Contact Info
Operation College Promise
NJ Association of State Colleges & Universities (NJASCU)
150 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Email: info@operationcollegepromise.com
Phone: (609) 989-1100
Fax: (609) 989-7017
|
There's a Huge Market in Online Education for Veterans
Marketplace Morning Report
The king of college rankings is adding a new list to its empire. U.S. News & World Report is out today with its first-ever ranking of online programs for military veterans. With billions of dollars in college aid up for grabs, educating veterans is big business. Read full story, here.
Short-Term Fix Could Help Vets, But Will it Solve the Backlog Problem? Lawmakers remain skeptical that the Department of Veterans Affairs' new short-term fix to tackle the massive claims backlog will ultimately solve the problem.
But, at least for now, they're pleased that veterans will start getting some money. Read full article, here. |
| Following Complaints, Hagel Orders Review of Distinguished Warfare Medal Stars & Stripes March 12, 2013 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a review of the new Distinguished Warfare Medal, a surprising reversal from the Pentagon's insistence that the criticism surrounding the award would not change its future. Read story, here. |
GI Bill Offers Military Children Relief from College Costs The Chronicle of Higher Education February 25, 2013 As a new GI Bill moved through Congress in 2008, a handful of influential politicians grew concerned. Would such a generous education program trigger an exodus of service members during two wars? Read full story, here. |
| Women in Combat - Pentagon Lifts Ban on Front-Line Roles Trentonian January 24, 2013 The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday. Read full article, here. |
| Pentagon is Set to Lift Combat Ban for Women The New York Times January 23, 2013 Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is lifting the military's official ban on women in combat, which will open up hundreds of thousands of additional front-line jobs to them, senior defense officials said Wednesday. Read full story, here. |
| U.S. Military's Suicide Rate Surpassed Combat Deaths in 2012 www.NPR.org January 14, 2013 The number of suicide deaths in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year -- more than the 295 Americans who died fighting in Afghanistan in 2012. Read full article, here. |
| As GI Bill Expands, So Do Calls for Tracking Veterans' Academic Success The Chronicle of Higher Education December 12, 2012 Statistics show that more than 62,000 veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill have graduated from about 2,000 institutions, said Curtis L. Coy of the Department of Veterans Affairs. But, he said, those numbers are "practically meaningless" because the reflect only a fraction of the 6,000 institutions nationally where veterans have enrolled on the GI Bill since the program took effect, in 2009. Read story, here. |
| DoD Releases Revised Tuition Assistance Memo
American Council on Education December 10, 2012 The Department of Defense (DoD) on Thursday announced the release of the long-awaited memorandum of understanding (MOU) colleges and universities must sign to participate in DoD's Tuition Assistance program. Read full article here. |
| Vets Flock to Colleges ... But How Are They Doing? NPR December 5, 2012 Record number of veterans are returning home from war and heading to college. The biggest draw: the generous benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which in three short years has helped 860,000 vets go to school. But there's still little known about how these students are doing. Read full story, here. |
| Conference to Focus on Serving the Influx of Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life
Press Release - November 28, 2012
More than 75 veterans' service professionals from a variety of agencies and a dozen states arrived today at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio for the Certificate for Veterans' Service Providers (CVSP) program. Read full story, here. |
| Operation College Promise (OCP) Supports Bipartisan Assembly Initiative Establishing Annual "Veterans Education Awareness Week"
The Paramus Post November 19, 2012 Operation College Promise (OCP) announced today its support for Assembly Joint Resolution 25, establishing the second full week of each November as "Veterans Education Awareness Week." Read full story, here. |
| New Report on Military Student Borrowers
Inside Higher Education Libby A. Nelson October 19, 2012 Many members of the military with student loans are missing out on important benefits, in part because loan servicers aren't giving them accurate information, according to a report released Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dealing with how student debt is handled for active-duty members of the military. Those in service are eligible both for benefits available to all Americans with federal loans, such as income-based student loan repayment, as well as some benefits available just to them, like military deferments, post-active duty deferments and an interest rate-cap while on active duty. Read story, here. |
| Operation College Promise Adopts Interactive Faculty
Training to Help Support Student Veterans Paramus Post Mel Fabrikant October 18, 2012 In an effort to continue providing the highest standards of support for veterans transitioning to higher education, Operation College Promise has launched a new online training program, designed by Kognito Interactive, to aid educators in recognizing the unique challenges affecting student veterans on campus. The program instructs educators how to refer a student veteran to appropriate support services, handle a classroom discussion on veteran-sensitive topics, and spot signs of psychological distress and PTSD in student veterans while motivating them to seek appropriate help. Operation College Promise is launching this program with: Montclair State University, Thomas Edison State College, William Paterson University, the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and the University of New Mexico. Read story, here. |
|
Early Detection for Brain Injuries The New York Times Anne Eisenberg August 25, 2012 Football teams of the future -- even high school squads on limited budgets -- may someday have a new tool to check players for brain injuries. It's a special form of headgear, packed with sensors that read the brain waves of athletes after they come off the field, thus detecting changes caused by the trauma of hard knocks. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Higher Education Groups Request Clarification on Service Member, Veterans Education Principles of Excellence American Council on Education June 25, 2012 The American Council on Education (ACE) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), along with 11 other higher education associations, have asked the Obama administration to clarify certain provisions in the recent executive order on service member and veterans education. The executive order directs the departments of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA) and Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to establish "Principles of Excellence to strengthen oversight, enforcement, and accountability" of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD's military tuition assistance program. Read full story, here. |
