This course is designed for new military veteran students at Texas A&M to help with their transition from military to civilian and academic life. The course is mandatory for veterans who separated from service after one term with a pay-grade of E-6 or below, and their spouses are encouraged to enroll as well. Through lectures, discussions, assignments and a guest speaker, the course aims to help veterans get to know each other for support, familiarize themselves with leadership theories, and create a personalized plan for success at Texas A&M. Attendance is mandatory and topics include leadership theories, agriculture course requirements, and reflecting on their transition experience.

1. ALED 001: Veteran Transitional Course
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Course title and number:
Veteran Transitional Course ALED 001
Term (e.g., Fall 201X)
Meeting times and location
Wednesdays from XX:XX – XX:XX at AGLS XXX
Course Description and Prerequisites:
This is a mandatory course for all new military veteran students that are recently
separated from service and is to be taken during their first semester of attendance at Texas A&M.
The target audience for this course will be those persons that separated from the service
after one enlistment and/or separated in from the service in the pay-grade of E-6 or below. Those
persons that separated in a higher pay-grade will not be required to attend this course, but instead
will be encouraged to do so.
Those persons that meet the requirements for this course being mandatory that have a
spouse, that is also a student, are encouraged to enroll in this course alongside their loved one.
The prerequisite for this course is to have been a member of the Armed Forces and/or
been a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces, with the condition that the spouse is also a
student. This course is not designed, nor intended, for the dependent of a member of the Armed
Forces, and therefore will not be allowed to register for this course.

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Course Objectives:
1. The student will recognize that they are in a period of transition.
2. The student will get to know the other Aggie students and recognize that they are forming
a support network amongst each other.
3. The student will familiarize themselves with the various leadership theories that they will
be studying in greater detail throughout the duration of their studies.
4. The student will write their own, personalized 5 paragraph order that outlines their plan
to succeed while at Texas A&M.
5. The student will prepare questions for the instructor. This is a unique opportunity to
reverse the role between instructor and student as to negate the silence that accompanies
attempts at eliciting feedback from the students.
Class Set Up:
This course will be a mixture between lecture and group discussion/activities. Persons
eligible to register for this course will be those that serviced in uniform. Service-member spouses
may take this course if their partner is also in attendance. This course is about transitioning out of
the military and into the civilian sector. Having a spouse present could prove to be beneficial as
operational requirements don’t often allow for open communication between individuals.
The ideal guest speaker, if found to be appropriate or necessary, would be a prior-service
facility member or a recently graduated Aggie veteran student. Guest speakers would be asked to
speak about a topic, share their personal experiences, and to field any questions that our new
Aggie veteran students might have.

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Students will not have assigned seats. As they are in the process of transitioning, a lax
environment should be more productive. Students will be encouraged to challenge the material
and each other as they are likely to still possess some aggressive tendencies.
As previously indicated, there will be some group discussions. One reason for group
discussions is to afford the new Aggie veteran student the opportunity to network and get to
know each other. They share a common background and common experiences; their time here at
Texas A&M will be another one. It is imperative that these students get to know each other at the
onset of their academic career because as future courses are attempted, they will be the primary
support network for each other.
Instructor Information:
Name:
Michael Sayre
Telephone number
1-800-I’LL-TAKE-YOUR-QUARTER-‘CAUSE-I-CARE
Email address
notmyemail@notreal.com
Office hours
XX:XX – XX:XX
Office location
Top floor of the Ivory Tower
Ice-Breaker:
It is traditional for classes at Texas A&M to begin with HOWDY. On the first day of
class this tradition should be set aside. Instead, the class should begin with THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE or some equivalent.

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Each branch of service has its’ own particular war-cry: the Marine Corps has OORAH,
the Army and Air Force have HOOAH, and the Navy has HOOYAH. This war-cry is learned in
basic training and is used, in part, to indoctrinate them into the specific branch of service.
Although intended to be motivational all services have an understanding of “false-motivation”.
Belaying the usage of HOWDY will work towards the effect of indoctrinating this special
student body into the culture that is Texas A&M and Aggie-land. Using HOWDY immediately,
on the first day of class, could undermine the effects of indoctrination as they are quite familiar
with the indoctrination processes and purposes.
Grading Policies:
Course attendance will be mandatory. Attendance will be recorded each class period and
used in the calculation of your final grade. A primary reason that you are here is so that you can
develop a support network amongst each other. You performed unit-cohesion exercises/drills
while in uniform. This course is intended to mimic those exercises/drills.
Course Topics:
Week Topic Additional Requirements
1 Jan - Course Introduction
2 Jan – Know Thy Classmates
3 Feb – Leadership Theories Overview Assignment Given
4 Feb – Leadership Theories Overview Assignment Due
5 Feb – 5 Paragraph Order Assignment Given
6 Mar –Non-leadership Agriculture Course Requirements

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7 Mar – Group Discussion: Share Your Story
8 Mar – Guest Speaker
9 Spring Break – No Class
10 Apr – Check-in/Student Reflection Assignment Given
11 Apr – Report to the Student Assignment Due
12 Apr – Flex Week Assignment Due (5
paragraph order)
13 Apr – Course Evaluation
14 May - Reading Week – No Class
15 May - Finals Week
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that
provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other
things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning
environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe
you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain
Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu
Academic Integrity
For additional information please visit: http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.”