Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges

1. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Georgia ACME November 8, 2012 Fort Stewart

2. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges(SOC) SOC was established in 1972 to help meet the voluntary higher education needs of servicemembers. Funded through a Department of Defense contract with AASCU. Functions in cooperation with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense, and the active and Reserve components of the military Services, including the Coast Guard. The SOC Consortium is a diverse group of more than 1900 institutional members who pledge to support military students and veteran educational endeavors at the postsecondary level.

3. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Sponsoring Organizations American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Association of Community Colleges Cooperating Organizations American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers American Council on Education Association of American Colleges and Universities Association of American Universities Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities Council for Higher Education Accreditation Distance Education and Training Council Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities American College Personnel Association (2-year at-large membership rotating with NASPA-2012-14) State Higher Education Executive Officers U.S. Air Force U.S. Army U.S. Army Recruiting Command U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Navy Office of Reserve Affairs Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense

4. SOC Mission Serve as vehicle to help coordinate postsecondary educational opportunities for servicemembers Strengthen liaison and working relationships among military and higher education representatives Advocate for flexibility needed to improve access to and availability of educational programs for servicemembers

6. Conditions for SOC Consortium Membership • Listed in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s (CHEA) Database of Programs Accredited by Recognized U.S. Accrediting Organization • Be a degree-granting institution that is accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by CHEA or U.S. Department of Education • Meet appropriate provisions of DoD Directive 1322.8 and DoD Instruction 1322.25, and appropriate service regulations when providing services on a military installation • Be approved for education benefits by the appropriate state approving agency for veterans benefits • Not exhibiting an excessive student loan default rate

7. SOC Principles • Servicemembers should share the same educational opportunities available to their civilian counterparts • Educational programs that are provided by appropriately accredited colleges and universities • Educational programs that are flexible in terms of scheduling, academic residency, course transfer, and acceptance of non-traditional credit

8. SOC Criteria for Consortium Membership • Reasonable with Transfer of Credit -Minimum loss of previously earned credits - Avoid coursework duplication • Reduced Academic Residency Requirements -25% maximum for most programs - 30% for schools providing undergraduate degrees 100% online - No final year or semester requirement • Credit for Military Training and Experience - Recognize and use ACE Guide in evaluating military training courses (Service Schools) and award credit where appropriate to degree (Approximately 75% of members also award credit for Army and Marine Corps MOSs and Navy and Coast Guard Ratings) • Credit for Nationally-Recognized Testing Programs - Award credit for at least one nationally-recognized testing program such as CLEP, DSST, ECE (Excelsior College Examinations)

9. SOC Consortium Membership 2011-2013 • More than 1900 SOC Consortium members Publications/materials for 2011-2013 (available in print, CD-ROM, and on Web Site) • - 2011-2013 SOC Consortium Guide • - SOC Consortium Brochure • - Membership Application • - Program-Specific Brochures

10. SOC Consortium Member Demographics 2011-2013

11. SOC Consortium Guide College information on member institutions: • organized alphabetically by state • published every two years on CD-ROM • updated member list on SOC Web site

12. Responsibilities of SOC Institutional Representative Responsible for implementing and overseeing institution’s compliance with SOC Principles and Criteria • Serve as institutional point-of-contact for college information to servicemembers, veterans, and their family members • Serve as chief institutional advocate for servicemembers’ education • Possess working knowledge of institution’s transfer and evaluated credit policies • Keep senior institutional leadership apprised of issues affecting education of servicemembers

13. Responsibilities of SOC Counselor Responsible for advising military students participating in programs under SOC Consortium designation • Read and understand SOC Principles and Criteria • Possess working knowledge of institution’s transfer and evaluated credit policies • Be able and available to counsel servicemembers, veterans, and their adult family members regarding institution’s educational programs and services

14. Responsibilities of Veteran Program Administrator/School Certifying Official Campus point-of-contact involved in operation of veterans’ affairs programs or delivery of services to veterans as school certifying official • Possess working knowledge of Veterans Affairs Educational Benefits eligibility certification process and benefit procedures • Able to direct veterans to campus resources, as needed • Be able and available to counsel veterans and their adult family members regarding institution’s educational programs and services • Read and understand SOC Principles and Criteria, serve as campus advocate for veterans

15. SOC Consortium Standards of Good Practice • Clear and truthful communications with servicemembers • Enrollment/recruitment policies appropriate to higher education • Clear, understandable fee structure without false or misleading impressions on cost to the servicemember or the Service • Admissions policies and practices that ensure appropriate academic screening, proper placement in courses • Clear student services process including POC and phone number

16. Military Student Bill of Rights SOC Advisory Board task force examined aggressive marketing practices SOC established 10 basic rights to fair marketing, admissions, and student services for military students at SOC Consortium institutions Posted through world in education centers and college advising offices

17. Pocket Guide for College Outreach to Military Students • Resource to help shape college • outreach to the military community; • Guide the development and implementation of quality programs and support services for military student populations; • Assist institutions in establishing • effective relationships with the Department of Defense (DoD) • and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and their education personnel.

