Operation Promise for Servicemembers

November 13-19, 2011 was  "Veterans' Education Awareness Week" Senators Allen and Beach Sponsor Senate Resolution 202 Proclamation by Governor Christie Veterans Fast Facts Choosing a School OCP Framework for Veterans' Success - Services to Look for On Campus

Completing the Mission:  A Pilot Study of Veteran Students' Progress Toward Degree Attainment in the Post 9/11 Era As the enrollment of military-affiliated students continue to surge at campuses across the country, OCP and the Arizona-based Pat Tillman Foundation released a paper reviewing their progress toward degree completion for a pilot population. The paper uses OCP's Graduation Probability Indices (GPI), a methodology developed in concert with campus officials and which include the following: Grade Point Average (GPA), credits earned compared to credits pursued, retention from semester to semester, and utilization of campus services.

Operation College Promise (OCP) originated as a web-based resource designed by NJASCU in July 2008 to centralize transition information for servicemembers on a user-friendly web portal. This effort, which was cited as a national model by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), led to the creation of a task force of veteran service providers from each of the nine campuses to research existing programs and services. These conversations helped mold the application and eventual receipt of the ACE/Wal-Mart Foundation "Success for Veterans" grant, one of only 20 in the nation.

The OCP application to ACE/Walmart paved the way for the program's success by identifying and highlighting existing veteran-friendly components as a blueprint for action. Assets among the nine institutions were synthesized to craft a more comprehensive effort to aid servicemembers in their transition to civilian life. ACE/Walmart funding permits OCP to develop and enhance "Promising Practices," even as they continue to evolve, for dissemination among New Jersey institutions and others across the nation. To date, OCP has hosted ten events, reaching more than 500 professionals in fifteen states with a 99 percent satisfaction rate among those surveyed. In October 2010, OCP was asked to testify before the New Jersey Legislature on its innovative offerings and was awarded a Senate Resolution for its efforts on behalf of veterans and servicemembers.

Recent projects include the development of the nation's first resource manual for service providers (The OCP Field Guide) as well as the first Certificate for Veterans' Service Providers program. "The OCP Field Guide" has been expanded to include national resources and will be distributed both electronically and in print. In addition, education offices at military installations across the globe will receive this publication through the support of Thomas Edison State College. The dynamic CVSP project, which has been offered twice in New Jersey, brings together the nation's most prominent expert for a 2-1/2 day workshop on building "environments for veterans' success," wherever they are being served.

In May 2011, the CVSP was offered in San Marcos, Texas, where registration for the workshop filled in 2 weeks. This inaugural presentation of the program was hosted by Texas State University and sponsored by Educational Testing Services. An employer-version is under development to assist the business community prepare for employees who are veterans or servicemembers.

OCP launched its Speaker Series in March 2011 with a screening of "Warrior Champions" at William Paterson University. This documentary chronicles the path of four Iraq war veterans in their quests to make the United States Paralympics Team. Both the directors and the featured athlete of the film were present for a question and answer period.  

OCP's outreach to servicemembers continues to include frequent participation in the New Jersey National Guard's mandatory "Yellow Ribbon" Post and Pre-deployment programming. The program was honored to be selected to contribute to activities supporting the return of members of both the 177th and 108th Wings of the New Jersey Air National Guard as well as the Pre-deployment programming for the 199th Corps Support Battalion of the New Jersey Army National Guard. OCP adopted the 199th for the 2010 holiday season and gathered a large quantity of supplies that will follow them to their destination in Iraq. Veterans and servicemembers access updated information on existing and emerging programs and services through the OCP website and monthly e-newsletter.

The nine NJASCU state institutions have established a solid foundation for incoming veterans that is attracting an influx of new student veterans in numbers even beyond expectations. The Operation College Promise (OCP) project currently supports more than 12,000 (12% of total student body) active-duty or veteran students, as well as dependents on NJASCU campuses. An August OCP survey revealed that, in one year, enrollment of military-affiliated students has increased by a median of 60%, with several institutions more than doubling this population. This project has also reached over 500 veterans service providers through live presentations and thousands more through electronic means. To date, direct outreach to servicemembers exceeds 4,000 live and thousands more electronically. Nearly every higher education institution has availed itself to OCP programming since its inception in 2008.

For more information on Operation College Promise, call 609-989-1100. 

“The New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities and its member presidents demonstrated insightful leadership in recognizing early on the need to prepare their campuses for the arrival of this latest generation of returning veterans.”
-James Selbe, Assistant Vice President - American Council on Education (ACE)