3. Background
• Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of
1944 (also called the G.I. Bill)
• Educational benefits
– College, business
– Technical or vocational
– Apprenticeship/job training
– Flight training
4. Background
• Veterans’ Adjustment Act of 1952
– Added Korean War veterans
• Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of
1966
– Added those who served in times of war and peace
• Veterans Education Assistance
Program (VEAP): in response to the
transition to an all-volunteer military
• Montgomery G.I. Bill
5. Background
• VEAP was Chapter 32 (for those who
entered active duty between 1/1/77-
6/30/85): contributions matched 2:1
• Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (Chapter 33) initially
approved in 2008 and updated in 2010 and
2011
– Extends eligibility to members of the National
Guard
– Adds provision for distance learners
6. Selection
• Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of
Higher Education
– Highly selective
– Not-for-profit
– Four-year
• 338 colleges/universities
– Remove non-English language websites
– Remove for-profit
– Collect email addresses for chief enrollment
officers (VP Enrollment, Director of
Admissions, etc.)
7. Methodology
• Qualtrics Survey System
• Emailed survey to chief enrollment
officers (personal email addresses
when possible)
• Reminder survey one week from initial
email
• 43/50 responses within the first week
• 4 respondents requested results
14. Selected Results
Approximately how many veterans attend your institution?
0
1 to 15
6 to 15
16 to 30
31 to 60
61 to 100
Greater than 100
15. Selected Results
Does your institution have a separate office dedicated to
services for veterans?
Yes
No
16. Selected Results
Who tracks individual G.I. Bill users at your institution?
Admissions
Financial Aid
Registrar
Veterans Benefits Office
Staff Member
Other
17. Selected Results
Does your institution contribute additional or matching funds
(grants, scholarships, fellowships, etc.) to supplement G.I.
benefits?
Yes
No
18. Selected Results
Have you seen an increase in veteran applicants in the past 4
years (since 2008)?
Yes
No
Unsure
19. Selected Results
Does your admissions office and literature include any
specific information for veterans?
Yes
No
Unsure
21. Selected Results
How well do you think your institution supports the unique
needs of veteran students through the services you have
previously identified?
Very Poorly
Somewhat Poorly
Somewhat Well
Very Well
22. Selected Results
• “We are currently looking into a variety of other
services, such as a veterans orientation, programs to
improve transition from the military to
college, retention, and graduation. We are working closely
with the collegiate student veterans group to ensure that
the services we are providing and the avenues we are
pursuing are meeting the needs of the veterans.”
• “Our small class size and student to teacher ratio of 11:1
makes the return to the classroom for most veterans far
less daunting… Most of our students fit the Army ROTC
“Scholar, Athlete, Leader” model.”
29. What do they mean?
• Enrollment is on the rise– should
universities be acting differently?
• Only approximately ½ mention
veterans in their literature– could they
add just a line or paragraph?
• Many respondents are unsure of
marketing strategies (see question 16)
• Few universities require separate
offices, since the numbers are not large
30. Practical Application
• A separate office isn’t typically necessary
• Many institutions provided website links;
could create a linked page at little cost
• Few institutions report specific literature;
updates could be made to offer inclusion of
basic info/link
• Few noteworthy differences between
states
• Few noteworthy differences between
public/private institutions
31. Recommendations
• Create prominent link on admissions
website (many are hidden)
–Include links to useful websites, like
Veteran Friendly Toolkit
–Link to other institutional sites
(financial aid, residence life, etc.)
–Include in literature (see next
recommendation)
32. Recommendations
• Update literature to include
information for veterans
– Create insert if publications are already
printed
– At least include a link to the website from
the previous recommendation
– Consistency across publications
34. Recommendations
• Better training of admissions staff
– Consistent information (do we market to
veterans?)
– Sharing across departments (residence
life, academic life, registrar, financial aid)
– Knowledge of outside resources (VA
contacts, non-profits)
35. Additional Resources
• My Wiki Page
– http://kbmastersproject.wmwikis.net/
• G.I. Bill
– http://www.gibill.va.gov/
• Yellow Ribbon Program
– http://www.yellowribbon.mil/
• Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions
– http://vetfriendlytoolkit.org/