|
|
|
|
| After Service, Veterans Go on to College
USA Today May 29, 2012 If his door is open, you can bet student veterans are spilling out of Eric Glaude's office at Borough of Manhattan Community College. On most days, it's standing-room only because his broom closet of an office has become the de facto command central for student veterans. Space has been at a premium since Sept. 11, 2001, when the school's Fiterman Hall was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center. Add to that a mushrooming student population. More than 400 veterans were enrolled last year, up from 157 in 2009, when Glaude, a disabled Vietnam War-era veteran, was hired to help former servicemembers make the transition from combat to college. Although the benefits enable them to go to college, some veterans say it's the camaraderie and support they get on campus that determines whether they finish. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Brain Ailments in Veterans Likened to Those in Athletes New York Times May 16, 2012 Scientists who have studied a degenerative brain disease in athletes have found the same condition in combat veterans exposed to roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, concluding that such explosions injure the brain in ways strikingly similar to tackles and punches. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| We Can't Wait: President Obama Takes Action to Stop Deceptive and Misleading Practices by Educational Institutions
that Target Veterans, Service Members and their Families The White House Office of the Press Secretary April 26, 2012 On Friday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America's service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. We have a sacred trust with those who serve and protect our nation. It's a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end. That's why President Obama is committed to ensuring veterans and service members have the chance to get a college education and can find work when they return from service. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Operation College Promise Recognized by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve ESGR Press Release - April 20, 2012 Operation College Promise (OCP) recently signed a Statement of Support for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). OCP pledges to continually recognize and advocate support of our National Guard and Reserve members and their families in peace, crisis, and war. Read full release, here. |
|
|
| Bill Sponsored by Hoboken Assemblyman to Help 9/11 Veterans Become Teachers Signed into Law
Jersey Journal - April 10, 2012 A bill sponsored by Hoboken Assemblyman Ruben J. Ramos and four other Assembly Democrats meant to help 9/11 veterans find employment through an expedited teacher program was signed into law last week. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Veterans Battle PTSD Stigma - Even if they don't have it
TODAY Health - April 10, 2012 Nearly half of employers - 46 percent - said PTSD or other mental health issues were challenges in hiring employees with military experience, according to a 2010 Society of Human Resource Management survey. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Effort to Help Military Vets Becomes Law in New Jersey Trentonian - April 7, 2012 A pilot program to assist post-9/11 veterans transition into teaching careers was signed into law this week. The legislation creates a 36-month teach preparation pilot program at Richard Stockton College for veterans who served in the armed forces on or after September 11, 2001. Read full story, here. |
|
|
| Bill to Streamline Teaching Certification for Veterans Signed Today by Acting Governor Guadagno
The Paramus Post - April 6, 2012 VETeach Pilot to be housed at Stockton College - Legislation establishing the nation's first condensed teaching certification program designed specifically for a veteran cohort was signed today by Acting Governor Kim Guadagno. The program was initiated through legislation sponsored by Senator James Whelan D-Atlantic and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey D-Essex. The VETeach pilot will be housed at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and is slated to launch in September 2012. Read full story here. |
|
|
| From One Service to Another
MAE 2012 Volume 7 Issue 3 April 2012 Finding a job in this economic environment can be a challenge for anyone. For the servicemember retiring from active duty, the challenge is especially daunting as they may not know which civilian career path fits them. This concern may be compounded by statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor reporting that the unemployment rate for veterans who served since September 11, 2001, was 11.5 percent in 2010. So what do to? For those who are considering becoming teachers, there is fortunately quite a lot of information and assistance available. Read story, here. |
|
|
| Richard Stockton College Recruiting Veterans for Teacher-Training Program
Atlantic City Press - April 5, 2012 Military veterans who would like to become teachers are being recruited for a program at Richard Stockton College. Learn more, here. |
|
|
| First Lady Michelle Obama & Dr. Jill Biden to Celebrate First Anniversary of Joining Forces Office of First Lady Press Release - April 4, 2012 On April 11, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will kick off a two-day tour celebrating the first anniversary of Joining Forces, their initiative to recognize, honor and serve military families. Read full story, here. |
Other Articles of Interest
Military Bonds Draw Veterans to Mental Health Jobs - CNN, In America - August 8, 2012
A Grueling Course for Training Marine Officers Will Open Its Doors to Women - New York Times, July 8, 2012
Agency Confronts Hurdles in Helping Veterans Match Military Skills to Civilian Jobs - New York Times, July 2, 2012
WWII Veteran Receives Just Rewards After 67 Years - NJJN News - Vol. XV, No. 1, June 2012
State, Prudential Financial Team Up to Link Employers to New Jersey Veterans - New Jersey Newsroom, April 3, 2012
News Archives Looking for an article that appeared on our website or in a previous issue of the OCP Newsletter? Check out our Archives Page