Student Veterans: A Valuable Asset to Higher Education

Introduction

Since August 2009, colleges and universities have seen over two million veterans return to school to obtain associate’s, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees throughout the country.

With the implementation of the GI Bill along with a global workforce that requires, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree for marketplace entry, more and more veterans are aspiring for higher degrees to launch the next chapter of their lives. As of 2014, almost all (96%) higher education institutions in the United States enroll veterans, and more schools are beginning to focus on recruitment as a strategy to further increase their student veteran population.

We aim to spark a new discourse on how our colleges and universities view and empower student veterans, a discourse that pushes higher education past the “veteran-friendly” rhetoric to realize the long-term value of veteran students and alumni, and one that delivers upon the intended promise of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The most current research indicates that student veterans earn higher GPAs than their civilian counterparts, acquire technical skills that are highly transferrable to academic settings, and offer unique perspectives that enhance campus diversity and learning.

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Student veterans are uniquely positioned for academic achievement and success due to their military training, personal characteristics, work ethic, and steadfast commitment. Post-graduation, they are more likely to demonstrate appreciation, affiliation, and loyalty towards their institution and experience, lower unemployment rates than those without degrees, similar unemployment rates to civilians, and even higher annual incomes. As agents for social good, veterans, as a group, are members of society that consistently demonstrate their goodwill through their volunteerism, civic engagement, philanthropic activities, and generous contributions.

Based on evidence from academic literature and practice highlighted here, it is clear that student veterans are valuable assets whose contributions make lasting impact on higher education institutions, both while they are on campus and well after they graduate. This paper, a product of collaboration between the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University and the Student Veterans of America (SVA), aims to build on that evidence to inform, dispel prevailing myths, and inspire high-level administrators, faculty, admissions, development, alumni relations, and academic advising divisions to engage with student veterans in more meaningful and strategic ways. The following sections detail each of the five areas highlighted in the above figure and make the case for how student veterans may be valuable in that area, how higher education can leverage them, and some action items to put into practice today.

In June 2008, President Bush signed the Post-9/11 GI Bill into law to expand educational benefits for military veterans. As the bill went into effect the following year, President Obama proclaimed/explained, “We do this because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century.”

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