As higher education institutions continue to evolve, many are searching for new ways to strengthen their talent pipelines, promote workforce development, and better serve their communities. Growing in importance is the intentional recruitment of military service members and the development of structured pathways that support service members transitioning into civilian careers in higher education. The University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz) offers a compelling example of what this can look like in practice through its growing military-to-campus pipeline and its adoption of the Department of War SkillBridge Program.

Our Military Legacy

The CU Anschutz campus sits on historic military grounds. Originally the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center established in 1918, the site served hundreds of thousands of service members from World War I through the Gulf War. It was also where President Dwight D. Eisenhower recovered from a heart attack in 1955. After the base was decommissioned in 1999, the site was redeveloped and opened as the CU Anschutz in 2006.

Today, the campus remains deeply connected to military and veteran communities. It houses the Center for COMBAT Research, and the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and neighbors the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center-all organizations committed to advancing military and veteran health. Expanding institutional recruitment pipelines to include transitioning service members has become a natural fit.

Countering Misconceptions of Military Hires

CU Anschutz emphasizes a multipronged approach to countering stereotypes and increasing awareness of the value veterans bring to campus. Veterans bring an array of strengths to campus environments: leadership skills, discipline, adaptability, teamwork, and experience in complex, high-pressure settings. Despite this, hiring misconceptions persist. Just a few of the misconceptions we have encountered include the belief that military skills do not translate to higher education roles, that veterans are too aggressive and inflexible for a higher education setting, and that veterans may struggle to adapt to non-military organizational cultures.

Institutions must actively counter these misconceptions through deliberate strategies and education of their campus communities. Some strategies include:

• Hosting panel-style virtual webinars or in-person lunch-and-learns that highlight the work of current campus employees who are military-affiliated
• Develop training for HR and hiring managers on general military skills translation
• Partnering with local and national veteran service organizations to host events on your campus inviting all students, faculty, and staff
• CU Anschutz updated job posting language to explicitly recognize military experience as equivalent to professional experience-an important step in reducing unnecessary barriers.

Intentional Onboarding and Retention Support

While creating a military pipeline is important, supporting military hires once they are employed is even more important. At CU Anschutz, we pair new hires with mentors who understand the military to civilian transition. We have developed onboarding programs specifically for veterans to support their transition.

As an HR team, we do not work in a silo or discontinue our support of military hires after their onboarding is completed. It sounds simple enough, but we show up to military-affiliated campus events. We attend and support our veteran resource center events, we attend campus-wide military recognition programs, and listen to the stories of our military-affiliated employees.

Federal Military Recruitment and Hiring Policies and Programs

Three cornerstone federal programs shape our military pipeline and provide helpful context for institutions aiming to recruit service members:

Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA)

Since 1974, VEVRAA has required federal contractors-including most universities-to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, and retain protected veterans. This includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces Service Medal recipients.

Transition Assistance Program (TAP)

TAP supports service members as they prepare for civilian life. It includes pre-separation counseling, employment workshops, education briefings, financial readiness training, and a capstone review to ensure "career readiness." Understanding TAP helps universities align outreach with what transitioning service members learn and need.

The SkillBridge Advantage

One of the most transformative components of CU Anschutz's strategy is the adoption of the Department of War (DoW) SkillBridge Program. SkillBridge allows service members to spend their last 180 days of service in a civilian internship or fellowship-with no cost to the employer.

For CU Anschutz, the journey began in 2023 with leadership buy-in and a clear goal: to become an official SkillBridge partner. From there, the campus developed a comprehensive intake process, program templates, training plan structures, and a SkillBridge Operational Guide.

Key steps in the HR process include:

• Reviewing fellowship requests through a campus intake form
• Helping departments design SkillBridge programs. We provide a program creation template for units interested in offering a SkillBridge Fellowship
• Submitting training plans to the DoW for approval
• Drafting and routing a Memorandum of Understanding
• Establishing HR profiles, background checks, building access, and onboarding schedules.

This structured approach ensures consistency, compliance, and an excellent experience for SkillBridge fellows.

Building and Scaling a Military-to-Campus Pipeline

Today, CU Anschutz continues to expand its military hiring initiatives by:

• Presenting program information across campus
• Building relationships with local military bases
• Sharing success stories
• Leveraging current veteran employees for feedback
• Tracking military hiring and application metrics.

Looking ahead, the university plans to standardize training plans, deepen campus advocacy, and further integrate the SkillBridge model into long-term talent strategies.

Lessons Learned and the Path Forward

At CU Anschutz, we have discovered that successful military recruitment requires:

• Early advocacy from leadership and department champions
• Clear, standardized processes
• A holistic review of institutional hiring practices
• Awareness of the new DoW SkillBridge application windows (Spring 2026 enrollment is 1 February - 1 April)
• Continuous relationship-building with military and veteran communities (on and off campus).

Ultimately, creating a military-to-campus pipeline is not only a workforce strategy-it's a commitment to honoring service, strengthening our campus, and building career opportunities for those who have dedicated themselves to serving our nation.

View Open Careers at CU Anschutz

Article Topics

Job Search Advice Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Women Veterans Working as a Veteran in HigherEd Workplace Inclusion

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