Washington State Partner for Veteran Supportive Campuses Certificate Program

Washington State has welcomed home thousands of military personnel who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world.  This force of volunteer men and women have earned many entitlements; yet all too often these veterans transition home and in their desire to return to civilian life, quickly lose sight of the available services.  By providing information and assistance to our state’s institutions of post-secondary education and training programs, this MOU seeks to:

• Increase awareness of veteran’s programs on and off campus
• Provide staff members with a core set of veteran cultural competencies
• Encourage campuses to implement best practices and policies designed to foster social support, acceptance, a welcoming environment, and a setting that meaningfully acknowledges the contributions of our veterans
• Encourage veterans to use GI Bill benefits
• Help veterans succeed in post-secondary education and training
• Ensure staff and veterans have access to services through WDVA and its federal and local partners
• Encourage the exchange of information between participating organizations to support veteran success

Individual post-secondary institutions have the opportunity to participate by applying for the Partners for Veteran Supportive Campuses Certificate. 

The certificate is offered to any post-secondary education or training institution operating in Washington State as long as the institution is approved by a Washington State Approving Authority to accept GI Bill benefits. Certificates are provided by WDVA and will be signed by the WDVA Director and president or director of the post-secondary education or training institution.  Certificates must be renewed every two years and may be provided to branch or satellite campus locations.  In order for a post-secondary education institution to be eligible for the Partners for Veteran Supportive Campuses Certificate, the institution president or director must submit an application including examples of how the campus meets the 8 Keys to Success.

The 8 Keys to Success on campus are:

• Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans.
• Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership.
• Implement an early alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming.
• Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space (even if limited in size).
• Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans.
• Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention and degree completion.
• Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to veterans.
• Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans.

In addition, all post-secondary institutions are encouraged to participate in the Principles of Excellence program.

The Principles of Excellence are guidelines for educational institutions receiving funding from the Federal VA and are included in President Obama’s April 27, 2012 Executive Order - Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members.

Educational institutions participating in the Principles of Excellence program agree to the following guidelines:

• Provide students with a personalized form covering the total cost of an education program.
• Provide educational plans for all military and Veteran education beneficiaries.
• End fraudulent and aggressive recruiting techniques and misrepresentations.
• Accommodate Servicemembers and Reservists absent due to service requirements.
• Designate a point of contact to provide academic and financial advice.
• Ensure accreditation of all new programs prior to enrolling students.
• Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs.