Understanding your Veteran Population to serve them Effectively

2. Understanding your Veteran Population to serve them Effectively The Plan is One Thing, Implementation is Everything!

3. Workshop Objectives • To provide a framework to organize your grant for effective service. • To present information and data on the current veteran population. • To identify best practices and innovative strategies for veteran student success.

4. When you look at former members of the military, who do you see? • What are their characteristics? • What needs do they have? • What challenges do they face? “Without definition there is no meaning.” —Aristotle

5. A Portrait of Today’s VeteranStatistics for ages 20-24 • 2 Million returning veterans. • Unemployment rate 50% larger than the overall US unemployment rate. • Half earned less than $25,000 per year. • 81% of discharged veterans did not “feel fully prepared for the process of entering the job market.” • 20% have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression. • 19% have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI)

6. Veterans Served by VUB • National Averages • Number served: 128.6 • LI&FG: 72.9% • Minority: 39.2% • Gender: Female 11.9% • Unemployed: 63.5% • Median Age: 41.6

7. What student veterans say they need • Focused support • Array of Information/Accessibility to information • Lack of office space • Help with the transition process. • The need for understanding. • The need for camaraderie Source: Student Veterans Association

8. Serving Veterans Effectively Best Practices and Strategies

9. From Know who to How to If you understand your veteran population you can serve their needs effectively • Need • How to find the data and information • Objectives • How to develop meaningful objectives that are ambitious but attainable. • Plan of Operation • How to find your program veterans: Outreach and Recruitment • How to create effective services

10. Factors to consider when serving vets • Status other than veteran: First generation and/or low income, social, financial, medical and psychological issues. • Adult learners: Low academic skills, most of whom have never attended college. • Experience: Life experiences differ from the college student “norm”. • Structure: Coming from a highly structured environment and conditioned to be told what to do. • Skill set: Skills and strengths that students with military experience bring to campus • Mind Set: They have developed combat skills and a BATTLE MIND SET • Identity: Veterans struggle with a loss of identity. • Change: They are dealing with the challenge of transition

11. 5 Service Principles • Engage: Relationship is key • Co-create: Formulate a plan • Empower: Develop skills • Transition: Promote social and academic integration • Assess: Reviewoutcomes & “how comes”

12. VUB’S 5 Strategies for Student Success • Welcome • Intake interview • Assess and advise • Set academic goal Individual Career Plan Road map of educational goal and how to get there 4 Conditions for Effectiveness Small number of people Committed to a common purpose Agree on performance goals and work methods Rely on each other for results—they hold themselves mutually accountable for results “Close the Loop” Progress meetings Continuous support Perpetual welcome back • Teach how to “do” college • Academics • Skills • Coaching Social and Academic Integration

13. Understanding your Veteran Population to serve them Effectively The Plan is One Thing, Implementation is Everything! Summary, Questions, Comments