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P O W E R E D B Yp r o u d s p o n s o rReal Service to America’sMilitary and Veteran StudentsPrivate sector colleges and universities provide agreat value to America’s new traditional students.These students are often adults with jobs who, forpractical or financial reasons, desirethe flexibility, convenience and quality of ourinstitutions. Because of this, private sector collegesare increasingly attracting members of America’smilitary and veterans.The numbers don’t lie. Our institutions educate13 percent of all postsecondary students yet haveserved more than 28 percent of all veterans underthe GI Bill. Our institutions serve more than325,000 veterans, spouses and dependents. Quitesimply, we meet the educational needs of today’sveterans. Vets often don’t want to live in a dormand take five courses per semester. They want afocused, accelerated delivery of academic programsthat supports their transition from active duty toemployment as soon as possible – exactly what ourinstitutions offer.The vast majority of these veterans are seekingcertificates and a ssociate degrees. It’s not surprisingthat they are attending our schools. Several studies,including those conducted by Harvard Universityand The George Washington University researchers,show that private sector students complete certificate andAssociate degree programs at higher rates than students at otherinstitutions.More than 40 percent of military and veteran students pursue acredential in a health care field, and 20 percent pursue a credentialin a skilled trade.Recently, APSCU convened the Blue Ribbon TaskForce panel to recommend best practices for militaryand veteran students. The goal of the report was tobuild on the excellent work our member institutionsdo in serving veterans and identify some of the mosteffective practices.The recommendations include establishing anoffice of military and veteran affairs to lead supportprograms and provide military- and veteran-specificadvisers. The report also highlights the benefitof compiling data to track military and veteranstudent success. Many postsecondary institutionsstand to benefit by reviewing these best practicesand adopting those that will help their military andveteran students.So, what does high veteran enrollment, excellentoutcomes and a commitment to improvement meanfor members of our armed forces? Basically, it allcombines for a high return on investment (ROI).Staff Sgt. Thomas Windley, a student at ECPIUniversity, can attest to that firsthand. While deployed toAfghanistan, Windley was able to earn his bachelor’s degree incomputer information science online.P O W E R E D B YSubscribe at www.CareerCollegeCentral.com | 49