18. SOC Consortium Service-Specific Programs SOC Degree Network System ConAP SOCAD SOCNAV SOCMAR SOCCOAST

19. Concurrent Admissions Program An Army-unique program that reinforces the importance of higher education in today’s society. The program is a partnership between the US Army Recruiting Command, more than 2,000 colleges, and SOC and us designed to forge a relationship between a Future Soldier and a college at the time of enlistment.

20. Participatory, articulation system providing colleges, courses, and transfer credit based on peer review process. Degrees selected by the military Service The program started in 1981 and includes: Army: SOCAD-2 and SOCAD-4 Navy: SOCNAV-2 and SOCAV-4 Marine Corps: SOCMAR-2 and SOCMAR-4 Coast Guard: SOCCOAST-2 and SOCCOAST-4 SOC Degree Network System (DNS)

21. Membership Comparison Degree Network System (SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, SOCCOAST) Consortium • Serving widely dispersed military students • Academic residency limited to 25% (30% if 100% online) • Accept credits for at least one national testing program • ACE Guide recommendations for training (Service Schools) • Reasonable transfer policies • General evaluation and degree planning • Serving active-duty servicemembers and their adult family members • Same residency and testing requirements • ACE Guide recommendations for training and military occupational experience (MOS, Rate/Rating) • Core institutions participate in two-way guaranteed transfer of specific courses • Formal evaluation of prior learning and degree planning in form of SOC DNS Student Agreement

22. 160 colleges 512 associate degrees 479 bachelor’s degrees 9,816 course articulations More than 920,000 Student Agreements to date Key numbers for FY 12 44,169 Student Agreements written and recorded 17,933 graduates reported 778,879 semester hours of non-traditional credit awarded to servicemembers by DNS colleges DNS Snapshot

23. SOC Update • Join us on Facebook • News Items on SOC Website • SOC Burning Issues White Paper • Great Unknowns

24. SOC Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ServicemembersOpportunityColleges

25. SOC Consortium News

26. DNS Web Pages

27. Charge to the group: Improve the process by which military students are measured, including their success and nonsuccess (as defined both by the military and by institutions) Define what is a military student for data collection purposes Determine metrics for evaluation “Burning Issue” Challenge

28. Framing the discussion: Enrollment patterns for military students (e.g., attending multiple institutions, online vs traditional delivery, readmission, continuous enrollment) Transfer credit and reporting requirements Increased access to educational opportunities and “shopping” for servicemembers Tuition assistance and GI Bill funding “Burning Issue” Challenge

29. July 2012 White Paper • Highlights: • Definition of military and • veteran student • Cohort models • Inclusion and reporting • requirements • Variables for tracking • Recommendations for • next steps

30. Release and Next Steps • Presentation at CCME, DoD Worldwide Symposium and Texas Veteran’s Conference; posted to the SOC Website • Sent to SOC Advisory Board members, including OUSD, DANTES, Military Service Voluntary Education staffs, and national higher education associations • Waiting for DoD, Service responses • Monitoring legislation • Working with Student Information System providers to enhance tracking

31. Great Unknowns • DoD MOU • Executive Order on Veterans Education • Tuition Assistance Policy • Joint Service Transcript • Transitioning Servicemembers • Next 3-5 years

32. From Soldier to Student... Original survey conducted Fall 2008; findings released July 2009 Replicated in Fall 2011 Examines whether college environment has changed in terms of serving military student population in 3 years Survey findings presented at DoD Worldwide, July 2012 http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

33. Contact Us Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges 1307 New York Avenue, NW Fifth Floor Washington, DC 20005-4701 Phone: 800-368-5622; 202-667-0079 Fax: 202-667-0622 E-mail: socmail@aascu.org www.soc.aascu.org/ www.facebook.com/ServicemembersOpportunityColleges