Pennsylvania College Customizes Degree Programs for Veterans

America's military veterans can face daunting challenges when it comes to finding employment in the civilian job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment rate for veterans who served anytime between September 2001 and the present was 10.9 percent in April of 2011, compared to 8.5 percent for the civilian population.

To address this situation, Lackawanna College, a small school in northeastern Pennsylvania, introduced a new program last fall to help veterans complete college and find employment.

Pennsylvania community college seeks to improve veteran education

With roots reaching back to the 19th century, Lackwanna aims to offer a college education and marketable job skills to all students without regard to past academic achievements or socioeconomic class. Additionally, Lackawanna's senior leadership, two of whom are retired military, have made helping veterans a priority.

To achieve this goal, the college has created a program for military veterans that allows them to earn a degree without having to meet a minimum number of credit requirements. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that veterans of the current wars are far more likely to possess some college than non-veterans, but nearly 4 percent less likely to graduate with full college degrees.

According to the school's Executive Vice President Mark Volk, because members of the military move frequently, they may literally acquire hundreds of credits but not be able to complete a degree. Counselors at Lackawanna College help veterans match their credits to a degree path, see where they are short and develop a specific program so they can earn a degree.

Veterans may be poorly prepared for college or lack confidence in their academic ability. Volk, a retired colonel, knows that encouraging veterans to attend college and sharpen their skills in an associate degree or certificate program can have a significant impact on those veterans' lives. "I see personal changes caused by education when many of our students stay in college and go on to achieve higher degrees, once they realize that higher education and good careers are open to them," Volk said.

Certificate and associate degree programs offer career-focused skills

Volk says that Lackawanna is creating a military-focused office to help current servicemembers and veterans using their GI Bill education benefits complete an associate degree or a certificate program. The initiative goes a step further, coordinating closely with local employers to help ensure that those degrees and certifications lead to a good wage.

According to College President Ray Angeli, a retired Army colonel, Lackawanna College leadership realized that the school, a strong supporter of the Yellow Ribbon Program, possessed exactly the background to place veterans into the civilian job market.

"Every veteran is unique, with different backgrounds, challenges and strengths," said Col. Angeli. "The first thing the college must offer is education and mentoring toward real paying jobs and careers. Certificate and associate degree programs are exceptional means to achieve those goals. In this region, two immediate examples are energy-related education, such as gas technology and compression technician programs, because local natural gas drilling is expanding at a rapid pace, and hospitality management, which may include culinary arts degrees and certificates, because of the growing resort and casino expansion in this region."

Jason Reeves, winner of Lackawanna College's 2011 Humanities Division award, epitomizes how Lackawanna College can help veterans. An Iraq war vet, Reeves dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, obtained a GED and joined the Army. Following military service, Jason enrolled at Lackawanna College, maintained a 3.96 grade point average and enrolled to pursue a four-year degree at Lackawanna College's education partner, Misericordia University.

"Education is so important for veterans because it gives us the ability to translate or apply all of the skills we learned in the military to our work and civilian life," Reeves said. "Everyone needs to find their own path and education is a way to do that."

GI Bill benefits can help veterans get necessary training

Before using military education benefits, veterans should research basic GI Bill information.While many servicemembers are eligible for both the original Montgomery GI Bill and its more recent cousin, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, benefit levels vary between the two. While funding is based upon the cost of public schools in each state, many private schools, like Lackawanna College, are enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which shares the potentially higher tuition costs with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, leaving little additional cost to the veteran.

Evidence indicates that Lackawanna College's emphasis on veteran education and work placement is having success. Graduating Lackawanna College students go on to work toward a four-year degree, find a job or return to the military--52 percent go on to a four-year college, 72 percent are employed and 33 percent are active or reserve military.

Share This

Email