Veterans

The Veterans Knowledge Community (VKC) is an important resource for higher education professionals serving student veterans and military-connected students. The VKC places students at the center of our work by providing resources and programming that address the holistic needs of the students. We are guided by integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry, and view the VKC as an opportunity to engage a diverse array of individuals who serve the military-connected population in higher education.

The VKC is a place to engage student affairs professionals who work with the military-connected population through sharing resources and research. As an organization that connects higher education professionals, the VKC offers programming and professional development experiences for its membership through opportunties such as the annual Symposium on Military-Connected Students. If you are a newcomer to the field or a seasoned professional, the VKC can assist you in connecting and learning from colleagues.

There are numerous ways to engage with the VKC: stay up-to-date by receiving our communications, attend our annual Symposium on Military-Connected Students, connect with us on social media, or join our LinkedIn group and take an active role in the conversations and resource-sharing. Want to be even more involved? Reach out to us about joining the VKC Advisory Board and view our open positions on NASPA’s Volunteer Central website. Welcome to our community!

Standards & Competencies

• Get the new CAS Standards
• New CAS Standards for College Veterans Services Programs
• ACPA/ NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators
• ACPA/NASPa Professional Competency video

American Council on Education (ACE)

• From soldier to student: easing the transition of service members on campus.
• Military Programs links and resources
• Serving those who served: higher education and america’s veterans.
• Tips for Accommodating Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on Campus

Resources for Educators

• 10 Tips For Meeting the Needs of Student Veterans
• Akerman, R., & DiRamio, D. (Ed.). (2009). Creating a veteran-friendly campus: strategies for transition and success. New Directions for Student Services, 126, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Downloadable Brochures: You'll find on this page a number of downloadable brochures that may be of benefit to your student veterans. You'll also notice to the right of the page a publication known as the Repetition and Avoidance Quarterly and it can also be a useful resource for those of you who want more in the way of knowledge, data, and treatment of veterans who have invisible wounds.
• Enhancing Veteran Success in Higher Education
• GI Bill 101 - Brief for Bursar and Veteran Services Officers (PDF)0
• Greatness by Association (PDF)
• Half of Us - Voices of Veterans: Transition to College
• Herrmann, D., Hopkins, C., Wilson, R., Allen, B., (2009). Educating veterans in the 21st century. Lexington, KY: Booksurge.
• HigherEdJobs Articles (compilation)
• Massachusetts Student Veteran Advisory Board Annual Report 2013 (PDF)
• National Survey of Student Engagement Annual Results 2010 – Veterans Data (pp. 17-18)
• Once a Warrior - Always a Warrior
• Perceptions of Veterans: A New Generation of Leaders 2012 (PDF)
• Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions
• Veteran Guidelines and Best Practices in the Classroom [PDF]
• Veterans Education and Transition Services V.E.T.S.: Veterans in Higher Education National Clearinghouse
• Veterans entering four-year colleges and universities Scroll down to bottom section on Veterans
• Veterans Only (2012, January 4). Inside Higher Ed
• Veterans Training Support Center
• VKC Scholarly References (Updated: 01/19/2012)
• War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era: Focused on the attitudes of veterans and the general public toward military service. The study found that about 84 percent of post-9/11 veterans feel the public does not understand problems faced by service members and their families; 71 percent of the public agree.
• Welcoming and Retaining Student Veterans (PDF)
• What the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Bill Means for Our Veterans
• Why a Dedicated Veterans Center? (PDF)

Campus Programs and Support

• The Green Zone: A program to Support Military Students on Campus (PDF)
• Student Veterans of America | SVA's Facebook group
• Veterans Upward Bound Project
• Working with vets: Former NCO now takes care of troops on campus

PTSD and TBI Resources

• Accommodating Student Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress ACE Provides Tips for Accommodating Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD on Campus
• Disorder: Tips for Campus Faculty and Staff [Report]: Result of discussions during the Veterans Success Jam, held in May 2010
• DOD Issues Purple Heart Standards for Brain Injury
• Education is Key in Fight Against PTSD
• Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries : NPR
• National Center on PTSD - The PILOTS Database (Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress)
• Treatment for PTSD in Military and Veteran Populations 2012 (PDF)
• VA Launched New Mobile App: PTSD Coach

Veterans Groups

• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

Women Veterans

• VA Announces PSA About Women Veterans  |  PSA Youtube [video]
• VA Creates Women Veterans Call Center
• Veterans Affairs Scrambles To Serve Female Veterans : NPR

 

Student Veterans and Suicide

• What you need to know is that veterans are not committing suicide at rates significantly different than the rest of the college going population.  The stark reality of veterans in the general population committing suicide is tragic, but unverified.  Still, the population that comprises the "roughly 21 veterans who commit suicide every day" are middle-aged Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.  Essentially not our student veterans (Vacchi, 2015)

 

Support for Student Veterans

• Higher Education Resources for Veterans and Their Families
• UCF Veterans Academic Resource Center - Retaining and Graduating Student
• US Department of Veteran Affairs - Vet Centers locations

Government Benefits and Programs

• Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue (PDF): An annotated bibliography of resources for those seeking information related to the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and other LGBT issues related to military service.
• Federal Benefits for Veterans & Dependents
• Federal VA Simplifies Access to Health Care and Benefits for Veterans with PTSD
• Grant for Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success: A Department of Education grant announcement under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). The initiative is called Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success.
• Military.com's Explanation of Post 9-11 GI Bill
• National Guard & Reserve
• National Resource Directory: Connecting Wounded Warriors, Service Members, Veterans, Their Families and Caregivers with Those Who Support Them
• Our Performance
• Post-911 GI Bill: S. 3447: Those who certify Veterans educational benefits: Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), the Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has proposed to make changes to the Post-911 GI Bill. Some of these changes could impact our programs and Student Veterans. The bill, S. 3447, is found on the Library of Congress website
• Prudential Veterans' Employment Challenges study 2012 (PDF)
• Quick Veterans Benefit Summaries
• Regional Offices
• Regulations & References
• Senate Bill Revises Post 9-11 GI Bill Benefits Program: The 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act established Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP), providing $500 for each month/partial month served in stop loss status. Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries of service members whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009 are eligible for RSLSP. For more information and to apply for this benefit, please go to: http://www.defense.gov/stoploss
• Today's GI Bill (org)
• VA Claims Transformation
• VA GI Bill Website
• VA Launching Nationwide Homeless Outreach and Media Plan
• Virtual Vietnam War Wall: You can explore the names from each state and city and you'll find quite a bit of information for each veteran.
• VOW to Hire Heroes Act
• Asbestosis Brochure (PDF)
• Mesothelioma Brochure (PDF)

Resources

• VKC Winter Newsletter 2016
  January 2016

• NASPA VKC Supra Et Ultra Award Nomination Form
  June 2016

• VKC June Newsletter 2016

  June 2016

• VKC Winter Newsletter 2017

  January 2017

• VKC Fall Newsletter 2017

  Fall 2017

• VKC History

  January 2017

• Super Et Ultra Award Nomination Form 2017
  September 2017

Knowledge Community leaders are NASPA volunteers who have generously devoted their time to their Knowledge Community. Chairs are elected by the Knowledge Community members while Regional representatives are selected from within the Region. Additional roles are selected by the Knowledge Community.

For open positions, please refer to our Get Involved page.