[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
EXAMINING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS' SERVICES TO VETERANS
=======================================================================
FIELD HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY (EO)
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013
FIELD HEARING HELD IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
__________
Serial No. 113-41
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JEFF MILLER, Florida, Chairman
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine, Ranking
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida Minority Member
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee CORRINE BROWN, Florida
BILL FLORES, Texas MARK TAKANO, California
JEFF DENHAM, California JULIA BROWNLEY, California
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey DINA TITUS, Nevada
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas RAUL RUIZ, California
MARK E. AMODEI, Nevada GLORIA NEGRETE MCLEOD, California
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio BETO O'ROURKE, Texas
PAUL COOK, California TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana
Jon Towers, Staff Director
______
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY (EO)
BILL FLORES, Texas, Chairman
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey MARK TAKANO, California, Ranking
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado Minority Member
PAUL COOK, California JULIA BROWNLEY, California
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio DINA TITUS, Nevada
ANN M. KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
__________
November 4, 2013
Page
Examining Higher Education Institutions' Services To Veterans.... 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Hon. Bill Flores, Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
(EO)........................................................... 1
Hon. Mark Takano, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on
Economic Opportunity (EO)...................................... 2
Hon. Gloria Negrete McLeod, U.S. House of Representatives........ 3
WITNESSES
Dr. Cynthia Azari, Interim Chancellor, Riverside Community
College District............................................... 3
Prepared Statement of Dr. Azari.............................. 24
Executive Summary of Dr. Azari............................... 25
Dr. Steven G. Brint, Vice-Provost, Undergraduate Education,
University of California, Riverside............................ 5
Prepared Statement of Dr. Brint.............................. 26
Pamela Daly, Campus President, DeVry University - San Diego...... 7
Prepared Statement of Ms. Daly............................... 28
Albert R. Renteria, Member, Small Business Taskforce, The
American Legion................................................ 13
Prepared Statement of Mr. Renteria........................... 32
Sherrod Conyers, California Delegate, National Legislative
Committee, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States....... 15
Prepared Statement of Mr. Conyers............................ 34
Marques Dredd, Former President, Veterans Club, Riverside City
College........................................................ 18
Prepared Statement of Mr. Dredd.............................. 35
STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD
Student Veterans of America...................................... 36
EXAMINING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS' SERVICES TO VETERANS
Monday, November 4, 2013
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity,
Washington, D.C.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:59 a.m., at
Hall of Fame Room, Bradshaw Building, Riverside Community
College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA, Hon. Bill Flores
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Flores, Takano, and Negrete
McLeod.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BILL FLORES
Mr. Flores. Good morning, everyone. The Subcommittee will
come to order.
I thank all of you for joining us for this field hearing of
the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs. My name is Bill Flores, and not only is
it my pleasure to serve as Congressman for the 17th District of
Texas, which includes part of the communities of Waco, Bryan,
College Station, parts of Austin and several others, but also,
it is my honor to serve as the Chairman of the Subcommittee.
Before we begin, I would like to say what a pleasure it is
to be here at Riverside City College, and I thank my colleague
and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Congressman Mark
Takano, for hosting us today. It is great to work with a
thoughtful legislator like Mr. Takano on our continued goal to
provide economic opportunities for veterans.
Today, we are here to examine and highlight programs,
policies and benefits that lead to educational success for
student veterans. Educational success for student veterans can
take many forms. We all know that a 4-year college degree is
not necessarily right for everyone, and with American companies
continually begging for a skilled workforce due to the so-
called skills gap, our Nation's community colleges, like
Riverside, are providing critical training for the 21st century
workforce.
Student veteran success is not only important for veterans,
but also for the American taxpayer as well. I mention this
because under the right circumstances, the post-9/11 GI Bill
can be worth over $270,000 to eligible veterans, and I am sure
that we all must agree that we must make the most effective use
of these taxpayer resources.
Unlike many other forms of student aid, the GI Bill is a
benefit our veterans have earned, and we must do what we can to
ensure that they are given the best tools available when
choosing an educational program, as well as to equip them to be
successful while they are in education or in training.
Congress has done a good job in this regard by enacting
bipartisan laws such as Public Law 112-249 to add levels of
transparency for student veteran choice and outcomes. We also
continue to fund VA's Vet Success On Campus program which has
provided over 80 campuses with grant funds to assist veterans
in their transition to student life.
We must remain vigilant in our oversight of these programs
to ensure that the VA is meeting their stated performance
standards and that they are truly helping veterans reach
educational success.
Today, I look forward to hearing testimony from experts in
the higher education sector about innovative programs and
services that they are now offering to student veterans in
California, and how we can replicate their positive impact
across the country. I am also very interested in suggestions
that our witnesses may have on how to improve VA programs and
services to our veterans on campuses nationwide.
At this time, I ask unanimous consent that our colleague,
Mrs. Negrete McLeod, be allowed to sit at the dais and ask
questions. Hearing no objections, that is so ordered.
Once again, I am very happy to be here this morning, and it
gives me great pleasure to recognize Mr. Takano for his opening
remarks.
Mr. Takano?
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARK TAKANO
Mr. Takano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to welcome you
and everyone from Washington, D.C. to Riverside, California. I
also want to thank President Azari, Chancellor of Riverside
Community College District, and her staff for providing us the
Hall of Fame Room here at Riverside City College.
Finally, I want to welcome the other witnesses who have
joined us here today, and I look forward to hearing from all of
you.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for coming to California. I know it
is a long way from both Washington and your district in Waco,
Texas. I know that you are truly committed to the Subcommittee
on Economic Opportunity and its responsibility to protect our
veterans and provide them with the services they need to
succeed, and I especially appreciate the bipartisan way in
which you run our Committee.
Riverside County has the eighth largest veteran population
of any county in the Nation, making this the ideal location to
hold a field hearing. Chief, among this Committee's
responsibilities is to ensure that the post-9/11 GI Bill is
providing our veterans with the necessary assistance, resources
and services to pursue higher education.
Undergraduate and graduate degrees are becoming more and
more important to finding meaningful employment. Returning
veterans tell me all of the time that finding a job is both the
most important and the most difficult thing they faced when
they transitioned out of the service and back into civilian
life.
I know that our local school, Riverside, provides some
unique and effective services for our veterans, and I look
forward to hearing more about them. I am also eager to hear
from our student veteran who was the former president of the
RCC Veterans Club about his experience transitioning back to
civilian life, enrolling in school, and working towards a
degree.
Finally, I look forward to hearing from our veteran service
organizations about their experiences helping veterans find
educational opportunities.
So again, welcome to California, Mr. Chairman, and I yield
back.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod, you are now recognized for any opening
statement you may have.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GLORIA NEGRETE MCLEOD
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Mr. Takano,
for inviting me to this hearing. While I don't sit on this
particular Subcommittee, I do have my own Subcommittee that I
sit on. Last August, past August, I had a hearing in Fontana in
which we dealt with other issues, what kind of issues impacted
veterans. So thank you very much for allowing me to come. I
serve the 35th district, which is just west of here. And again,
thank you for allowing me to be here with you.
I will leave a little early since I already had some
obligations. Thank you.
Mr. Flores. Mrs. Negrete McLeod, thank you for joining us
today. It is an honor to have you here, as well.
Our first panel includes Dr. Cynthia Azari from the
Riverside Community College District; Dr. Steven G. Brint from
the University of California at Riverside; and Ms. Pamela Daly
from DeVry University-San Diego.
Each of you will be recognized for 5 minutes, and we will
begin with Dr. Azari.
STATEMENTS OF CYNTHIA AZARI, INTERIM CHANCELLOR, RIVERSIDE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT; STEVEN G. BRINT, VICE-PROVOST,
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE;
PAMELA DALY, CAMPUS PRESIDENT, DEVRY UNIVERSITY-SAN DIEGO
STATEMENT OF CYNTHIA AZARI
Ms. Azari. Mr. Chairman and Committee Members, thank you
for inviting me to testify this morning regarding the veteran
services and programs in place at Riverside Community College
District's three colleges; and welcome to Riverside City
College, an institution with a proud, 97-year history serving
students and veterans.
When I came before you in Washington, D.C. this past June,
I spoke about the current services in place at the colleges and
the importance of H.R. 331, and offered several suggested
strategies for helping institutions better serve student
veterans. Today, I would like to expand on several points and
offer some ideas that can be emulated throughout the country at
public institutions serving veterans.
First, however, I would like to say how pleased we are with
the progress of H.R. 331, now a part of H.R. 2481, which was
passed in the House of Representatives a week ago today, and
has now been sent to the Senate. We believe this legislation,
which will allow the centralized reporting of veteran
enrollment by accredited institutions within the same district,
will go a long way towards streamlining key processes used to
serve our student veterans. As a district and colleges, we
thank you for moving along this important legislation.
Here at Riverside City College, we have an established
veterans center where veterans can talk with peer counselors
and get educational guidance in a supportive environment among
fellow veterans. We offer veteran-specific orientations and
priority registration, along with a student veteran education
plan. We have a district-wide disabled veteran services program
and an active veterans club. More than 1,200 veterans receive
these services at our colleges each semester.
In turn, this leads them directly to the classroom and into
the workroom or transfer to university environment. The
approach is proving successful, and the University of
California Riverside is using the ARM program as a model to
shape veteran services at their institution.
Of the over 1,200 veterans studying at our colleges, 67
percent are enrolled in one or more career technical classes,
with nearly 60 percent of those selecting a career technical
program leading directly to the workplace, and the remaining 40
percent completing Associate degrees, leading to transfer to a
4-year university. The program selections were in nursing,
administration of justice, computer programming, business
administration. The popular choices for transfer were math and
science, social and behavioral health, and computer information
systems.
Attending community college will cost an average full-time
veteran student more than $18,000 a year: $2,800 is for
tuition, fees, books and supplies; and $11,000 for off-campus
room and board; and another $4,000 for miscellaneous expenses.
In the evolution into a multi-college district, we now
budget specifically for veterans programs, separating from the
general admissions and records budgets. Doing so gives college
administrators a truer picture of the staff and financial
resources required to serve our veteran population. While we
are still in the early stages of this shift, I can report that
we are budgeting nearly $400,000 in general funds, state funds,
on veteran services, excluding the comparatively small amount
of $20,000 in direct funding from the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
In addition to offering traditional academic and career
technical classes through our Office of Economic Development,
we also serve veterans starting or operating small businesses.
In 2012, our Office of Economic Development sponsored 25
outreach events, provided 1,550 business counseling sessions,
directly assisted 461 individuals and 61 veteran-owned small
businesses. These services helped veterans and veteran-owned
businesses with more than $27 million in contract and sub-
contract awards.
Outreach funding remains one of the main challenges in
implementing the more comprehensive veterans services and
programs at our community colleges. Quite simply, community
colleges need more Federal funding for veterans, or at least
more Federal funding released at the local level.
Community colleges are portals to the education of the
majority of veterans. We can move veterans quickly into the
workplace or into a transfer environment. But we need access to
more funding and more services supplied at the Federal level,
but administered and delivered on the local level. This
financial challenge could be overcome in a fashion similar to
how the VA is already implementing broad improvements such as
the Benefits Portal, the VRAP and VMAT. All of these
initiatives are designed to create seamless access and
education transitions for veterans, and each depends on the
Federal-local partnership approach.
As educators and elected officials, it is incumbent upon us
to help veterans achieve their dreams. That is our collective
challenge. Riverside Community College District and our three
colleges rise to this challenge, but seek to do so alongside
all of our sister colleges in partnership with the Veterans
Administration so that all veterans seeking services can be
readily served.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. Thank you for
the opportunity to speak today on this critical national and
local issue, and I would be happy to take any questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Cynthia Azari appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Dr. Azari.
Dr. Brint, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Oh, I didn't explain the timer. The green light means that
you have 4-and-a-half minutes. The yellow light means you have
30 seconds. The red light means you need to wrap up quick.
Dr. Azari, you were right on.
I forgot to explain how the lights worked.
Dr. Brint?
STATEMENT OF STEVEN G. BRINT
Mr. Brint. Good morning. I am Steven Brint, Vice Provost of
Undergraduate Education at UC Riverside. I am honored to be
here today to share with you information about UCR's success
helping veterans transition into higher education and to be
successful once they do transition.
The GI Bill provides the financial resources for veterans
to earn a 4-year degree, and UC Riverside has achieved national
recognition for combining access with strong support services
and excellence in undergraduate teaching.
Many of UCR's 21,000 undergraduates and graduate students
have stories that can make success more difficult. They are
frequently from low-income backgrounds, often the first in
their families to attend college. They come from an environment
in the military of tight unit cohesion and specific direction
and order.
They sometimes feel isolated in a higher education setting
that focuses on the individual rather than the unit. At UCR, we
work to keep our military members, veterans, and family members
in close touch with each other, and to continue that sense of
unit cohesion as they move through their studies.
Our veterans services coordinator, Chryssa Jones, sits on
the Regional Board of Directors of the National Association of
Veterans Programs, and she is an expert in providing services
to our veteran students. In addition to meeting with each VA
beneficiary face-to-face every quarter, Chryssa advises our
student veteran organizations, coordinates campus programs and
services, and is frequently asked to speak at regional and
national meetings. Her office suite includes space for a
veterans lounge so that our veterans on campus can have a place
to meet informally.
