Best practices in serving college student Veterans: A scoping review
LAY SUMMARY
LAY SUMMARY
Abstract
Résumé
INTRODUCTION
METHODS

RESULTS
Key 1: Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for Veterans
Key 2: Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership
Key 3: Implement an early alert system to ensure all Veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming
Key 4: Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all Veterans, together with the creation of a designated space for them
Key 5: Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for Veterans
Key 6: Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on Veterans, including demographics, retention, and degree completion
Key 7: Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to Veterans
Key 8: Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for Veterans
Key to Veterans’ success | Results |
---|---|
1. Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for Veterans. | |
2. Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership. | • As of 2012, more than 80% of surveyed higher education institutions nationally (N = 690) had developed institutional procedures to enable deployed military students to continue their education.20 • The current review identified 4 exemplars of states passing and promoting legislation benefiting service members, Veterans, and dependents in higher education. |
3. Implement an early alert system to ensure all Veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming. | • As of 2012 and the current review, a paucity of data exists regarding campuses’ efforts to implement early alert systems that track the progress and needs of Veterans and military students. |
4. Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all Veterans, together with the creation of a designated space for them (even if limited in size). | • As of 2012, of 690 institutions surveyed,20 o 71 % had designated offices for student Veteran services, o 68% had organizations or clubs for student Veterans, and o 47% had a student Veteran lounge. • The current review identified 1 exemplar of a collaborative campus effort across the Academic and Student Affairs Divisions offering designated campus spaces for Veterans. |
5. Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for Veterans. | • As of 2012 and the current review, all higher education institutions serving Veterans relied on collaborations with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to identify and support Veterans. • The current review identified 3 national and 1 statewide campus community initiative to support student Veterans’ success and retention (VSOC, The Mission Continues, SVA, Join Forces Illinois). |
6. Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on Veterans, including demographics, retention, and degree completion. | • As of 2012 and the current review, a standardized system for tracking the progress of military students is lacking for institutions of higher education. o Only about 25% of the institutions across the United States had a comprehensive understanding of the reasons behind student Veterans’ drop-out.46 o The current review identified 1 national effort (2017 NVEST) to examine the academic outcomes of student Veterans (N = 853,111), revealing that the majority graduated at a rate comparable to that of other non-traditional students.44 |
7. Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to Veterans. | • As of 2012, more than 45% of institutions surveyed nationally provided professional development for faculty, and more than 60% provided professional development for staff.20 • • The current review identified 1 exemplar of an interactive training program for faculty and staff on topics such as Veteran-specific campus resources, educational benefits, military culture, and TBI and PTSD.48 |
8. Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for Veterans. | • As of 2016, 3 national grant programs were implemented by the U.S. Department of Education to ensure student Veteran success: o VUB o EOC o CEVSS. • The current review identified 3 exemplars of coordinated systems at universities that ensure and monitor sustainability of effective practices. • Further research is sorely needed to evaluate effectiveness of Veteran-specific campus programming. |
Note: VSOC = VetSuccess on Campus; SVA = Student Veterans of America; NVEST = National Veteran Education Success Tracker; TBI = traumatic brain injury; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; VUB = Veterans Upward Bound; EOC = Educational Opportunity Centers; CEVSS = Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success.
DISCUSSION
References
REGISTRY AND REGISTRATION NO. OF THE STUDY/TRIAL
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Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 2021 7:1, 76-86