President Knapp Moderates Panel on Serving Student-Veterans

The panel was part of the annual meeting of the American Council on Education.

March 7, 2013

veterans university panel american council on education

From left to right, David Riggs, Wendy Lang, Elizabeth Harper, Jennifer Connors and GW President Steven Knapp discussing serving veterans on Tuesday.

George Washington University President Steven Knapp moderated a panel on Tuesday that discussed how universities can welcome and support student-veterans, active-duty members and military families.

“Our aim this morning is not to make the case for serving veterans. I think everybody in this room understands the rationale of that as a responsibility to those who have already done so much to serve us,” Dr. Knapp said in his introduction to the discussion, a session of the annual meeting of the American Council on Education. “Our aim is to primarily give some feedback on what has worked and what remains a challenge at our institutions.”

A lot has worked on GW’s campuses. The university was recently named a “military friendly school” by “G.I. Jobs” magazine. Roughly 1,000 veterans and dependents at GW use GI Bill benefits, a more than 300 percent increase from four years ago. Additionally, more than 450 of those student-veterans are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that provides additional benefits for veterans with active duty service on or after 9/11.

Veterans at GW are served through the central Office of Veteran Services, a one-stop shop for university resources headed by U.S. Army veteran Michael Ruybal. The university supports the Center for Second Service, a Graduate School of Political Management program that trains veterans to continue their commitment to public service, and the Veteran Service Initiative, which connects student-veterans to volunteer opportunities. GW is also flexible when it comes to housing options and students’ reenrollment after leaving the university for service, Dr. Knapp said.

“I think we benefit tremendously from the veterans on our campus, because it gives the opportunity for students coming fresh out of high school to encounter fellow students who have a much different set of experiences,” Dr. Knapp said. “Also, our student-veterans have been great leaders of the efforts of our students in community service because they see themselves as continuing the mission to serve while they’re back here at our colleges and universities.”

Joining Dr. Knapp to brainstorm what colleges and universities can do to support student-veterans were Jennifer Connors, director of military services at George Mason University; Elizabeth Harper, associate vice president of student services and enrollment management at Northern Virginia Community College; Wendy Lang, director of Operation College Promise at the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities; and David Riggs, executive director of the Center for Deployment Psychology.

The panelists discussed a range of issues, from how to fund veterans programs to how to help veterans integrate into the university community.

At Northern Virginia Community College, Dr. Harper said the focus is always on initiatives and services that will help veterans get a job, so programs that help veterans enhance and develop their resumes is crucial.

Campus resources, like a coordinator and dedicated space for the veterans to gather, are also important, said Ms. Lang. So, too, is training for faculty and staff. Ms. Connors added that an interactive class that helps faculty understand veterans’ experiences has been very successful at GMU, and more than 100 faculty members have been trained.

No matter what, there will always be a need to continue to discuss and develop programs that support student-veterans.

“We know there’s a lot more to be done,” Dr. Knapp said.