Veterans have gone the extra mile for us, so let me tell
you about some of the ways that UCR goes the extra mile for our
veterans. We have a scholarship fund, Operation Education, that
is geared to help cover funding gaps for veterans who have
suffered combat-related injuries. In fact, we are currently
finalizing the details of a formal relationship to streamline
the process for veterans transferring from here at the
community college to UCR.
We have orientation sessions specifically tailored to the
needs of veterans, as well as welcome events for the veterans
and their families. In April, we teamed up with other colleges
in Inland Southern California, home to 30,000 veterans, for the
Inland Empire College Boot Camp. We offered resources and
answered questions that veterans have about how to get off to a
good start.
At UCR, veterans receive priority class registration, as
well as assistance with paperwork associated with the GI Bill
and state benefit programs. We send out regular updates on
policy and legislative changes that affect our veterans. We
offer a deferred payment plan and an exemption from the
application fee, and the first late fee each quarter, just to
make sure that we are removing some of the common causes of
frustration.
When the Federal Government shut down last month, UCR
prepared a contingency plan to waive additional late fees, lift
registration holds, and provide emergency loan funds to
veterans and their families. We have a veteran support team
with members from about 20 departments on campus to make sure
that we hear from our veterans when they need assistance. Our
alumni office coordinates some internship programs between
students and alumni veterans.
The UCR Career Center has developed Operation VETS, which
stands for Veteran Employment Transition and Success. The
program is organized as a bi-weekly workshop for a small group
of veterans and servicemembers. In these workshops, veterans
polish their resumes, practice networking and interviewing,
pick up job search strategies, and enjoy exclusive recruiting
opportunities in jobs that lead to prospective employers and
other benefits.
I am going to just quickly skip just a bit. I wanted to say
that our campus has currently 500 veterans, and one of those is
Luis Contreras, a UCR graduate of 2012 who majored in
biological sciences. He credits UCR with helping prepare him
for a career in medicine, and I am happy to say that he is a
member of our inaugural class in the School of Medicine.
He has told us, ``UCR programs helped me connect with
fellow veterans and not feel like an outcast for being a non-
traditional student.''
We expect great things from him and from all of the other
highly motivated and conscientious veterans on our campus. They
have provided outstanding service to our country. In turn, we
work to provide outstanding educational and social support
services for them.
If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Steven G. Brint appears in
the Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Dr. Brint.
Ms. Daly, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF PAMELA DALY
Ms. Daly. Good morning. On behalf of the students, faculty,
and staff at DeVry University in San Diego, thank you for the
opportunity to provide the Subcommittee more information on the
great work that we are doing to empower our veterans to achieve
their educational and career goals.
DeVry University has a long history of service to our
military personnel that dates back to the 1940s, where we
trained Army Air Corps instructors on electronic devices. And
then following World War II, DeVry was one of the first schools
approved to accept the original GI Bill.
Today, we help veterans and military students make higher
education a reality with year-round scheduling, distance
learning, and degree programs that provide a solid foundation
for career success.
DeVry University has more than 90 VA-approved facilities,
with most of them participating in the Yellow Ribbon program,
including the one that is here in San Diego. Nationally, DeVry
University serves over 6,500 veterans, with nearly 400 at our
campus in San Diego, about half of our population. We attribute
that to our unique geographic locale. Understand that we are
only 10 miles away from 10 military bases and 25,000 military
servicemembers.
To make DeVry University education more affordable for
active-duty military and their spouses, these students receive
special tuition rates. We also provide veterans with tuition
grants, and veterans and servicemembers alike can qualify for
credits based on their military coursework as we follow the
American Council on Education Military Guide.
We also participate in the Department of Veteran Affairs'
Principles for Excellence program, and DeVry University is a
member of the Service Members Opportunity Colleges Consortium,
as well as the SOCS degree network system.
DeVry University has a dedicated military affairs team. It
is comprised of former servicemembers, veterans, reservists,
spouses, that provide ongoing support to the veterans and
active-duty members throughout their education. We also have
student success coaches who closely assist military students to
complete education plans, identify potential barriers to
success, and to obtain resources to overcome those barriers and
assist them with registration from semester to semester.
We offer our staff sensitivity training through the VA and
provide the VA Vet Centers open access to the campus, allowing
for free communication with veterans and early identification
of issues that they might face.
A prospective student goes through a pre-screening with a
military education liaison who is a member of the Military
Affairs Team and is typically the veteran's initial contact.
They then meet in our comprehensive interview with an
admissions advisor. The advisor explains the interview is a
two-way process. We are interviewing the candidate, and they
are also interviewing us to ensure that this is the right
choice for their educational and career goals.
DeVry University has resources in place to help our
military students transition to school and work through the
challenges that they face. The program is called the DeVry
ASPIRE program. It provides confidential and free counseling
services 24/7 to all enrolled students and their family
members, and it helps them with things such as financial and
legal consultation and referrals, mental/emotional/behavioral
issues, PTSD, child care issues, family concerns, anything that
might create an obstacle to the student's success in their
degree program.
On campus, we have a veterans Resource Center that is
dedicated space for veterans to find military resources and
contacts, including an advisor to again help them who is
dedicated to military-oriented problems and challenges.
The San Diego campus has hosted military educator forums in
collaboration with local ESOs and created and promoted
designated military job fair opportunities.
To further support veteran students, DeVry University has
an active veteran community at many of our campuses, and at San
Diego, we have just initiated the Student Veteran Association,
which will be having its first meeting in January.
We have quarterly town halls that are hosted by the
Military Affairs Team, and military appreciation events for
Memorial Day and Veterans Day that are hosted on campus.
There is really so much more that I would love to tell you
about DeVry University and our commitment to serving and
supporting our military students, but I realize my time here
today is limited, and I want to thank the Committee again for
the opportunity to share some of these best practices and to
answer any questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Pamela Daly appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Ms. Daly.
I thank the panel for their testimony, and I will recognize
myself for 5 minutes for questions to begin.
But before I do that, I would like to recognize that
Congresswoman Grace Napolitano has a representative here.
Hector, would you stand up?
Hector Elizalde--did I get that close? Okay, good--is here,
so I want to thank Congresswoman Napolitano for having someone
here to join us today.
My first question is this. This is for each of you. What
recommendations do each of you have for Congress on how we can
help you assist the student veterans better?
We will just start in the same order that you testified, if
that is okay. Dr. Azari?
Ms. Azari. Thank you. If we were able to access Federal
funds similar to Title V or Title III, even if it is a
competitive process, we would be able to use those funds to
provide more services to veterans. We really had to squeeze it
out of our general funds in order to set up a veteran center.
But we would be able to provide a lot more services, and
especially in our Office of Economic Development, because we
are helping veterans who are interested in being entrepreneurs
and setting up their own small businesses.
So, I think, not only the veteran center, but to help us
provide a veterans entrepreneurship program that would really
help them set up their own small businesses.
Mr. Flores. And did you say those should be awarded on a
competitive basis?
Ms. Azari. I am fine with being on a competitive basis.
Mr. Flores. Okay, okay.
Dr. Brint?
Mr. Brint. Yes. I think that one of the issues on campus is
the advising situation for veterans. Veterans sometimes feel a
bit lost on a large university campus. It would be very helpful
to us to have more intrusive advising so that we can give them
as much feedback as they need. Also, it would be extremely
helpful if we could do more to connect the veterans with
veteran-friendly employers in the communities. This would
perhaps require some additional funds from Congress, but I
think competition, I would agree, is something that we would
favor.
Mr. Flores. Okay. I like the terminology on intrusive
advising.
By the way, before we go on, I would like to thank UC
Riverside for what you did to accommodate veterans during the
government shutdown by making emergency loans available to
them. I appreciate what you all do.
Ms. Daly?
Ms. Daly. Well, I want to say, first of all, thank you for
the step forward with the JST, the Joint Services Transcript,
which is now merging all of the different branches into a
unified transcripting format, which has been extremely helpful
in evaluating our veterans' transfer credits, and also that
they are now available online, which is a wonderful thing,
because we can get them pretty quickly, within 24 hours. So
that helps us better serve our servicemembers as they come to
school.
I think the one thing that we have sometimes faced, some
challenge, with a little bit differently from my colleagues,
who have expressed some great concerns, is that the voice
between who the servicemember speaks to and who the university
speaks to aren't always on the same page. There is a little bit
of a disconnect between the messaging that a servicemember gets
and what the university is being told. So maybe just more of a
cohesive message, one voice that is represented to the
servicemembers as well as to the universities.
Mr. Flores. Okay.
This question is for Dr. Azari and Dr. Brint. The VA runs a
program called the Veteran Success On Campus program, which
places a certified vocational rehab counselor on campuses as a
way to assist veterans with VA benefits and transition issues.
Has either your district or your campus heard or applied to
this program?
Ms. Azari. No, we have not.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Well, if you don't mind, we will spend a
few minutes with you afterwards, or John will. If you haven't,
I would suggest you take a look at it. From what we have
learned, it is a great opportunity for schools to get a trained
VA employee on their campus.
Ms. Azari. Right. Thank you.
Mr. Brint. That does sound like a wonderful opportunity,
and we have not taken advantage of it either at this point.
Mr. Flores. Okay. It does sort of get to what you were
talking about as far as--I was going to say aggressive
counseling or advising, but there might be a way to partner
with each other so that you could use a VA counselor on your
campus to help with that.
This question is for each of you. There has been a lot of
talk in the higher education community about student success.
How would you define success for your students, and how does
your school attract success for student veterans? I am about to
run out of time, so you can hit it very quickly.
Ms. Azari. I think students have to help us define that
success, if they want just enough courses to advance in their
chosen field or if they want to transfer.
Mr. Flores. Okay.
Mr. Brint. We generally define it as retention and
graduation, and also we should think about subject-matter
mastery as well. If you graduate without the knowledge, it is
not such a great thing. So we focus on how they are doing in
the classroom and whether they are graduating.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Ms. Daly?
Ms. Daly. Based on graduation. We would say that 71 percent
of our veterans are graduating, going through to graduation in
about 2.6 years.
Mr. Flores. My time has just about expired. I thank each of
you for your answers. And again, I thank each of you for your
testimony today.
I am going to recognize Mr. Takano for 5 minutes for any
questions he may have.
Mr. Takano. My question is for Ms. Daly.
Ms. Daly, you heard that Riverside Community College
devotes about $400,000 out of its own budget for programs
specifically targeting veterans. Is there any similar kind of
budget line item at DeVry?
Ms. Daly. That is a really good question. I don't think I
am qualified to answer that question at this time, but I could
get back to you with that information.
Mr. Takano. Okay. Are you mainly career and technical
programs, do you also have transfer programs into 4-year
programs?
Ms. Daly. We are Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degree
programs.
Mr. Takano. So you offer Bachelor's and Master's programs?
Ms. Daly. Yes, and we primarily have transfer-in students,
so those finishing community college and transferring in.
Usually about 40 credits is a transfer in from our military
folks into DeVry University.
Mr. Takano. I want to just compare costs between the two. I
think Dr. Azari mentioned about $18,000 a year is the cost if
the student--it costs an average full-time student, a veteran,
$18,000 a year. Do you have a comparable cost number?
Ms. Daly. Well, for veterans, it is a little bit different
because of the Yellow Ribbon program. So whatever the program
covers, that is what we are charging the veteran to attend. So
there is no out-of-pocket above and beyond their scholarships
and their funding. So, does that answer your question, sir?
Mr. Takano. The cost is funded by the government. My
question is, what is the cost for a student to attend DeVry,
whether a veteran or not?
Ms. Daly. A non-veteran student would be about $16,000 a
year in tuition.
Mr. Takano. In tuition alone? Does that include books and
supplies?
Ms. Daly. It does.
Mr. Takano. Okay. Does it include off-campus board?
Ms. Daly. No. We have primarily non-traditional students.
We don't have dorms in our locations.
Mr. Takano. Okay.
Dr. Azari, tell me more about the veteran center that RCC
created. Why was it created? How was it funded? And what is the
size of its budget?
Ms. Azari. We have a veteran center. It is a student
engagement center. So there is a back office that provides
assistance with paperwork, but the bulk of the center, the
major portion there is a television, there are computers, there
are study areas, and there is a sofa and a comfort area so that
students can connect with other veteran students. I don't have
the cost for their budget, but let me see if Joy does.
Okay. Like I said, we spend about $400,000. Normally, what
we do, Riverside City College gets about half of that, so that
is about $200,000, and the other colleges get 25 percent of 25
percent. So I would say $100,000. That includes tapping.
Mr. Takano. Great. And is it able to fully serve the
veteran population at RCC?
Ms. Azari. We do the best that we can. We are open every
day, and there is staff located in the offices every day.
Mr. Takano. What are the greatest challenges you face in
attracting and serving veterans?
Ms. Azari. I think getting the message out and
communicating that we have services for veterans and that we
will provide that assistance.
Mr. Takano. Has your research office been able to determine
any differences in their success rate compared to the regular
student body?
Ms. Azari. Not to my knowledge, but that would be helpful.
Mr. Takano. One more thing. Do veterans have issues with
preparation? Are they arriving at college level? Is there an
overall sense you can give me on this?
Ms. Azari. Eighty percent of community college students in
California come in with deficiencies, either in English or
math. So I am certain that we have identified those, and then
we provide the remediation.
