- Profile of Phillip Humphreys
- Plaudits
- Service Awards
- Colleague to Colleague: Caitlin Roberts reports on the rich history of Greek life at The Beach
- Spotlight on Beach Pride Center
- Unit Activities
- A CLASS Act
- Students Participate in Internships at The Washington Center
- Meet Erin Swetland
- Student Nuggets
- Alternative Spring Break 2009
- Facts About The Beach
- Target Case Study Competition Held
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Serving Those Who Have Served
It is a challenge to find a citizen or resident of the United States who is not grateful to our veterans and active duty military personnel for the daily service and sacrifice they have endured to protect and better our nation. Now, in sharp contrast to other eras, such as the Vietnam War era, there are few places better than university and college campuses for veterans to experience that gratitude.
CSULB is no exception. In fact, there are hundreds of faculty, staff and students who dedicate their time to the university’s more than 400 matriculated veterans and the numerous veteran-based programs the university provides to assist them.
From the divisions of Student Services and Academic Affairs, to the colleges of Health and Human Services, Engineering, Education and Business Administration, CSULB’s reputation as the region’s “Veterans University” continues to grow.
At the Helm
CSULB is committed to increasing the number of student veterans successfully obtaining formal education and career placement. This is being done by developing veteran-friendly policies and providing one-on-one counseling, orientation programs, certificate education, internships and more.
The leadership matrix designed to help veterans excel at CSULB is vast and includes staff, faculty and students from nearly every department and college. President F. King Alexander has taken the lead in addressing veterans’ academic and support issues, not only on campus, but also at the state and federal levels.
Spearheading campus-based initiatives is the Veterans Initiative Committee, which is committed to the successful transition of student veterans through on-campus collaborations and a network of support services. The VIC serves as a forum for on-campus veteran support. Overseeing resource decisions is the VIC Steering Committee, made up of senior representatives from all major divisions at The Beach. Since 2007, the university has repositioned key veterans support staff, conducted informal surveys among incoming student veterans, educated senior administrators, developed a veterans student orientation process and initiated numerous programs targeted to veterans.
Body, Mind and Spirit
CSULB recognizes the importance of addressing the physical and mental challenges war veterans face when seeking higher education and acclimating back into their communities. To that end, the university has developed a close association with its neighbors at the Veteran Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System, where returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan receive treatment.
On campus, Disabled Student Services provides disabled veteran students support services with in-classroom activities, career development resources, adaptive equipment and disability-related counseling. The student organization VetNet offers student veterans an opportunity to socialize with others who have served.
Opening Doors
Student veterans at The Beach benefit from myriad campus services designed to assist them through the rigors of college coursework and prepare them to enter the workforce long before they toss their caps into the air. These include:
- Recently separated combat veterans and recently medical separated veterans can apply for late admission. This policy allows these veterans to apply for admission as late as June 1 during the six-month period after leaving the service. Student veterans also are eligible to receive three units of general education course credit for the basic training they received in the military.
- Some veterans come to campus with specialized skills in technology and medical services. A task force recently established by the Division of Academic Affairs is developing a campus process to allow veterans to receive academic credit for experiential learning.
- A veterans’ orientation program, offered by the Veterans Affairs Services office, includes presentations regarding veteran claims and benefits, vocational rehabilitation, job placement, educational services and other campus programs. This year, the session prepared student veterans to take advantage of the VA educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
- While CSULB consolidates its veteran services in preparation for fall 2009, a Virtual Vet Center provides a centralized website for student veterans to access veterans’ benefit information, financial aid resources and veterans’ activities information. Go to www.csulb.edu/veterans to view this website or Google “Veterans University.”
- CSULB has developed a close relationship with local workforce investment boards to help student veterans secure employment, which is an essential component of transitioning veterans back into their communities. The Veterans Workforce Scholarship Fund provides student veterans who are aligned for graduation with up to two semesters of tuition and fees. Veterans who receive this financial support must agree to participate in job development training and subsequently pursue a job in order to qualify for the scholarship resources.
Looking Ahead
The university continues to explore ways to address the needs of its student veterans. In the near future, CSULB hopes to offer a veterans transition course designed to promote cultural communications for veterans and encourage self-awareness and resiliency. Additional program objectives include a staff and faculty veteran awareness seminar as well as a student veteran mentor program within each of the colleges. CSULB also is in the process of opening a veterans resource center. Planned services include centralized processing of veteran benefits, academic advising, advocacy, on and off-campus referrals and other services that will help student veterans succeed academically and transition into their professional lives. This is nothing less than a moral imperative for the university.
As CSULB continues to look for new ways to make it easier for California veterans to transition back into their lives and communities, the campus will also be looking for partners in business and government who can assist and benefit from mutual collaboration on behalf of veterans.