Here’s how can Ohio colleges and university be more military friendly
How did Veterans Day originate?
What originated as Armistice Day in England, is now our Veterans Day
There are about 2,300 veteran or veteran-affiliated students who attend one of Ohio State University’s campuses. President Ted Carter believes the university can do even more to support military-connected students and their families.
It has been a goal of Carter’s since he first introduced his Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan in November 2024.
There are approximately 200,000 men and women who transition from military to civilian life each year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. One in three of those individuals has a college degree. Of those that don’t have a degree, about 75% of them are looking for an undergraduate program.
Carter knows a lot about the needs of military-connected students. He served nearly 40 years in the U.S. Navy, logging more than 6,300 flying hours and flying 125 combat missions. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy; the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as Top Gun; the Nuclear Power School and the Air War College and Naval War College. He was also the longest-serving superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy since the Civil War.
That’s a huge pool of potential students that Ohio State could help serve, Carter said. He reaffirmed that promise in September during his State of the University Address.
“I want them to think about The Ohio State University as their first choice,” he said during the address.
Carter’s goals include being able to guarantee those students a degree, get them to a degree in less than three years if they have 10 years of military experience, and get them a paid internship on the path to a good-paying job.
What exactly does it take for a university to be considered military friendly? Here’s what some experts in the field say is important to consider.
Committing to veteran student success
Ohio has a minimum standard of programming and services that colleges and universities are required to provide for military-connected students, said Samatha Erickson, deputy director of Veterans Educational Programs at the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. For instance, Ohio institutions are required to have a designated representative on campus to support veteran students and their families.
But there are other established guiding principles that colleges can follow to improve life for veterans on campus, Erickson said. One set of those principles is through the U.S. Department of Education called the “8 Keys to Veterans’ Success.”
The list is a set of steps that colleges and universities can take to assist military-connected students in transitioning to higher education, completing their college programs, and obtaining career-ready skills, according to the education department. Seventy campuses in Ohio have already committed to the list, including all of Ohio State’s campuses.
The principles include:
- Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans;
- Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership;
- Implement an early alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming;
- Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space for them;
- Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans;
- Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention, and degree completion;
- Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to veterans;
- Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans.
The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs has its own set of guidelines called the Principles of Excellence program, which requires schools that get federal funding through the GI Bill and other programs to follow certain principles to support veteran students.
Some of those principles include assigning military-connected students a point of contact for academic and financial advice, including access to disability counseling, and allowing active-duty service members and Reservists to take time off to fulfill their service obligations.
Crediting work done during their service
Although they might not have a college degree, Erickson said that doesn’t mean that veteran students haven’t gone through rigorous training.
The Ohio Department of Veterans Services works collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Higher Education to create transfer pathways for veteran students enrolling in college. These transfer pathways, called Military Transfer Assurance Guides (or MTAGs), provide a statewide guarantee that certain types of military training, experience and coursework will be awarded as appropriate college credits.
The goal is to make sure that relevant military training and experience translates into college credit as is applicable, Erickson said.
Through statewide training provided by ODHE, colleges and universities are required to evaluate military training, experience and coursework to see what aligns with their own courses and programs. Students can also explore for themselves which credits they might be eligible for through ODHE’s Credit Transfer Tool.
Though a majority of institutions in Ohio offer MTAGs, Erickson said there are different levels of credit transfer depending on the university. Erickson said she would love to see more colleges build out these transfer pathways for veteran students.
Creating an inclusive culture for veterans and their families
Erickson said one of the best ways that colleges can support their veteran students is by creating a safe space for them to learn as they transition back to civilian life.
She loves to see when campuses host Green Zone Training sessions, a program for faculty and staff members that teaches employees about military culture and the challenges veterans may face as they transition from active duty service to college life.
Several Ohio universities offer Green Zone Trainings or similar programs, including Bowling Green State University, Miami University and Wright State University.
After she left the U.S. Air Force at 26, Erickson said she remembered showing up on her community college campus feeling very different from the 18-year-olds around her. Her college held a Green Zone Training, which she attended as a panelist.
Erickson said the facilitator asked faculty to share what comes to mind when they think about veterans. Almost everyone said they think of men who served in infantry units. When she walked on stage for the panel with several other women and zero infantry members, Erickson said it was like a lightbulb went off for faculty members.
“Veterans aren’t just the stereotype and we’re not just one category of student,” she said.
Green Zone Trainings also help faculty and staff understand and empathize with military-connected students, Erickson said, as well as gives them an overview of the available services and resources those students so they know where to direct those who need help.
“It really is about understanding the complexities of student veterans, their families and their experiences and approaching it in a holistic way is ideal,” Erickson said.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
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