Mr. Takano. Okay. Can you answer that question, Ms. Daly?
Are there similar issues of preparation, and is there any
screening that you do, or assessments?
Ms. Daly. Yes. Assessments are required for admission. Like
my colleague, we are experiencing the same kinds of challenges
with remedial coursework required. I would say with our veteran
population and military folks, the English is there. The verbal
and written primarily is not nearly the challenge. But we do
require college algebra, which if you don't use it, you kind of
lose it. So there is a remedial kind of revisit to that to kind
of brush up on those skill sets.
Mr. Takano. All right. I think my time is about to run out,
and I yield back.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
For all of you, all the community colleges have veteran
centers, and each community college in my district, and my
district serves three community colleges, which is Valley,
Mount Sac and Chaffey, and everybody claims to have the best
veteran center. Since you all have the best veteran center, do
you all--and you have all used the term ``best practices.'' Do
you all kind of coordinate with each other to see what is the
best practice for everybody, even for the universities, since
you also have the best veteran center?
Ms. Azari. I would say yes, that we do, certainly among the
community colleges in California. We have regular meetings of
individuals who work with veterans. There are also national
meetings where we get together and talk about those things.
But I can tell you that when I was at Riverside City
College last fall, we did have visitors from the University of
California Riverside to come look at our veteran center because
they wanted to expand their program. So I know that we have
some best practices.
Mr. Brint. I would say the national ----
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. Because I also have Cal Poly in my
district. So, everybody has the best. So I just wanted to know
do you do the same thing?
Mr. Brint. I won't make a claim about who has the best, but
we certainly attend the national meetings. We are attentive to
the practices of all the universities. We attempt to emulate
the practices that are working. And one thing that is
distinctive about our university is, we evaluate what we do and
we look very carefully at how the veterans are looking at our
services, whether they feel they are benefitting from our
services. We track their progress, and we are constantly trying
to direct resources and sometimes redesign programs to best fit
the needs of our populations.
Ms. Daly. I would say yes, within our sector. Again, like
my colleagues, within the private sector, we have meetings that
kind of discuss the veteran challenges, successes, best
practices, ways to improve. One of the ways that we measure the
outcome is through what we call a promoter score or student
satisfaction rate, and the University of San Diego is well
above--into the 50s, which is considered the top tier of
satisfaction rate. So that is how we know we are doing well,
and persistence is strong to graduation. Those are the ways
that we measure how well we are doing.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. Because my district has DeVry, has
ITT, has a bunch of private post-secondary schools. So do you
all kind of meet together? I know you are out in San Diego.
Ms. Daly. Yes, ma'am.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. And I am out this way.
Ms. Daly. Yes, ma'am.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. So it would be the same whether you
are down in San Diego or this way.
Ms. Daly. Yes, there are many regional meetings with folks
from the VA kind of spearheading those and that open dialogue,
that feedback back and forth.
Mrs. Negrete McLeod. Thank you.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mrs. Negrete McLeod.
And I want to thank each of you for your testimony.
I don't have any personal experience with groups like
community college does or with UC Riverside, but I do
appreciate what you told us today. I do have a large employer
in my district, L3 Communications, that is very happy with the
number of DeVry candidates they have working with them.
So I thank each of you for what you do for our Nation's
veterans, and this panel is now dismissed.
For our second panel, we will have Mr. Albert R. Renteria
representing the American Legion; Mr. Sherrod Conyers,
representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Mr. Marques
Dredd, representing the Riverside City College Veterans Club.
Each of you will be recognized for 5 minutes.
We also have another Member of Congress that has a
representative here today. Congressman Raul Ruiz has a
representative, Rebecca Rodriquez Lynn. Are you here?
So if any of you need to reach out to Congressman Ruiz's
office, Rebecca will be happy to visit with you about that, I
am sure.
So we will now begin your testimony. We will start with Mr.
Renteria.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENTS OF ALBERT R. RENTERIA, MEMBER, SMALL BUSINESS
TASKFORCE, THE AMERICAN LEGION; SHERROD CONYERS, CALIFORNIA
DELEGATE, NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, VETERANS OF FOREIGN
WARS OF THE UNITED STATES; MARQUES DREDD, FORMER PRESIDENT,
VETERANS CLUB, RIVERSIDE CITY COLLEGE
STATEMENT OF ALBERT R. RENTERIA
Mr. Renteria. Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of
Commander Dellinger and the 2.4 million members of the American
Legion, I thank you and your colleagues for the work you do in
support of our servicemembers and veterans, as well as their
families.
Education is increasingly essential to success in the
American job market. Whether obtaining a traditional liberal
education or pursuing a job credential, the shift in the
American economy from manufacturing-based to information-based
demands a radical increase in the need for higher education.
Since 1944, when the American Legion shepherded the
original GI Bill into law, our organization has taken a strong
interest in higher education, particularly with regard to
veteran education. The capacity of the post-9/11 GI Bill
greatly expanded the educational benefits available to
veterans. The American Legion understands this benefit comes at
a significant cost, but the experience is well worth it both
for the veteran and the Nation, because it represents an
investment in the future of our veterans and of the country, an
investment that will pay off in spades, just as the original GI
Bill did.
As veterans transition from the military to civilian life,
they need education and job training in order to be competitive
in the current job market. However, it has become increasingly
apparent that there is a need to obtain information on student
outcomes and ensure the transparency of institutions of higher
learning while providing quantitative information on student
veterans in order to assess America's return on investment in
the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Taxpayers deserve to know how well their money is being
used. But even more importantly, veterans looking to utilize
their earned education benefits deserve to be given a fair
deal, and deserve to be given good information that will help
them make a smart decision about college.
Additionally, policymakers need reliable data when
considering potential policy adjustments. Some of the specific
data points that the American Legion believes are relevant and
should be researched and made available include: the number of
part-time, adult, military, remedial, and Pell Grant students
who are successfully completing degrees; data regarding
students who do not complete programs, whether they are
transferring to other schools or dropping out altogether; the
percentage of tuition paid out-of-pocket by the student versus
the percentage the institution receives from government
sources; the amount of overhead debt students are being
burdened with, and whether they are paying back their loans,
especially students who do not complete their degrees; whether
students are finding jobs in their fields; whether students are
continuing on to graduate school.
While it is true that some of this data is already
collected and reported, virtually none effectively captures
student veteran outcomes. Data which is reported to the
Department of Education and complies with the Higher Education
Act of 1965 tracks only first-time full-time students. However,
veterans by and large do not fall into this category.
Typically, student veterans are adults attending part-time,
perhaps online, and they have previously taken post-secondary
classes in some form. Changing these metrics to better capture
the student veteran population, as well as the growing number
of other non-first-time, full-time students in higher
education, would be a step in the right direction.
Further, data which is provided to the National Student
Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization that collects and
disseminates current enrollment and graduation data of the vast
majority of American institutions of higher learning, does not
track student veterans specifically. Because of this, the
American Legion believes it necessary to develop metrics and
data collection which tracks student veterans specifically,
from the beginning of their higher education experience through
its completion and employment outcomes.
Finally, the American Legion recommends more scrutiny be
given to the process of granting alternative credits.
Alternative credit is credit which may be granted for
experiences garnered outside of traditional classroom settings.
For example, students may be granted credit for successfully
passing a prior learning assessment, or for military or job
experience. The American Legion believes that data collating
the granting of this type of credit with student outcomes would
be useful in assessing the importance of this type of credit to
overall student success.
In sum, the American Legion urges the embrace of outcomes-
focused data systems which provide information that enable
stakeholders to make informed decisions. America has recognized
that veterans are an incredibly valuable resource and, through
the post-9/11 GI Bill, has invested in them. We need to ensure
that veterans are able to make the most of this crucial benefit
for themselves, their families, their communities, and our
country.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I
would be glad to answer any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Albert R. Renteria appears in
the Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Renteria.
Mr. Conyers?
STATEMENT OF SHERROD CONYERS
Mr. Conyers. Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee,
on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
of the United States of America and our Auxiliaries, I would
like to thank you for the opportunity to offer the VFW's
perspective on the services our colleges and universities offer
to student veterans.
As a current-conflict veteran, I understand firsthand how
difficult the transition can be from military to civilian life.
For student veterans in particular, the culture shock of going
from military life to college life can be particularly
daunting. This is why campus resources, specifically for
student veterans, have been so critical to veterans' success in
higher education.
For years, the VFW has been at the forefront of improving
educational opportunities for veterans who have served since 9/
11. The VFW championed the post-9/11 GI Bill, which recently
turned 5 years old. Last year, we championed legislation to
improve consumer information and consumer protections for
veterans through the Improving Transparency in Education for
Veterans Act, which was signed into law in early January. This
year, the VFW is fighting for in-state tuition for veterans at
public colleges and universities, seeking to ensure veterans
can maximize their benefits at the publicly-funded school of
their choice.
But the VFW believes that we not only have the obligation
to ensure that veterans have access to higher education, but we
have the obligation to ensure they can graduate and find
quality careers. Recent accomplishments like the post-9/11 GI
Bill and the Transparency Act are designed to ensure that
veterans are academically and financially prepared to go to
college, but they do little to ensure that veterans will
actually graduate. This is where college-specific services to
student veterans play a critical role.
Over the last few years, many colleges and universities
have stepped up to improve their on-campus services to
veterans, and we applaud those kinds of initiatives. The VFW
echoes the sentiment of our colleagues at Student Veterans of
America, or SVA, when they say that the investment of a college
or university in its veterans has to start at the top. We agree
that college presidents must have a vested interest in the
veterans' community on their campus, or those veterans will
face significant hurdles establishing veteran-specific
services.
To the VFW, a model college campus embraces three basic
concepts: student veterans who are organized within the student
body; buy-in from top campus administration, to include the
college president, through which policies are crafted and
resources allocated to support veterans; and dedicated physical
space to veterans' resources beyond the school certifying
official.
The first concept is simple. Veterans should come together
on campus to offer mutual aide, assistance and camaraderie to
their veteran peers. Moreover, organized student veteran groups
must make a concerted effort to become an integral part of
campus life by either organizing events like community
fundraisers or participating in campus events like intramural
sports. The VFW has seen many successful models for this around
the Nation, particularly from student veteran organizations
under the SVA umbrella at more than 800 college campuses from
coast to coast.
One example is at Rutgers University in New Jersey where
newly-matriculated Iraq and Afghanistan veterans founded a
small campus group in 2008, dedicated to supporting their
fellow veterans, educating their educators about the veterans'
community, giving back to campus, and improving veterans'
services. Today, the student veterans at Rutgers are a critical
cog in campus decision-making, and a well-respected group
within the student body.
The second concept is many times the most difficult to
accomplish, but the veteran community has made considerable
headway over the last few years. At first, many college
presidents do not readily recognize the diversity of ideas and
experiences that college-bound veterans bring to campus.
However, once recognizing this, college presidents are quick to
buy in, ensuring their student veterans can be best served by
their institution.
One example is nearby San Diego State University where
student veterans made their case to college leadership who in
turn identified gaps and offered services and campus resources
wherever they could, such as an old fraternity house now used
exclusively for campus veterans. Today, San Diego State boasts
one of the Nation's most engaged veteran communities on campus
and the largest student veteran population in California.
Another example is right here at Riverside City College,
where the administration recognized the need for priority
enrollment for student veterans. Unlike Federal student aid, GI
Bill programs have a finite timeline and dollar amount with
which a veteran can earn a degree. This means that veterans
cannot mark time waiting for required degree courses to open
up. Riverside recognized this and extended priority
registration to all recently-separated veterans and GI Bill
beneficiaries to ensure they can enroll in necessary classes
and graduate in a timely manner.
The final concept is often a product of the second. Last
November, California State University, Fullerton, opened its
veteran center, where veterans can meet throughout the day,
speak with educational advisors, take advantage of peer
tutoring, or learn about available veteran benefits. Similar
veteran centers are also up and running right here at
Riverside, at San Diego State, and other campuses around
California.
Since the implementation of the post-9/11 GI Bill, many
colleges have recognized the wealth of knowledge and experience
our veterans bring to the community. Some of the Nation's most
elite schools, like Columbia University and Georgetown, have
built robust veteran communities on campus capable of molding
the leaders of tomorrow, as we intended. However, there is
still room for improvement.
The VFW has followed closely the growth and success of VA's
Vet Success On Campus program. What started as a one-campus
pilot in 2009, quickly expanded to eight campuses by the end of
2011; 17 campuses in 2012; 32 in 2013; and a proposed 94
campuses in 2014. VSOC offers VA-specific resources directly to
veterans on college campuses. This program has been invaluable
to the colleges that have been fortunate enough to be added to
the list. However, the VFW believes this program has the
potential to reach hundreds of other campuses around the
country.
The VFW also remains concerned that many schools still do
not fully acknowledge American Council on Education, or ACE,
credit recommendations for military training when veterans
enroll. Currently, Servicemember Opportunity Colleges, or SOCs,
consortium participants must have policies in place to evaluate
and accept military academic credits. Unfortunately, most
schools are not SOC participants. We understand that Congress
cannot legislate the acceptance and transfer of military
credits, but the VFW would prefer to see GI Bill-eligible
schools acknowledge military academic credits and implement
reasonable policies to accept credits where applicable.
