Formally established in April of 2020 the VA History Office, which includes a small number of historians, archivists, curators, and other specialists, supports the VA History Program and establishment of the National VA History Center (NVAHC).

As the collections and archives continue to grow and become publicly accessible, a wealth of knowledge, history, and resources are available to all higher education professionals, not just those who serve student veterans and their families.

I sifted through the VA History Office Archives for everything related to higher education. Here is what I found.

Faculty: Utilize VA History Resources in Your Curriculum

Whether you teach computer science, public health, political science, sports management, chemistry, or a wide array of other subjects, you may be able to utilize these histories in your curriculum.

For the sports management professor, consider Veterans at the Bat: A Look at Baseball's Role in Early VA History or Wheelchair Basketball at VA.

For the social work professor, consider VA Social Worker Anna B. Raines, Pioneer of the Veterans Foster Care Program.

For the film, cinema, or media studies professor, consider Veterans on Film: The Making of "The Men" at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital or the background on The Best Year of Our Lives poster from their 100 Objects series.

For the political science professor, consider Issue in Doubt: Veteran Voting Rights in Post-Civil War National Homes.

For the religious studies professor, consider The History of VA's Oldest Chapel, The Dayton Bible from their 100 Objects series, or the virtual exhibit on the history of the Chaplain service.

Admin: Utilize VA History Resources to Highlight Your Alumni and Academic Peers

Institutions might find histories of their own that can be highlighted throughout campus resources, memorials, marketing, and websites.

For instance, this article discusses how UCLA neurologist William H. Olendorf and the Los Angeles VA Hospital invented the CT Scanner.

This article discusses the groundbreaking surgical innovations of Navy Veteran Dr. Thomas Starzl, who has connections to Northwestern University Medical School, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Ivy Ophelia Roach Brooks, "the first recognized Black female leader in radiology and the first Black woman to complete training in radiation oncology," has connections to Hunter College, Columbia University, Tuskegee University, and Meharry Medical College.

VA trailblazer Dr. Mildred Kelly Dixon, attended Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine and became Dean of Women at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

Dr. Valerija Raulinaitis, VA's first female medical center director, "supported a partnership between VA, Valley Medical Center, and the University of California, San Francisco, to set up a new medical school in Fresno. Raulinaitis herself served as the assistant dean of the school."

Dr. Margaret Craighill served as dean of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now a part of Drexel University College of Medicine) before pursuing military service and becoming a key figure in female Veterans medical care.

Dr. Philip Matz, a pioneer in VA medical research, graduated from the Long Island College of Medicine (now a part of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University). Dr. Matz believed that Veteran medical research should have a direct impact on patient care.

Military-Affiliated Staff and Admin: Utilize VA History Resources to Connect the Past to the Present

It may be a comforting reminder that student veteran dropout and stop-out issues are not novel. Consider this quotation from the Department of Veterans Benefits Newsletter in February 1973, "Southern Colorado State College has initiated a program to get dropout veterans back into college. The college found that 189 veterans who had been in attendance during the spring or summer session, and who had not graduated, failed to register for fall quarter of 1972."

It is also interesting to review how the GI Bill has adapted and changed over the years. Take a look at this VA Education Benefits pamphlet from 1979 and this Comparison of Educational Benefits Under the WWII, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam Era GI Bills.

If you manage VA Work Study students, ask them what they think of this blast from the past 1978 VA Work Study flier.

Executive Higher Ed Leaders: Utilize VA History Resources to Navigate Longstanding Societal and Educational Concerns

VA Chief Historian Mike Visconage says, "I think every university president, and other executive-level higher ed leader, can use VA History resources to learn how societal problems were handled in the past and apply those strategies to their leadership toolkit."

When big issues like mental health, addiction, or crisis response start becoming campus issues, it's important to remember these are not novel issues. The VA has been identifying, remedying, and navigating these issues for decades. The lessons already learned could benefit and mold the strategies you use to lead your campus.

Explore the VA History website to see how you can use its collection of articles and historical resources in your higher ed career. Happy sifting!

Article Topics

Research on Student Veterans Serving Military in HigherEd Women Veterans

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