This autoethnographic study examined the challenges and difficulties a post-9/11 combat veteran faced as they transitioned and reintegrated into civilian life post-military service. With suicide rates in the veteran community reaching alarming rates, this study explored personal narratives and perspectives on reintegration to counter the deficit…

College campuses are accustomed to serving various populations and typically offer professional development for faculty and staff to assist those students. However, most institutions do not offer specific professional training targeted toward serving military-connected students--those students who have previously served in the US military, are…

Colleges may not be prepared to support veteran students transitioning from the military to higher education, resulting in more significant attrition levels for veteran students struggling to adapt to their new surroundings. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the experiences of post-9/11 veteran students as they transitioned from the…

Objective: To examine how veterans resource centers (VRCs) and corresponding services influence student veteran transitions by applying the Schlossberg Transition Model. Participants: 12 student support staff and 6 junior/senior undergraduate student veterans at a four-year public university in California. Methods: In-depth semi-structured,…

Professional school counselors are tasked with providing information about postsecondary options to high school students and their families. Opportunities in the military offer a variety of benefits; however, misconceptions about military education and career pathways are prevalent among students, families, and educators, so professional school…

This chapter provides a historical overview of the relationship between the military and higher education.

The American GI Forum (AGIF) contains several programs and initiatives, with the significant focus being on supporting students. There is a need to better understand their needs as students so that the organization can better serve them. This study focused on the issues facing veteran students in higher education and the strategies that AGIF can…

During the activity of the Interim Treasury Committee for Polish Questions from 7 July 1945 to 31 March 1947, several thousand Polish citizens were given the opportunity to study abroad. Despite their difficult financial situation, they strove to continue studying, where this had been disrupted before the war, or started studying anew. Such an…

This chapter provides a taxonomy of student veterans in the form of a codebook to assist in institutional data collection and analysis.

Transitioning into civilian life after military service is a challenging prospect. It can be difficult to find employment and maintain good mental health, and up to 70 percent of veterans experience homelessness or alcoholism. Upon discharge, many veterans pursue higher education as a way to reintegrate into civilian society. However, many studies…

This chapter focuses on conceptual models that may enable institutional researchers and scholars to better study the student veteran experience.

As the Global War on Terror began and developed from 2001 to present, there has been a continued persistence of multiple deployments for many service members, which has eventually led to greater cohorts of service members leaving the military, and a continued increase of veterans enrolling in colleges and universities to use their military related…

A paucity of literature exists on the processes of character development within diverse contexts. In this article, the authors use the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA) as a sample case for understanding character development processes within an institution of higher education. The authors present a discussion of relational…

Many U.S. service members who repatriate following military service in Iraq and Afghanistan seek educational benefits proffered by the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008. Student-veterans are a diverse and unique population within university settings, and there is much to be learned about factors that may influence their rates of…

This chapter discusses how understanding differences between National Guard members, reservists, active duty personnel, and veterans in higher education can better inform institutional evidence-based decision-making to support military-connected individuals' college access and success.