The VFW also believes that financial concerns continue to
impede academic progress for student veterans. The cost of
college is a concern for all Americans, and even though many
veterans have access to the robust post-9/11 GI Bill, most
veterans still face significant out-of-pocket costs to finance
their education.
With this in mind, the VFW continues to advocate for in-
state tuition for recently-separated post-9/11 GI Bill
veterans. As written, the post-9/11 GI Bill only reimburses in-
state tuition and fees for veterans attending public schools.
Sadly, many veterans attending public schools cannot qualify
for in-state tuition because the transience of military life
has made them ineligible. Since these policies vary disparately
state by state, the VFW believes that we must offer reasonable
in-state tuition protections for student veterans on a national
level, especially for veterans who cannot qualify because of
circumstances beyond their control.
Finally, the VFW also believes that schools accepting GI
Bill dollars should offer priority enrollment to student
veterans if they offer priority enrollment to other student
groups, like student athletes. I explained earlier in my
testimony why this was such a critical issue for veterans who
have a finite time in which to use their benefits. Many
schools, like Riverside City College, have already stepped up
to offer priority enrollment to foster student veteran success,
but we believe that more can be done to ensure GI Bill-eligible
schools adopt similar policies.
As you can see, campus services for veterans play a key
role in ensuring student veteran success in higher education.
We have seen significant improvement in this area since the
passage of the post-9/11 GI Bill, but we must continue to do
better. We have several opportunities to get this right at the
Federal level, and the VFW stands ready to assist, as we have
always done in the past.
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, this concludes my
statement, and I am happy to answer any questions that you may
have.
[The prepared statement of Sherrod Conyers appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Conyers.
Mr. Dredd?
STATEMENT OF MARQUES DREDD
Mr. Dredd. Good morning, Chairman and Congressman. My name
is Marques Dredd. I am a member, a retired member of the Air
Force. I was medically discharged. When I was asked to be here,
I was very excited because I think you get a different
perspective when you actually see someone who is going through
the process, who has experienced things and seen things and
seen how much we have grown.
The transition from a military lifestyle to a student can
be a challenging experience. I was medically discharged from
the Air force. When I returned from Iraq, I found myself in a
lost place and trying to find out what my next steps would be.
After many attempts to find employment, I decided that college
would give me better opportunities to fulfill my goals.
When I first began at Riverside College, life was
challenging. For instance, I did not know where to start and
what classes to take. At the time, I felt that the veteran's
office would not offer much help and I chose to try things on
my own. A semester later, I spoke with another veteran who
suggested coming to one of the veteran meetings. I quickly
realized that there were many veteran resources to help get me
on track. After attending a few meetings, it was clear that
there were many opportunities as well as veterans in the same
situation that I was. This inspired me to become more active
and join the club.
After joining the club, I decided that I wanted to become
the president. I saw other presidents before me, and they were
motivated, and they wanted to be successful. When I first
started here, it was a very small building, and we could
basically just turn in our paperwork, ask a few questions and
leave. In the past three years, almost four years now, the
Veterans Club has grown so much, it clearly inspired us as
veterans to do more and see more.
I have seen veterans before me that had offices, officer
positions, go on to succeed. Some examples. One has a Fulbright
Scholarship to University of San Bernardino, I believe. Another
got a full-time job, actually was a president. And myself, I
will be transferring to Cal Poly as an engineering major in the
winter.
It is very exciting to see the things that we have done and
how much we have grown. I think that is one of the most
important things that I wanted to get across and why I was so
excited when my advisor asked me to be here. We have things in
our resource center like computers. Although there are
computers other places on campus, it is a nice environment to
go where there are just veterans where we can discuss other
things, and we truly do try and help each other. We have books,
and we know that sometimes we are struggling. We may let them
use our book while we use their book when we are taking
different classes.
We really try and network and intermingle with each other,
which I think is another important aspect of the resource
center and the Veterans Club.
When I first started here, I thought veterans were going to
be a bunch of old veteran guys who just wanted to sit around
and talk about old war stories, and that was kind of my reason
for staying away from the Veterans Club. But after seeing what
it had to offer and what our advisors had to offer, it really
made me excited. It made me want to do more, and it made me
want to see that not only people around us, but the student
population and the college would see us as positive, diverse,
motivated individuals that want to be successful and are here
to finish our education. That was my main purpose for going in
the military, and that is my purpose now.
I didn't want to use my benefits here. I chose to save
them, because I have seen how difficult the university level
can be. So I decided to wait. I have used them a few times, but
not that much. I have been trying to save them. Now that I will
be at Cal Poly, I am very excited to see what I can do with
those benefits.
But like I said, it is very exciting. I am thankful that I
could be here and let you know, and if you have any questions,
I would be more than happy to answer them.
[The prepared statement of Marques Dredd appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Dredd.
I want to, before we begin the questioning, I would like to
thank all of you for your testimony. But more importantly, I
would like to thank each of you for your service to our
country. It should not go unnoticed about the sacrifice that
each of you have made, as well as the rest of your brothers and
sisters who are veterans, and also your brothers and sisters
that are in the United States military.
With that, I will recognize myself for 5 minutes for
questioning.
The first question I have is for each of you on the panel,
and I think some of you spoke to this, especially Mr. Renteria.
And Mr. Conyers, you talked about this a little bit. But if you
could summarize, how can Congress and the Federal Government
better assist clubs like the Veterans Club and RCC and ensure
student veteran success across the country?
We will start with Mr. Renteria.
Mr. Renteria. As American Legion has been in the service
since 1919, our main focus is the legislative law that offers
our benefits. As I pointed out in my statement is with the
changing environment of the economy from manufacturer base to
information base, the level of educational requirement for us
is higher than ever before, and it is imperative to appreciate
data that we could gather, as we proposed, would help us better
present legislation to the body of what we think needs to be
considered.
So the reality is, as I heard some of the panelists before
us, is they are doing great things, best things for us. All
veterans are taken care of when we do that. Then we do the
best. But data collection is key. We know what to do with it.
If we don't have it, then we can fail you to better decide how
to pass law for veterans.
Mr. Flores. Okay.
Mr. Conyers?
Mr. Conyers. I agree with my colleague, Mr. Chairman. One
of the key things that we need to do is communication,
effective communication. Like Mr. Dredd said, I am a young
veteran as well, and contrary to popular belief, a lot of those
old stories have a lot of value in them, so we like hearing
them.
But setting an ambiance on college campuses and actually,
like I stated earlier in my testimony, getting the buy-in not
only from the administration, but also at the top, it starts
with the president. It starts with your chancellors or your
counselors, making sure that they are able to buy in, in what
we need as far as having an outreach center where it
specifically caters to veterans. I think Congress has
appropriated some funds, and there are some, both on the House
and the Senate side that speak to those volumes of allocating
more monies.
We all know in these crucial economic times that here, a
couple of weeks ago, almost 3.2 million veterans almost didn't
receive their regular monthly stipend, per se, which doesn't
even equate to what they really are owed. But making sure that
we are on the forefront of all conversations when it comes to
allocating those funds, especially when it comes to education,
I think that is where we can really start, and that is where
Congress would be when we advocate for that not only in the
spring, but also in the fall as well.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Conyers.
Mr. Dredd?
Mr. Dredd. One of the important things that I have noticed,
I would hope that we could change or see changes, our veterans
counselor does a lot of other things as well, and as the
president of the club, it is kind of hard when you are trying
to speak with him. And I know he has things to do as well, so
he is juggling 10 things at a time. So maybe to have an advisor
that could work specifically with us, and a counselor that
could work specifically with us, or at least be given more time
to focus on us and improving. I think that would be very
motivational and helpful.
One of the, I think, hardest things as the president and
seeing other presidents is when we transfer, sometimes we don't
have a president, so we have a gap. And then we have a new
president that has to start, and they have to learn the whole
process over. So by having an advisor and a counselor that
worked specifically with us, I think there would be more of an
easier transition from one president to another.
Things like that, I think, definitely would be helpful as
far as--that is one of the major things that I have noticed
that has been a struggle, whenever we change from one office to
another, trying to find that gap and learn how to do the things
over again.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Dredd.
I see that my time is about to expire, so I am going to
recognize Mr. Takano for 5 minutes for any questions that he
has.
Mr. Takano. As with the Chairman, I wish to associate
myself with his remarks regarding the gratitude we all owe to
each of you for your service to our country. So, thank you very
much.
Mr. Dredd, I was struck by your strategy of you saying that
you want to preserve your benefits. I want you to elaborate
that a little more. Can you tell me why you chose RCC as
opposed to any other type of school, like a for-profit or a 4-
year university or private school?
Mr. Dredd. Well, I am a little bit--you wouldn't know it,
but I am 36. I am a little bit older. I actually worked before,
and I tried to go to junior college, and I just realized that
it was pretty difficult, actually, to juggle school and work
and be able to do just regular day-to-day things without a real
struggle. So I decided to go into the Air Force. That was my
main plan.
When I got out, I knew I was going to have benefits. I knew
I wanted to use them. But, of course, you hear a lot of times
there are a lot of programs out there that are just trying to
get that money from you. And so they make it sound great, they
make it sound wonderful.
Me personally, I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted
to be an engineer. That is why I went in as an aircraft
electrician. I knew when I got out, I was going to save my
benefits as much as possible. Of course, it is nice to have
when you need it. So if there was a semester when I was really
struggling, I knew that I would be able to use it. But there
are great opportunities, like we got a scholarship, an Andrews
scholarship that was donated to us that offers $1,000 a year
for a short paragraph about what we would do with the money as
a veteran. That is just at this school alone, and that was
really great.
That is motivating for us, and that is a way for us to
preserve those benefits because, of course, at the junior
college, it doesn't go as far as it would at a university where
the tuition is three times, as I have learned, three or four
times as much.
So that is a big reason why I chose to hold off and try to
save them as much as possible, because I have other friends
that aren't military that have gone through universities, and
they make great money. I have a friend who is a vet, and he
makes great money, but most of his money is going to paying off
all that debt that he had.
Mr. Takano. Can you tell me, how much did you know about
how much you had to spend on your education once you knew you
were going to leave the service?
Mr. Dredd. I actually didn't know. I just heard a lot of
people say that the GI Bill is a great way to go, it is a good
way to save money. So I didn't do a lot of investigating into
it at the time. I knew I wanted to get some kind of background
and career. I knew that military service always looks good. I
also knew that as an electrician and working on aircraft, it
would be great experience for when I do get my engineering
degree, and I wanted to focus on having a path, setting a goal,
and knowing where I was going to go.
Mr. Takano. So it is just that you had tried to go to
community college before you went into the service?
Mr. Dredd. Yes, sir.
Mr. Takano. And then after struggling, you decided to go
into the service.
Mr. Dredd. Correct.
Mr. Takano. And you knew that you would get the benefits to
be able to apply yourself more full-time at college after
leaving the service?
Mr. Dredd. Yes. I knew that I would be able to focus more
on school with my benefits instead of worrying about trying to
find a job and that balance, which is another thing that I
would like to say, too. I have noticed that a lot of veterans,
they have jobs as well, and they are trying to go to school,
and it is really difficult.
One of the other really great things I would love to see is
more opportunities for veterans on campus to work with other
veterans in some sort of paid role. It would give us an
opportunity to stay on campus, and when we are not doing
something, we can actually do our studies. When we are off
campus and we are working somewhere, sometimes it is hard to
balance that work schedule and school schedule.
That would be something I also, as a president, really was
hoping to--would like to see another step in the right
direction is getting veterans more opportunities not only to
work on campus, but to work with veterans on campus, because
that is one of the main motivating factors for other veterans,
is seeing that--I have seen four veterans before me succeed, go
on to graduate, go on to other colleges, and that motivates me,
and it makes me want to motivate other veterans.
Mr. Takano. Real quick, did you have to take any courses to
upgrade your skills like remedial courses, that you didn't
receive credit for, when you came back? Or were you pretty much
at college level when you got here?
Mr. Dredd. Fortunately, because I took some college credits
before I went into the military, some of those did transfer,
which is a benefit. There were some things--my math skills were
actually a little bit lacking, but I would prefer to start at
that lower level and build them than to try to get into a math
class that I would only do sub-par in.
Mr. Takano. Well, great.
My time is about to run out. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
If you don't mind, I would like to ask Mr. Dredd a couple
of follow-up questions.
Mr. Takano. Sure, go ahead.
Mr. Flores. What year did you leave the Air Force?
Mr. Dredd. I left in 2007. Actually, I was medically
retired.
Mr. Flores. Okay. And were you aware of the transition
assistance program at the time?
Mr. Dredd. To be honest
Mr. Flores. It is called TAP.
Mr. Dredd. Yes, I did know about the program, and I think a
little bit about what happened is, I got really sick after
returning from Iraq, and the military basically told me that I
was incapable of working on aircraft as an electrician any
more.
Mr. Flores. I see.
Mr. Dredd. So I was a little bitter, I guess, in the
beginning. I wanted to prove to myself and to the people around
me, and to the military, that I could still do the things that
I wanted to do. And so I took a step back and I didn't really
want to have anything to do with it. I think once I actually
got here, I realized what opportunities there were, and then I
found out about the program.
