Military veterans and college success: a qualitative examination of veteran needs in higher education

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
M. Patrick Murphy (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
David Ayers

Abstract: Military veterans are a rapidly growing population of non-traditional students in the United States. The new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill effective in 2009 has made it easier for military veterans to fund higher education costs upon discharge from the military. Traditional four-year colleges and universities are well suited to serving students who have recently finished high school. However, are they properly prepared to serve military veterans? Military veterans bring with them a host of personal issues and needs beyond educational funding which may tax the capacity of student services professionals, faculty, and campus architecture. Veterans, like many non-traditional students, encounter barriers to success which are not present for the majority of traditional college students. This qualitative study conducted as an analysis of personal interviews with 13 Post-9/11 G.I. Bill veterans reveals, through examination of theoretical and heuristic knowledge, a multitude of individual and collective needs in college. Military veterans at the research institution seek anonymity on campus, treatment as adults, a veteran's center for transition assistance and camaraderie and administrative help, better marketing of available services, college credit for military training and experience, and a stake in guidance of their future in college. The interviews also reveal that even with the perceived lack of solutions for the above listed needs, a knowledgeable and compassionate veteran's liaison on campus may make college a successful venture for military veterans.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2011
Keywords
Education, Higher Education, Identity, Military, Needs, Veterans
Subjects
Veterans $x Education (Higher) $z United States $v Case studies
Student affairs services $z United States $x Evaluation $v Case studies
College students $x Mental health services $z United States $v Case studies

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