The transition from the Air Force to civilian life can be a challenging process for enlisted members because of inconsistent and limited information provided by transition counselors at Air Force Base Airmen and Family Readiness Centers. The Department of Defense mandates the establishment of these centers down to the base level; however,…

This dissertation study uses Schlossberg's Transition Theory to understand the experiences of student veterans enrolled at a Louisiana higher education institution. By recognizing the distinct needs of student veterans and the services offered, higher education administrators can play a pivotal role in informing them of their needs and creating a…

Higher learning institutions have encountered increasing student-veteran enrollment rates due to the surge of servicemembers discharged from the military in recent years. Community colleges have also experienced increased rates of student veterans choosing two-year institutions either to pursue a technical degree or to enroll in courses…

Military experience alone is no longer enough to replace a college degree for many civilian jobs, leaving nearly 15% of transitioning veterans at a disadvantage without higher education credentials. This study explored how active-duty Marines decide whether to pursue postsecondary education and assessed the role of the voluntary education (VolED)…

This research investigated the effectiveness of the United States military's Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in assisting veterans with their transition from active duty to higher education. Service-members are being discharged from the military at an extremely high rate per year rather than retiring from military service, and many of these…

Student veterans face a spectrum of socialization challenges intrapersonally, interpersonally, in communities, and structurally due to the cultural differences between the military and college. More comprehensive programs that individually and collectively address these challenges need to be developed, and it has become apparent that a new model…

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…

Student veterans may encounter educational barriers that can impact transitions to college. This research focused on veteran transitions to college during onboarding. Onboarding is beneficial in a higher education setting and, when properly deployed, can help ease transitions. This study involved the development, implementation, and assessment of…

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,…

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

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

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spends nearly $12 billion annually on education benefits (VA, 2016). Veterans are showing up on campus in ever increasing numbers. While recruiting veterans makes sense from an enrollment management perspective, as most veterans come to campus with financial aid, how well prepared is higher education to…

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is dedicated to supporting student veterans and their families in pursuing their educational goals. Student veterans are growing in number not only in Nevada, but across the nation. This particular student population often faces unique challenges in assimilating back into civilian life. It is the goal…

Federal education benefits for veterans represent a substantial investment--$18 billion since 2009 under the Post-9/11 GI Bill--in the development of a skilled American workforce. Unfortunately, this investment does not always pay off because many veterans encounter serious obstacles as they attempt to navigate the higher education system and the…

The purpose of this paper was to identify a problem in higher education that needed a new solution and draft a viable proposal for how to resolve it. I chose the problem of cultural barriers that veterans often face when attempting to return to many universities following military service. The method used was a combination of existing literature…