Mr. Flores. Okay. I was just curious because you had said
you didn't know that much about your benefits, and recently the
VA Committee has made TAP mandatory. That is within the last
couple of years. We have also codified what it has in it. What
we don't want to have happen is just somebody to not know what
their GI benefits are.
But I thank you for your testimony.
I thank all of you for your testimony today. Thank you,
again, for your service to our country.
Before we adjourn for the day, I would like to extend my
thanks to the students, staff, administration at Riverside City
College for hosting us. I thank Mr. Takano for being such a
gracious host here in California, as well. I thank our
witnesses for taking time from their busy schedules to be here.
I would also like to thank the representatives from Ms.
Napolitano's office and Mr. Ruiz' office for joining us today.
I assume you will be here for a couple of minutes in case
anybody has questions for you.
Finally, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include any extraneous material on today's hearing.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
This hearing is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:07 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Cynthia Azari, Ed.D.
Mr. Chairman, Committee Members, thank you for inviting me to
testify this morning regarding the veterans' services and programs in
place at Riverside Community College Districts' three colleges; and
welcome to Riverside City College, an institution with a proud 97-year
history serving students and veterans.
When I came before you in Washington, D.C., this past June, I spoke
about the current services in place at the colleges and the importance
of H.R. 331, and offered several suggested strategies for helping
institutions better serve student veterans.
Today, I would like to expand on several points that not only show
the level of veterans' services possible at community colleges, but, I
hope, offer some ideas that can be emulated throughout the country at
public institutions serving veterans. First, however, I would like to
say how pleased we are with the progress of H.R. 331, now part of HR
2481, which was passed in the House of Representatives a week ago today
and has now been sent to the Senate. We believe this legislation, which
will allow the centralized reporting of veteran enrollment by
accredited institutions within the same district, will go a long way
toward streamlining key processes used to serve our veterans. As a
district and colleges, we thank you for your role in moving this
important legislation forward.
Riverside Community College District has been successful in
designing and putting into place strong foundations upon which we hope
to build additional veterans' services. Each of our colleges provides
the following core services:
1. A Veterans' Center where veterans can talk with peer counselors
and get educational guidance in a supportive environment among fellow
veterans.
2. Veteran-specific orientation sessions and priority registration,
along with a Student Veteran Education Plan.
3. A district-wide disabled veterans' services program.
4. An active Veterans' Club.
More than 1,200 veterans receive these services at RCCD colleges
each semester. In turn, this leads them directly into the classroom;
and then to the workroom and/or transfer to the university environment.
The approach is proving so successful, that the University of
California, Riverside, is using RCCD's program as a model to shape
veterans' services at that institution.
Of the 1,200 veterans studying at RCCD colleges, 67% are enrolled
in one or more career technical classes, with nearly 60% of those
selecting a career technical program leading directly to the workplace
and the remaining 40% completing associate degrees leading to transfer
to a four-year university. Top CTE program selections were in the
nursing, administration of justice, computer programming, and business
administration fields; popular choices for transfer were math and
science, social and behavioral health, and computer information
systems. Attending community college will cost the average full-time
veteran/student more than $18,000 a year:
$ 1,104 Tuition and Fees
$ 1,710 Books and Supplies
$11,268Off-campus Room and Board ($4,518 if living with
parents/commuting from home)
$ 4,275Miscellaneous Expenses
With its evolution into a multi-college district, RCCD now budgets
specifically for veterans programs, separating from the general
Admissions & Records budgets. Doing so gives college administrators a
truer picture of the staff and financial resources required to serve
our veteran population. While RCCD is still in the early stages of this
shift, I can report that we are budgeting nearly $400,000 in general
funds on veterans' services--excluding the comparatively small amount
of $20,000 in direct funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.
In addition to offering traditional academic and career technical
classes, RCCD, through its Office of Economic Development (OED), also
serves veterans starting or operating small businesses. In 2012, the
OED sponsored 25 outreach events, provided 1,550 business-counseling
sessions, and directly assisted 461 individuals and 61 veteran-owned
small businesses. These services helped veterans and veteran-owned
businesses win more than $27 million in contract and subcontract
awards.
Adequate funding remains one of the main challenges in implementing
more comprehensive veterans' services and programs at our community
colleges. Quite simply, community colleges need more federal funding
for veterans, or at least more federal funding released at the local
level.
RCCD and our sister community colleges are the Portals to Education
for the majority of veterans. Through our mission and our direct
education-to-workforce connections and partnerships, we can move
veterans more quickly into the workplace or on to four-year
institutions for advanced degrees. But we need access to more funding
and more services, supplied at the federal level, but administered and
delivered at the local level.
This ``financial challenge'' could be overcome in a fashion similar
to how the VA is already implementing broad improvements such as the
eBenefits portal, VRAP, and VMET. All of these initiatives are designed
to create seamless access and education transitions for veterans, and
each depends on a federal-local partnership approach.
In the same way, through the use of federal block grants or grants
similar to the Department of Education Title V grants, the VA could
provide both capital investment and the pathways to create vibrant,
sustainable learning communities for veterans. This model has proven
successful in the national Puente Program for Hispanic students and in
RCCD programs such as Ujima, Talented Tenth, and Renaissance Scholars
for African American students. Right now the VA is doing the outreach
through a block grant type of program, letting the colleges do the
outreach AND service delivery directly to veterans, so they can
actively take advantage of their VA benefits and advance in non-
military career and educational endeavors more seamlessly; and with
proper support, locally.
Determining how to best serve veterans is a work in progress, but
one thing is certain. RCCD and other community colleges across the
nation will continue to see an increase in the number of veterans
seeking higher education and access to the ``American Dream'' they
pledged and fought to protect.
As educators and elected officials, it is incumbent upon us to help
them achieve their dreams. This is our collective challenge. Riverside
Community College District and our three colleges rise to this
challenge, but seek to do so alongside all of our sister colleges and
in partnership with the Veterans Administration, so that all veterans
seeking service can be readily served.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. Thank you for the
opportunity to speak today on this critical national and local issue. I
would be happy to take any questions.
Executive Summary
Dr. Cynthia Azari, interim chancellor of the Riverside Community
College District in Southern California is scheduled to present
testimony before the Subcommittee on November 4, 2013. Dr. Azari's
testimony focuses on how a multi-college public two-year system
provides services to veterans to help them progress and reach academic
and career goals.
RCCD serves 1.4 million people living in a 450 sq. mile service
area. Combined enrollment at the Moreno Valley, Norco and Riverside
City colleges exceeds 33,000; 1,200 of those students are veterans. In
addition, many veteran-owned small businesses operate in the region,
and in 2012 RCCD--through its Office of Economic Development--provided
procurement assistance, international trade, and customized business
training for some 61veteran-owned businesses and 461 veterans.
RCCD's three colleges provide a range of services and programs
serving veterans. Most of these programs are funded with general
operations dollars (state funding), grants, and private donations. Only
$20,000 in funding comes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2012, more than 170 student veterans graduated with degrees and/
or certificates. The majority of these graduates were enrolled in
career technical programs leading directly to the workplace. High
enrollment programs for veterans included nursing, administration and
justice, computer programming, business administration, CIS, and math
and sciences.
In previous testimony before the Subcommittee, RCCD proposed five
strategies that would help the VA and community colleges partner more
effectively to deliver services and programs to veterans. These,
coupled with RCCD's proven veterans programs--which are being used as a
model by the University of California, Riverside--and a VA focus on
providing federal block grants or direct ``veteran learning community''
development grants to community colleges would significantly improve
access to higher education and success for all veterans.
Riverside City College, Moreno Valley College, Norco College and
the District look forward to continuing to work with elected officials
and government agencies to improve and implement services and programs
for veterans.
EXHIBIT TO THE TESTIMONY OF DR. CYNTHIA AZARI - RCCD - NOVEMBER 4, 2013
RCCD STUDENT VETERAN PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Each of RCCD's three colleges is authorized to certify
veterans to receive benefits.
Each college has Veterans' Resources Centers, either in
place or in development, to assist with GI Bill and other VA education
benefits and guidelines.
Orientation sessions are specifically designed for
veterans.
``Veteran friendly'' college guidance courses are offered
now. In the future, a Boots to Books Guidance 48 class will be offered.
Every student veteran receives a Student Veteran
Education Plan.
Every student veteran receives priority registration and
priority transcript assessment and processing.
The District maintains a disabled veterans' services
program.
Comprehensive Veterans' Services brochures, websites, and
other VA and local agency information/fact sheets and consumer
information are distributed to student veterans.
A full-time Veterans' Services Coordinator (RCC) and
designated Veterans' Services Counselors (all colleges) are available.
Student Financial Services has an assigned liaison to the
Veterans' Office to assist student veterans.
Multidisciplinary Veterans' Services Committees
coordinate student services support to better address veterans' needs.
Each college has a Veterans' Club. In the future, we will
offer Veterans Serving Veterans mentor programs.
RCC hosts an annual 5k Veterans' Run and other activities
in support of Veterans in STEM scholarships, and all of our colleges
provide veteran-oriented activities.
RCCD At-A-Glance
Service Area: 450 sq. miles
Population: 1.4 million
Colleges: Riverside, Norco and Moreno Valley
Military Installations in Service Area: March Air Reserve Base,
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona, Riverside National Cemetery
Academic Programs: 100+ degree, certificate and transfer programs
Student Enrollment: 33,000
Students by Ethnicity:
Hispanic!!47%
White! !!27%
African American!10%
Asian/Pac. Islander!08%
Other/Multiple! !08%
No. of Student Veterans Served Each Semester: 1,200
2012/13 Student Veterans Grads: 170
Prepared Statement of Vice Provost Steven G. Brint
Good afternoon. I am Steven Brint, Vice Provost of Undergraduate
Education at the University of California, Riverside. I am honored to
be invited to be here before you today to share information about UCR's
success helping veterans transition into higher education.
The G.I. Bill provides the financial resources for veterans to earn
a four-year degree. And UC Riverside has an excellent record of
combining opportunity through access and excellence in teaching.
We do not just recruit students; we are committed to their success
in school and in life. That success has important consequences for the
development of America's competitiveness in the global economy, and is
one of many ways that a university contributes to the public good.
Many of UCR's 21,000 students have stories that can make success
more difficult. They are frequently from low-income backgrounds, and
from under-represented minority groups. Many are the first in their
families to attend college. Sometimes they are reentering school after
a long absence. In the case of military veterans, they are coming from
an environment with tight unit cohesion and specific direction and
order. They sometimes feel isolated in a higher education setting that
focuses on the individual. At UCR, we work to keep our military
members, veterans and family members in close touch with each other,
and to continue that sense of unit cohesion as they move through their
studies.
Our veterans' services coordinator, Chryssa Jones, sits on the
regional board of directors of the National Association of Veteran's
Program Administrators, a testament to the caliber of expertise
available to our students. In addition to meeting with each VA
beneficiary face-to-face every quarter, Chryssa advises our student
veteran organizations, coordinates campus programs and services, and is
frequently asked to speak at regional, state, and national conferences
about veterans in higher education. Her office suite includes space for
a ``Veteran's Lounge'' so that the campus can offer an informal
gathering space for veterans and military members on campus.
Veterans have gone the extra mile for us, so let me tell you about
some of the ways that UCR goes the extra mile for veterans.
We have a scholarship fund, ``Operation Education,'' that is geared
to help cover funding gaps for veterans who have suffered combat-
related injuries at any time following September 2001. In fact, we are
currently finalizing the details of a formal relationship to streamline
the process for veterans transferring from here at the community
college to UCR.
We have orientation sessions specifically tailored to the needs of
veterans, as well as a welcome event for veterans and their families.
In April we teamed up with other colleges in the Inland Southern
California region - home to nearly 300,000 veterans - for the Inland
Empire College Boot Camp, to offer resources and answer common
questions about how veterans can get off to a good start in college.
At UCR, student veterans receive priority class registration, as
well as assistance with the paperwork associated with the GI Bill and
state benefit programs. We send out regular updates on policy and
legislative changes that may affect military benefits. We offer a
deferred payment plan, and an exemption from the application fee and
the first late fee each quarter, just to make sure that we are removing
some of the most common causes of frustration. When the federal
government shut down last month, UCR prepared a contingency plan to
waive additional late fees, lift registration holds, and provide
emergency loan funds to veterans and military families impacted by the
shutdown.
We have a Veteran Support Team with members from about 20
departments all over campus to make sure we hear about veterans who
need assistance. For instance, our campus housing office provides a
veteran roommate matching service for students who choose to live in a
campus apartment. Our alumni office coordinates a mentorship program
between student and alumni veterans. Veteran Peer Mentors are available
to offer experience and advice.
The UCR Career Center has developed ``Operation VETS'' which stands
for Veteran Employment Transition Success. This program is organized as
a bi-weekly workshop for a small group of veterans and service members.
In these workshops veterans polish their resumes, practice networking
and interviewing, pick up job-searching strategies, and enjoy exclusive
recruiting opportunities and job leads from prospective employers, and
other benefits.
Of course, we offer academic and environmental accommodations for
all students with disabilities. If called to duty, service members can
obtain a leave of absence, and be admitted automatically upon return
without repeating admissions paperwork.
UCR offers a workshop that helps staff and faculty learn how to
recognize and remove the frequently occurring academic and social
barriers that many student veterans face. We even have an annual
workshop for our graduate student teaching assistants to help them
create ``Veteran Friendly Classrooms.'' By empowering these graduate
students, we are working to remove learning barriers not only here at
UCR, but everywhere that these future faculty members end up teaching.
