Education of Military Soars With New GI Bill
Veteran Benefit Popular for University, College Education
Aug 25, 2009
Many veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are taking up the government offer of free tuition and hope for a brighter future in return.
American military veterans receive full tuition at any public institution where he or she lives or the equivalent of in-state tuition if the veteran enrolls in a private university or college. The GI bill also provides funding for books, housing and tutors.
In addition, service members on active or selected reserve as of August 1, 2009, who have completed six years on duty and commit to four more, can transfer the higher education benefit to a spouse and children.
Army, Military Education Furthered Under New GI Bill
Samuel Crist was injured on the streets of Fallujah in Iraq during the war. He told USA Today, in a May 18, 2009 article, that he used the GI bill benefit to earn a degree at Dartmouth College, studying Arabic and Middle Eastern history.
Gene Harper is another veteran taking up the VA benefit. He served two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps and when he returned home, after a month of working as a network engineer, quit his job to become a pre-med student at the University of Houston.
He told The Houston Chronicle, in a July 29, 2009 article, that he was inspired by trauma surgeons who treated him in Iraq when he was injured from an ambush.
Don Gomez is another veteran taking advantage of the new GI Bill. He told the Christian Science Monitor that he is completing a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern studies at City College of New York.
Veterans Education Boosted With New Military Benefit
At George Mason University, senior student Jon Zapien, is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. On a July 2009 show on National Public Radio, he and Craig Westman, who champions enrollment efforts at the University of Texas at El Paso, said that the new GI bill will help veterans.
Craig Westman is recruiting students to the University of Texas at El Paso by promoting the new GI bill veteran benefits to service people at a nearby military base.
Some universities and colleges are leveraging the new GI to offer creative solutions to veterans who want to earn a degree.
GI Bill Benefits Offer Opportunity for Universities to Recruit Veterans
For example, Mississippi State University offers an innovative program that allows soldiers to receive education even before returning to civilian life as a veteran.
Mississippi State launched a distance learning program that gives the state’s National Guard members a chance to study for a masters in business administration degree at a reduced cost. Soldiers who become business students can have access to professors and submit assignments online.
Examples of veterans using the GI bill benefits to further a military education and prepare for life as a civilian demonstrate the value of this program as a benefit to former military personnel.
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