members. Military leaders should be empathetic and advocate for their service members to continue seeking higher education.

Their support will enable a healthier, stronger, highly competent organization that normalizes a culture of life-long learners. Some of the innovative solutions that can support the academic needs of service members are to communicate and address the potential military-school conflict well in advance, review a student's registered course schedules, share possible solutions, offer alternate military duty assignments, and maintain transparency between the military chain of command and the student.

This kind of holistic support from academic institutions and military leaders is critical for the military-connected student. In an era of rapidly evolving advances in technology, this kind of support is more accessible than ever before.

Article Topics

Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Workplace Inclusion

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