We know that service members and veterans are at risk for feeling
out of place on a university campus. We have drawn on research and
environmental scans for best practices to develop these programs. Our
success with veterans comes from applying some of the same practices
that have worked with low-income and first generation students to our
population of veterans and service members.
UC Riverside currently has about 500 students who are military
members, veterans, or family members. One of those students is Luis
Contreras, a 2012 UCR graduate who majored in biological sciences. He
credits UCR with helping prepare him for a career in medicine. I am
proud to say that Luis is now a member of UCR's inaugural medical
school class. He said, ``UCR programs helped me connect with fellow
veterans, and not feel like an outcast for being a non-traditional
student.''
We expect great things from him, and from the many other highly-
motivated and conscientious veterans on our campus. They have provided
outstanding service to our country; in turn, we work to provide an
outstanding educational and social support environment for them.
If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them.
Prepared Statement of Pamela Daly
October 31, 2013
Bill Flores, Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
House Committee on Veteran's Affairs
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Flores:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Subcommittee on
Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs more
information about DeVry University-San Diego.
From training Army Air Corps instructors on electronic devices in
the 1940s, to being one of the first schools approved to accept the
original GI Bill after WWII, DeVry University has been educating and
supporting America's military personnel and veterans for many years.
Today we help veteran and military students make higher education a
reality with year-round scheduling, distance learning and degree
programs that provide a solid foundation for career success.
Below you will find a brief history of DeVry University, our
mission, program offerings and other information that will give you
better insights into the high quality of our programs and our
commitment of service excellence to our students.
I have also attached a copy of our Academic Annual Report, as well
as links to other independent studies referenced below. These reports
go into even greater detail on DeVry University's programmatic
offerings, teaching approaches, methodologies we use to measure our
performance, and the efforts we make to support students.
Thank you again for the opportunity to submit this information and
for all the work you do to support our nation's veterans.
Sincerely,
Pam Daly
Campus President, DeVry University-San Diego
Overview
DeVry University is one of the largest degree-granting higher
education systems in North America. We provide high-quality, career-
oriented associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs in
technology, science, business and the arts. More than 55,000 students
are enrolled at our more than 90 locations in the United States and
Canada, as well as through DeVry University's online delivery.
DeVry University's academic structure includes five Colleges that
house its growing list of degree programs. The Colleges are: Business &
Management, Engineering & Information Sciences, Health Sciences,
Liberal Arts & Sciences and Media Arts & Technology.
Mission
The mission of DeVry University is to foster student learning
through high-quality, career-oriented education integrating technology,
science, business and the arts. The university delivers practitioner-
oriented undergraduate and graduate programs onsite and online to meet
the needs of a diverse and geographically dispersed student population.
Our History
In 1931 the original school opened in Chicago when Dr. Herman DeVry
established DeForest Training School to prepare students for technical
work in electronics, motion pictures, radio and later, television.
During WWII, DeVry University was selected by the United States
military to educate Army Air Corps instructors on electronic devices.
Following WWII, DeVry was one of the first schools to be approved under
the original GI Bill.
In 1953, DeForest Training School became DeVry Technical Institute.
DeVry's associate degree program in electronics engineering technology
earned accreditation by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in 1953, and in
1957, the first associate degree program in electronics engineering
technology was offered.
In 1969, DeVry offered the first baccalaureate degree program in
electronics engineering technology and quickly after that, in 1970,
DeVry earned accreditation by the Technology Accreditation Commission
of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology for
bachelor's degree program in electronics engineering technology.
In 1973, Keller Graduate School of Management was founded in
Chicago as the CBA Institute. CBA Institute became Keller Graduate
School of Management in 1974. In 1981, DeVry earned its initial
regional accreditation from North Central Association. DeVry Inc. was
created through the merger of DeVry Institutes and Keller Graduate
School of Management in 1987.
Keller Graduate School of Management received approval from the
North Central Association to offer its master's degree programs online
in 1998. In 2000, DeVry Institute of Technology received approval from
the North Central Association to offer its business administration
bachelor's degree program online. DeVry Institute of Technology and
Keller Graduate School of Management become DeVry University following
the approval of The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association in 2002.
Today, DeVry University is a critical part of our nation's higher
education infrastructure, with more than 250,000 alumni, nearly 100
North American locations and the ability to offer on-site, online or
blended programs to its students.
Veterans
As previously stated, DeVry University has a long history serving
the military and veterans, and was one the first schools accepted under
the original GI Bill. DeVry University has more than 90 VA approved
facilities, with many participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program, such
as the San Diego campus.
DeVry University has a dedicated Military Affairs team that is
comprised of former service members, reservists and spouses, who
provide ongoing support to the veteran and active duty member
throughout their education. Veteran student issues are routed to the
Manager of Military Affairs in their respective region to assure their
full resolution.
Student success coaches work closely with military students to
complete education plans, identify potential barriers to success and
obtain resources to overcome those barriers. We also offer staff
sensitivity training through the VA and provide the VA Vet's Centers
open access to the campus, allowing for free communication with
veterans and early identification of any issues they may face.
A prospective veteran student goes through a pre-screening with a
Military Education Liaison who is a member of the Military Affairs team
and is, typically, the veteran's initial contact. The veteran then goes
through a comprehensive interview with an admissions advisor. The
advisor explains that the interview is a two-way process; we are
interviewing them and they are also allowed to interview us, assuring
DeVry is a good fit for their educational and career goals. The
interview culminates into a formal assessment.
To further support veteran students, DeVry University has an active
veteran community at many campuses. At DeVry University-San Diego, a
Student Veteran Association is in the forming stage with the first
meeting set for January. Quarterly town halls are hosted by the
Military Affairs team. And annual military appreciation, as well as
Memorial Day and Veterans Day, events are planned at campuses across
the country, including at San Diego.
DeVry University offers the following services to veterans:
ASPIRE
I DeVry ASPIRE provides confidential and free counseling
services to enrolled students and their family members, including:
financial and legal consultation and referrals; mental, behavioral and
emotional health including post-traumatic stress disorder; career
assistance and job referrals; transitioning back to school, work and
civilian life; military family concerns, parenting and childcare
issues; relating to other students and school environment; and
community-based resources.
Veteran Resource Center
I A dedicated space for veterans to find military-specific
resources and contacts, including an advisor who is trained to handle
military issues. Additionally, the San Diego campus has hosted military
educator forums in collaboration with local ESOs, and created and
promoted designated military job fair opportunities.
VA Collaboration
I DeVry University campuses provide open access to the local VA
in an active relationship, as well as partnership with the SVA. VA
counselors are also allowed to establish office hours at our campuses.
Disability Support Services
I Aside from academic accommodation requests, veteran students
are referred to the VA for additional disability support services.
The federal graduation rate measures only first-time, full-time
students. Very few veterans fall into this classification, making it
difficult to track graduation rates. However, we can measure the
retention rate of veteran students. This is measured from a cohort of
new students in the fall semester who persist into a second academic
year the following summer or fall semester. Nationally, the retention
rate for veterans entering in the fall 2011 is 67 percent. This rate is
higher than the non-veteran population from the same semester who
retained at a 51 percent rate. At DeVry University's San Diego campus,
undergraduate retention was significantly higher for veteran students
at 76 percent, versus 49 percent for non-veteran students.
Options for Military Students
To make a DeVry University education more affordable for active-
duty military personnel and their spouses, these students receive
special tuition rates; we also provide veterans with tuition grants,
and veterans and service members alike can qualify for credits based on
their military coursework.
We have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the
Department of Defense that enables us to accept military tuition
assistance to help active-duty service members pay for college. As part
of our MOUs, we participated in a voluntary third-party review to
measure military students' satisfaction and identify best practices for
serving this population. A team of assessors visited DeVry University's
home office to interview leaders, department heads and faculty members,
and followed up by surveying students who currently serve in the Army,
Navy, Air Force and Marine.
Their report included recognition of our strengths as well as
suggestions for how we can better serve our military students. Notable
praise included:
Military students' ability to continue their studies
seamlessly - thanks to engaging, high-quality nature of online courses
- as long as they are stationed in a location with reliable internet
access
Our specialized training for faculty and staff, and our
membership in organizations like the Servicemembers Opportunity
Colleges (SOC) consortium, which works to provide quality programs to
active-duty military students, their families and veterans
Responsiveness and flexibility toward service members,
exemplified by special tuition pricing and transfer-credit policies
Our commitment to using student-survey data to evaluate
and improve programs, processes and faculty performance
Our Student Central service model, including specialists
trained to work with military students studying online
Robust career services that will become increasingly more
important if predicted personnel draw-downs happen in the military
Independent Studies on DeVry University
There have been several studies in recent years that support the
approaches DeVry University takes toward serving students and managing
its own operations. Below are brief summaries:
Cicero study
An independent economic-impact analysis, conducted by The Cicero
Group, tracked wage growth from 2003 to 2010 for graduates from DeVry
University, Chamberlain College of Nursing and Carrington College
California across seven states, including California, as well as a
control group of individuals who expressed interest in the DeVry
schools but ultimately did not pursue a college degree. Both groups had
statistically similar starting salaries of $25,000-$27,000 in 2003. But
by the end of the seven-year period, graduates from DeVry University
averaged wage growth of 60 percent, or an average of $42,661, compared
to the control group's average final earnings of 18 percent, or
$29,224.
In addition to wage growth, graduates from the three DeVry schools
reported greater job security, were more likely to be employed in
salaried positions, and more likely to have a job with benefits like
health insurance. And because 85 to 90 percent of graduates from the
DeVry Inc. schools remain in their communities five years after
graduation (compared with 64 to 67 percent for typical college
graduates), the economic benefits associated with higher college degree
completion rates are more likely to be felt within the community.
The study is available for download at: http://bit.ly/DVimpact
McKinsey report
DeVry University was one of eight colleges and universities
profiled by McKinsey & Company as models of how the United States can
meet one of its most urgent economic challenges: producing
significantly more college-educated workers at a time of shrinking
public budgets and rising tuitions.
The McKinsey report, Winning by degrees: the strategies of highly
productive higher education institutions, cited best practices at DeVry
University and seven other institutions that can serve as examples of
how the U.S. can meet its higher education attainment goals without
increasing public spending or putting more financial pressure on
students.
The international management consulting firm says colleges and
universities must produce more graduates without increasing public
funding or tuition and without compromising the quality of degrees
awarded or reducing access - what it calls increasing ``higher
education degree productivity.''
According to McKinsey, the eight institutions profiled demonstrate
that it is possible to increase degree productivity by as much as 23
percent by 2020 without increasing public funding. Those high
performing institutions are achieving degree productivity up to 60
percent better than their peer group average, according to McKinsey's
research. McKinsey estimates the nation will need to produce roughly
one million more graduates per year by 2020 - a 40 percent increase
over today's rate - and to ensure it can meet employer demand for
skilled professionals.
The report is available for download at: http://bit.ly/vjQa1r
The Pell Institute study
Citing a lack of independent research on ``proprietary'' education
institutions, The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher
Education (The Pell Institute) conducted a comprehensive review and
analysis of DeVry University's academic and support services for low-
income, first-generation college students. The study's findings showed
nontraditional students at DeVry University received high levels of
personal and academic support, which similar institutions could look to
replicate.
The study highlighted the following three guiding strategies behind
the practices at DeVry University as key to their support for these
students:
I Approach support services for students as customer service
I Provide early, in-depth, on-campus student opportunities
I Establish and sustain a shared sense of community
Among the essential elements of DeVry University's support services
cited by The Pell Institute are: a one-stop shop advising model, an
early intervention warning system, degree progress tracking, academic
success centers and career services.
In addition, The Pell Institute found that ``valuing students as
customers can establish an effective college success culture,''
especially for low-income, first-generation students. ``Students at
DeVry express that they appreciate feeling valued as a customer and
receiving individualized attention from the staff, administrators and
faculty,'' according to the report.
The report is available for download at: http://bit.ly/
DVUpellreport
Prepared Statement of Albert R. Renteria
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee:
On behalf of the 2.4 million members of The American Legion I thank
you for this opportunity to submit The American Legion's views at this
hearing titled, ``Examining Higher Education Institutions' Services to
Veterans.'' We appreciate the efforts of this Subcommittee to address
the needs of the men and women who are currently serving and those who
served during past conflicts.
Education is increasingly essential to success in the American job
market. Whether obtaining a traditional liberal education or pursuing a
job credential, the shift in the American economy from manufacturing-
based to information-based has necessitated a radical increase in the
need for higher education. Paradoxically, there is a simultaneous
increase in skepticism regarding the value of higher education among
many, given the rise in academic hyper-specialization. Nevertheless,
many of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy require post-
secondary education and/or credentialing. According to the Commission
on the Future of Higher Education's 2006 report, ``The transformation
of the world economy increasingly demands a more highly educated
workforce with postsecondary skills and credentials. Ninety percent of
the fastest-growing jobs in the new information and service economy
will require some postsecondary education. Job categories that require
only on-the-job training are expected to see the greatest decline.''
\1\ Therefore, as veterans transition from military service, there will
be an increasing need for them to utilize their Post-9/11 GI Bill
benefits to acquire relevant and necessary education in order for them
to be competitive in the current job market.
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\1\ Commission on the Future of Higher Education (2006). A Test of
Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education, September
2006, 6
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It has become increasingly apparent that there is a need to obtain
information on student outcomes and ensure the transparency of
institutions of higher learning, while providing quantitative
information on student-veterans, in order to assess America's return-
on-investment in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Taxpayers deserve to know how
their money is being used. But, even more importantly, veterans looking
to utilize their earned education benefits deserve to be given a fair
deal, and deserve to be given transparency so that they are able to
make fully-informed decisions regarding their education. Data regarding
the accreditation, pricing, and student outcomes of a given institution
of higher learning must be made available to facilitate these
decisions, which is why The American Legion agrees with the Commission
on the Future of Higher Education report, that recommends metrics be
developed for accurately reporting this data, and that the data should
be made available to students, and reported publicly in aggregate form
to provide consumers and policymakers an accessible, comprehensible way
in order to better promote informed decision-making by all relevant
stakeholders. \2\
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\2\ Ibid., 23
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In 2012, The American Legion, along with other veteran service
organizations, advocated for the Improving Transparency of Education
for Veterans Act, which was enacted into law on January 10, 2013 as
Public Law 112-249. The law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) to develop a comprehensive policy to improve outreach and
transparency to service members and veterans, including the provision
of information on institutions of higher learning. The law further
requires VA to create a centralized mechanism for tracking and
publishing feedback from students and State Approving Agencies (SAA)
regarding the quality of instruction, recruiting practices, and post-
graduation employment placement of institutions of higher learning
that:
Protects the privacy of students, by not publishing the
names of students; and
Publishes only feedback that conforms to the criteria for
relevancy that VA shall determine
The law also requires VA to provide specific post-secondary
education information as part of its effort to deliver effective
methods to provide beneficiaries with accurate information regarding
post-secondary education and training opportunities that are available.
Considering the taxpayer's significant federal investment in programs
and institutions, policymakers should demand better information about
the effectiveness of higher education. Public Law 112-249, coupled with
Executive Order 13607: Establishing Principles of Excellence of
Education Institutions Serving Service members, Veterans, and Spouses,
and Other Family Members, have been good starting point.
However, there is still much work to be done. The American Legion
believes that more data would empower veterans to make better informed
decisions regarding their education, and would allow policymakers and
other stakeholders to more accurately assess possible policy
adjustments. Some of the specific data points that The American Legion
believes are relevant, and should be researched and made available
include:
The number of part-time, adult, military, remedial, and
Pell Grant students who are successfully completing degrees.
Data regarding students who do not complete programs:
whether they are transferring to other schools or dropping out
altogether.
The percentage of tuition paid out-of-pocket by the
student versus the percentage the institution receives from government
sources.
The amount of overhead debt students are being burdened
with, and whether they are paying back their loans - especially
students who do not complete their degrees.
Whether students are finding jobs in their fields.
Whether students are continuing on to graduate school.
Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, institutions of higher
learning are required to report their 4 and 6 year graduation rate to
the Department of Education; however, the metrics utilized only call
for the reporting of first-time, full-time students. Thus, some
relevant data is already available to stakeholders; unfortunately, this
data fails to capture the outcomes of the majority of student veterans.
Veterans, by and large, do not fall into the ``first-time, full-time''
category - typically veteran students are adults, attending part-time,
perhaps online, and may have previously taken post-secondary classes in
some form. Changing these metrics to better capture the student-veteran
population - as well as the growing number of other non-first time,
full-time students in higher education - would be a step in the right
direction.
The National Student Clearinghouse is a second source of data
available to stakeholders. This is an organization dedicated to serving
the education community by facilitating the exchange and understanding
of student enrollment, performance and related information. In terms of
compliance reporting, the National Student Clearinghouse collects
current enrollment and graduation data from the vast majority of
American institutions of higher learning, and in turn makes the data
available to the Department of Education, and various other
stakeholders. In this way, data is collected and made available without
posing risks to student-veterans' privacy. Again, however, it fails to
track student-veterans specifically. Therefore, The American Legion
believes it necessary to develop metrics and data-collection which
tracks student-veterans specifically, from the beginning of their
higher-education experience through its completion: their transition
into the workforce. \3\
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\3\ The American Legion Resolution No. 67: Student-Veteran Return-
On-Investment Education Outcome
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The American Legion also would like data that clearly delineates
the impact of ``alternative credits'' in the overall success of student
veterans. Alternative credit is credit which may be granted for
experiences garnered outside of traditional classroom settings. For
example, students may be granted credit for successfully passing a
prior learning assessment, or for military or job experience. Data
correlating the granting of this type of credit with student outcomes
would be useful in assessing the importance of this type of credit to
overall student success.
In sum, The American Legion urges the embrace of outcomes-focused
data systems which provide information that enable stakeholders to make
informed decisions. These systems must provide the data necessary to
calculate ``return-on-investment'' measures, as well as promoting
continuous improvement within higher education institutions and
training programs. These data will also provide valuable feedback to
policymakers as they seek to optimize policies directed at tracking and
improving student outcomes. Timely, contextual, and actionable data are
vital to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment - all of
which are critical to improving the outcomes of our education and
workforce development systems.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to submit the recommendations
of The American Legion on this issue.
For additional information regarding this testimony, please contact
Mr. Shaun Rieley at The American Legion's Legislative Division, (202)
999-6881 or [email protected].
Prepared Statement of Sherrod Conyers
MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE:
On behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of
the U.S. (VFW) and our Auxiliaries, I would like to thank you for the
opportunity to offer the VFW's perspective on the services our colleges
and universities offer to student veterans.
As a current conflict veteran, I understand first-hand how
difficult the transition can be from military to civilian life. For
student veterans in particular, the culture shock of going from
military life to college life can be particularly daunting. This is why
campus resources specifically for student veterans have been so
critical to veterans' success in higher education.
For years the VFW has been at the forefront of improving
educational opportunities for veterans who have served since 9/11. The
VFW championed the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which recently turned five years
old. Last year we championed legislation to improve consumer
information and consumer protections for veterans through the Improving
Transparency in Education for Veterans Act, which was signed into law
in early January. This year, the VFW is fighting for in-state tuition
for veterans at public colleges and universities, seeking to ensure
veterans can maximize their benefits at the publicly-funded school of
their choice.
But the VFW believes that we not only have the obligation to ensure
that veterans have access to higher education, but we have the
obligation to ensure they can graduate and find quality careers. Recent
accomplishments like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Transparency Act are
designed to ensure that veterans are academically and financially
prepared to go to college, but they do little to ensure that veterans
will actually graduate. This is where college-specific services to
student veterans play a critical role.
Over the last few years, many colleges and universities have
stepped up to improve their on-campus services to veterans, and we
applaud those kinds of initiatives. The VFW echoes the sentiment of our
colleagues at Student Veterans of America (SVA) when they say that the
investment of a college or university in its veterans has to start at
the top. We agree that college presidents must have a vested interest
in the veterans' community on their campus, or those veterans will face
significant hurdles establishing veteran-specific services.
To the VFW, a model college campus embraces three basic concepts:
Student veterans who are organized within the student body; buy-in from
top campus administration, to include the college president, through
which policies are crafted and resources allocated to support veterans;
and dedicated physical space to veterans' resources beyond the school
certifying official.
The first concept is simple: Veterans should come together on
campus to offer mutual aide, assistance and camaraderie to their
veteran peers. Moreover, organized student veteran groups must make a
concerted effort to become an integral part of campus life by either
organizing events like community fundraisers or participating in campus
events like intramural sports. The VFW has seen many successful models
for this around the nation - particularly from student veteran
organizations under the SVA umbrella at more than 800 college campuses
from coast to coast. One example is at Rutgers University in New Jersey
where newly-matriculated Iraq and Afghanistan veterans founded a small
campus group in 2008 dedicated to supporting their fellow veterans,
educating their educators about the veterans' community, giving back to
campus, and improving veterans' services. Today, the student veterans
at Rutgers are a critical cog in campus decision-making, and a well-
respected group within the student body.
The second concept is many times the most difficult to accomplish,
but the veterans' community has made considerable headway over the last
few years. At first, many college presidents do not readily recognize
the diversity of ideas and experience that college-bound veterans bring
to campus. However, once recognizing this, college presidents are quick
to buy in, ensuring their student veterans can be best served by their
institution. One example is nearby San Diego State University where
student veterans made their case to college leadership who in turn
identified gaps and offered services and campus resources wherever they
could - such as an old fraternity house now used exclusively for campus
veterans. Today, San Diego State boasts one of the nation's most
engaged veterans' communities on campus and the largest student veteran
population in California.
Another example is right here at Riverside City College, where the
administration recognized the need for priority enrollment for student
veterans. Unlike federal student aid, GI Bill programs have a finite
timeline and dollar amount with which a veteran can earn a degree. This
means that veterans cannot mark time waiting for required degree
courses to open up. Riverside recognized this and extended priority
registration to all recently-separated veterans and GI Bill
beneficiaries to ensure they can enroll in necessary classes and
graduate in a timely manner.
The final concept is often a product of the second. Last November,
California State University Fullerton opened its veterans' center,
where veterans can meet throughout the day, speak with educational
advisors, take advantage of peer tutoring, or learn about available
veterans' benefits. Similar veterans' centers are also up and running
right here at Riverside, at San Diego State, and other campuses around
California.
Since the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, many colleges
have recognized the wealth of knowledge and experience our veterans
bring to the community. Some of the nation's most elite schools, like
Columbia University and Georgetown, have built robust veterans'
communities on campus capable of molding the leaders of tomorrow as we
intended. However, there is still room for improvement.
The VFW has followed closely the growth and success of VA's
VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) program. What started as a one-campus pilot
in 2009 quickly expanded to eight campuses by the end of 2011; 17
campuses in 2012; 32 in 2013 and a proposed 94 campuses in 2014. VSOC
offers VA-specific resources directly to veterans on college campuses.
This program has been invaluable to the colleges that have been
fortunate enough to be added to the list. However, the VFW believes
this program has the potential to reach hundreds of other campuses
around the country.
The VFW also remains concerned that many schools still do not fully
acknowledge American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations
for military training when veterans enroll. Currently, Servicemember
Opportunity Colleges (SOC) consortium participants must have policies
in place to evaluate and accept military academic credits.
Unfortunately, most schools are not SOC participants. We understand
that Congress cannot legislate the acceptance and transfer of military
credits, but the VFW would prefer to see GI Bill-eligible schools
acknowledge military academic credits and implement reasonable policies
to accept credits where applicable.
The VFW also believes that financial concerns continue to impede
academic progress for student veterans. The cost of college is a
concern for all Americans, and even though many veterans have access to
the robust Post-9/11 GI Bill, most veterans still face significant out-
of-pocket costs to finance their education. With this in mind, the VFW
continues to advocate for in-state tuition for recently-separated Post-
9/11 GI Bill veterans. As written, the Post-9/11 GI Bill only
reimburses in-state tuition and fees for veterans attending public
schools. Sadly, many veterans attending public schools cannot qualify
for in-state tuition because the transience of military life has made
them ineligible. Since these policies vary disparately state by state,
the VFW believes that we must offer reasonable in-state tuition
protections for student veterans on a national level, especially for
veterans who cannot qualify because of circumstances beyond their
control.
Finally, the VFW also believes that schools accepting GI Bill
dollars should offer priority enrollment to student veterans if they
offer priority enrollment to other student groups, like student
athletes. I explained earlier in my testimony why this was such a
critical issue for veterans who have a finite time in which to use
their benefits. Many schools, like Riverside City College, have already
stepped up to offer priority enrollment to foster student veteran
success, but we believe that more can be done to ensure GI Bill-
eligible schools adopt similar policies.
As you can see, campus services for veterans play a key role in
ensuring student veteran success in higher education. We have seen
significant improvement in this area since the passage of the Post-9/11
GI Bill, but we must continue to do better. We have several
opportunities to get this right at the federal level, and the VFW
stands ready to assist as we have always done in the past.
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, this concludes my statement
and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
Information Required by Rule XI2(g)(4) of the House of Representatives
Pursuant to Rule XI2(g)(4) of the House of Representatives, VFW has
not received any federal grants in Fiscal Year 2013, nor has it
received any federal grants in the two previous Fiscal Years.
Prepared Statement of Marques Dredd
The transition from a military life style to a student can be a
challenging experience. I was medically discharged from the Air force.
When I return from Iraq, I found myself in a lost place and trying to
find out what my next step would be. After many attempts to find
employment, I decided that college would give me better opportunities
to fulfill my goals. When I first began at Riverside City College, life
was a challenge. For instance, I did not know where to start and what
classes to take. At the time, I felt that the veteran's office would
not offer much help and I chose to try things on my own. A semester
later, I spoke to another veteran who suggested coming to one of the
veteran meetings. I quickly realized that there were many veteran
resources to help get on track. After attending a few meetings, it was
clear that there were many opportunities as well as veterans in the
same situation that I was in. This inspired me to become more active
and Join the club.
The main purpose of the Veterans club is to keep the students
informed on upcoming events, opportunities, and a place to associate
with other students that have come from similar situations. As a club
we strive to be recognized as positive, motivated students that have a
lot to offer RCC as well as the community. We also want other clubs and
organizations to understand that although we have military backgrounds,
we are individuals who embrace our individuality and our diversity and
value those traits in others.
The Veterans Resource Center (V.R.C.) which opened in spring of
2011 has played an important role in giving veteran students' access to
resources that otherwise would not have been offered. Some examples
are: quicker priority registration, access to computers and the ability
to print, laptops that can be checked out on a weekly basis, V.A./AMVET
officers that can help file claims. These are just a few of the
resources that the center provides. Another benefit of the resource
center is the Staff. They are always willing to help and provide the
most up to date information to students on G.I. Bill benefits and
processing the paperwork.
As a Veteran pursuing higher education the resources and Student
Veterans Association (Veterans Club) have motivated me in many ways. I
chose to take the position as President of the group because I believed
that my experience could help others achieve their goals too. Working
with our Veterans club Advisors Garth Schultz and Santos Martinez, I
learned a lot about how to network with College staff, organize events,
and how to provide information that can help promote positive veteran
influence. Further, I understand what the responsibilities of a club
are and how to make it successful. These are all skills that I will
continue to use as I transfer to California Polytechnic State
University in the winter and throughout the rest of my life.
Sincerely,
Marques Dredd
Veterans Club President (9/2012- 6/2013)
Statement For The Record
STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the largest and only national association of military veterans
in higher education, Student Veterans of America's (SVA) mission is to
provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy
needed to succeed in higher education and after graduation. SVA has
been a strong proponent of tracking student veteran outcomes to define
the success of veterans in higher education and to dispel, or
substantiate, notions of low veteran graduation rates. SVA was also a
key contributor, along with The American Legion and the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, in the effort to provide veterans and servicemembers with
greater consumer protections and consumer education tools, as evidenced
by our role in the establishment of the Principles of Excellence and
the passage of the Improving Transparency of Educational Opportunities
for Veterans Act of 2012.
To further support student veterans, SVA has partnered with the
Department of Veterans Affairs and The National Student Clearinghouse,
a nonprofit organization with enrollment data on over 95% of America's
student population \1\, to create and develop the Million Records
Project. The initiative will track the academic outcomes, including
graduation rates, for 1 million student veterans enrolled between 2002
and 2010. The database will address some of the weaknesses in current
Federal databases and surveys to produce a more accurate estimate of
student veteran postsecondary completion rates, thus fulfilling a key
provision of Executive Order 13607. SVA expects to publish an initial
report on the completion rate of approximately 1 million veterans that
have used various forms of the GI Bill between 2002 and 2010 in the
first quarter of 2014.
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\1\ National Student Clearing House. ``Clearinghouse Facts,''
Accessed June 14, 2013. http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/about/
clearinghouse--facts.php
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Accurately measuring the academic outcomes of student veterans will
benefit countless stakeholders. Policymakers will have sound data upon
which to base legislative decisions that directly impact thousands of
GI Bill beneficiaries and servicemembers. Accurate data will also be
instrumental in evaluating Federal, state, and institutional level
policies, practices, and services established to support student
veterans. Effective programs can be brought to scale and others can be
minimized. The end result will be greater support for student veterans.
The Million Records Project is a vital first step to accurately
identifying, tracking, and measuring student veteran postsecondary
completion rates. It will provide a benchmark of student veterans'
postsecondary success. The project will be a stepping-stone to identify
areas where student veterans may need more support and it will likely
lead to future research regarding student veteran persistence, key loss
points (moments in time where a high percentage of students dropout),
and effective programs and policies. Data is critical to empowering
colleges and universities to better support their student veteran
population through to graduation.
WRITTEN TESTIMONY
Thank you for inviting comments on this field hearing discussing
the transparency of student veteran outcomes and ways the higher
education community can better support student veterans. We are
particularly grateful for this opportunity to provide the Subcommittee
with new developments on tracking student veteran outcomes to better
define student veteran success.
Student Veterans of America (SVA) is the largest and only national
association of military veterans in higher education. Our mission is to
provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy
needed to succeed in higher education and after graduation. We
currently have over 900 chapters, or student veteran organizations, at
colleges and universities in all 50 states that assist veterans in
their transition to and through higher education. SVA chapters are
organized at four-year and two-year public, private, nonprofit, and
for-profit institutions of higher learning. These chapters provide SVA
with a distinct perspective on veterans earning post-secondary
credentials.
Since SVA's founding in 2008, we have been involved in the efforts
to accurately track student veteran outcomes and to assist the higher
education community in supporting student veterans on campus. In
January of last year, SVA was a key contributor and signatory of a
coalition letter, authored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, calling for
executive and congressional action to inform and protect veterans in
higher education \2\. The letter culminated in the issuance of
Executive Order 13607 and the passage of H.R. 4057, a bill introduced
by Rep. Gus Bilirakis and now Public Law 112-247.
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\2\ VFW Hill Blog. ``VFW Builds Coalition to Support Student-
Veteran Success,'' February 12, 2012. http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2012/
02/vfw-builds-coalition-to-support-student.html.
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A key component of the Principles of Excellence (Executive Order
13607) is the call to track student veteran academic success rates.
According to Section 3c, the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs,
and Education are to track student outcomes, to the extent practicable,
utilizing existing administration data. \3\ The tracking of student
veteran outcomes is critical to identifying the academic success of
veterans and the policies, programs, and services that lead to higher
student veteran success rates. This information will allow Congress and
the higher education community to better allocate resources to programs
and services of value.
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\3\ Barack Obama. ``Establishing Principles of Excellence for
Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses,
and Other Family Members,'' Executive Order 13607, 27 April 2012,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-02/pdf/2012-10715.pdf
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However, current executive and congressional action does not go far
enough. Given that data on veteran and servicemember outcomes has
rarely been tracked, we remain concerned that existing Federal data
remains flawed, or minimal, at best. The greatest challenge when trying
to track student veteran outcomes is accurately identifying veterans.
National level data on student veterans has been difficult to find,
analyze, and interpret due to poor collection methods, narrow inclusion
criteria, and mistakes in correctly identifying student veterans. Most
Federally maintained databases on postsecondary student outcomes
exclude a portion of the student veteran population while including
other military populations, which decreases accuracy. In addition,
Federally maintained databases that accurately identify student
veterans have not collected data on or shared information with other
databases that collect information on student outcomes, until recently
though Executive Order 13607.
These flaws contribute to confusing results and misleading
perceptions of student veteran postsecondary success. For example, The
2010 National Survey of Veterans reports a student veteran
postsecondary completion rate of 68% \4\; the American Community Survey
reports 56% of veterans have completed at least some college or higher;
\5\ the National Center for Educational Statistics reports the six-year
completion rate for student veterans starting in 2003 was 36% with a
margin of error of 11.5% \6\. It is evident that the current systems
for tracking student veteran postsecondary academic outcomes are
inefficient and inadequate. It fosters confusion and is riddled with
contradictions, all of which masks the value of the GI Bill investment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Westat. National Survey of Veterans, Active Duty Service
Members, Demobilized National Guard and Reserve Members, Family
Members, and Surviving Spouses. Final Report, Rockville, MD: Westat,
2010. Retrieved from http://http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/
SurveysAndStudies/NVSSurveyFinalWeightedReport.pdf.
\5\ U.S. Census Bureau. ``Table B21003: Veteran status by
educational attainment for the civilian population 25 years and over.
2007-2011 American community survey 5-year estimate,'' Accessed June
13, 2013. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/
productview.xhtml?pid=ACS--11--5YR--B21003&prodType=table
\6\ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics, ``Six-year attainment rate at any institution among all
first-time beginning students,'' 2003-04 Beginning Postsecondary
Students Longitudinal Study, Second Follow-up, April, 2009. Accessed
June 13, 2013. http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/xls/F09--VETERAN--
PROUT6B.xlsx
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The lack of empirical data on the drivers of student veteran
success creates barriers for institutions of higher learning. Many are
facing budget reductions and increased demand for services. Without
accurate data, schools may be investing scarce resources on ineffective
programs.
To counter these challenges, SVA believes that a new database or
system should be established to accurately measure and track student
veteran academic outcomes. The new database must first be able to
accurately identify current student veterans, excluding veteran
dependents and Active Duty service members enrolled in post-secondary
programs. Second, it would need to be able to track student veterans'
enrollment at the individual level, so that student veterans are not
excluded due to transferring schools or taking a break from college.
These criteria are the foundation of SVA's Million Records
Projects, also known as the Student Veteran Attainment Database. The
system was created by SVA in partnership with the Department of
Veterans Affairs, and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). It
will, for the first time in history, accurately track and measure
student veteran academic outcomes.
The Student Veteran Attainment Database utilizes the veteran
education beneficiary information from the Department of Veterans
Affairs to identify student veterans. The NSC collects individual
student enrollment data from institutions of higher education and
provides accurate enrollment and completion data for individual
students, even if a student transfers schools or stops-out. By cross
referencing the data of the VA with the data of the NSC, the Student
Veteran Attainment database will show the true student veteran
completion rate for 1 million student veterans enrolled between 2002
and 2010. Not only will this data provide policymakers with greater
insight regarding the value of the GI Bill, but it will empower service
providers and institutions of higher learning to invest in data-driven
programs, policies, and services that lead to improved student veteran
academic outcomes.
A number of resources, based on the little research regarding
student veteran outcomes that does exist, have already been created to
catalogue some of these leading practices. The American Council of
Education, for example, created the Veteran Friendly Toolkit to crowd-
sources policies, programs, and services from their member
institutions. Victory Media, who operates the GI Jobs Military Friendly
School List, uses a different scoring rubric to measure and assign
schools a ``Military Friendly'' designation.
In addition to ACE's Toolkit and the GI Jobs list, a wealth of
anecdotal evidence on institutional practices supporting student
veterans does exist, some of which the committee heard today from
Riverside City College's SVA Chapter. Their on-the-ground perspective
is extremely valuable to stakeholders and policymakers. They represent
the peer-to-peer support structure that eases the transition from the
military to college life for student veterans.
Another significant component of success for student veterans is
the dedication of on-campus space in the form of a student veteran
resource center or lounge. It allows student veterans to meet one
another, provide academic support, socialize with peers, or meet with
veteran-supportive staff like certifying officers, academic advisors,
and counselors. Some institutions have adopted formal student veteran
mentorship programs to pair senior student veterans or alumni with
newly enrolled student veterans. These are just a few examples of how
institutions can foster a sense of community and support for student
veterans.
Anecdotal evidence also shows that removing or easing
administrative barriers increases a veteran's success on campus.
Priority registration, for example, ensures that student veterans can
enroll in classes that meet requirements for utilizing their VA
education benefits. Exemption from in-state residency conditions allows
student veterans to begin their studies sooner without needing to meet
residency guidelines or potentially having to pay extra tuition costs
as an out-of-state college student. Policies and programs that support
student veterans when VA benefits are delayed also ensure that student
veterans can continue their studies uninterrupted.
Finally, student veterans have reported that when institutions
invest in understanding their needs, the school is better equipped to
provide support. An annual survey to understand utilization of on-
campus services and collect feedback is a simple way to collect data.
It can also be in the form of a resource team or veteran task force
that listens to student veterans and includes them in the process of
finding resources and solutions. Some institutions have held veteran
panels to inform the entire campus community about the experiences of
student veterans.
In conclusion, establishing an accurate database to identify
student veterans and track their academic outcomes is the first vital
step in providing more effective, robust support for student veterans.
It is hardly the last. SVA's Student Veteran Attainment Database will
test an accurate method to capture student veteran degree attainment
and completion rates. The next phase of the research will be to use the
data to better understand the drivers of student veteran persistence
and graduation. Accurate data will empower policymakers, institutions
of higher learning, student veterans and service providers to invest
limited resources into effective programs that will lead to a full
realization of the potential of the GI Bill investment.
Thank you Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished
members of the Subcommittee for allowing Student Veterans of America to
submit our views on legislation focused on supporting veterans,
military servicemembers, and their families.
References
Barack Obama. ``Establishing Principles of Excellence for
Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses,
and Other Family Members,'' Executive Order 13607, 27 April 2012,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-02/pdf/2012-10715.pdf
National Student Clearing House. ``Clearinghouse Facts,'' Accessed
June 14, 2013. http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/about/
clearinghouse--facts.php
U.S. Census Bureau. ``Table B21003: Veteran status by educational
attainment for the civilian population 25 years and over. 2007-2011
American community survey 5-year estimate,'' Accessed June 13, 2013.
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/
productview.xhtml?pid=ACS--11--5YR--B21003&prodType=table
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics, ``Six-year attainment rate at any institution among all
first-time beginning students,'' 2003-04 Beginning Postsecondary
Students Longitudinal Study, Second Follow-up, April, 2009. Accessed
June 13, 2013. http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/xls/F09--VETERAN--
PROUT6B.xlsx
VFW Hill Blog. ``VFW Builds Coalition to Support Student-Veteran
Success,'' February 12, 2012. http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2012/02/vfw-
builds-coalition-to-support-student.html.
Westat. National Survey of Veterans, Active Duty Service Members,
Demobilized National Guard and Reserve Members, Family Members, and
Surviving Spouses. Final Report, Rockville, MD: Westat, 2010. Retrieved
from http://http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SurveysAndStudies/
NVSSurveyFinalWeightedReport.pdf.