Operation College Promise is funded in part through a grant from the American Council on Education & the Wal-Mart Foundation

Operation College Promise

A NJ Association of State Colleges & Universities Initiative

150 West State Street

Trenton, New Jersey 08608

609-989-1100

Director of Programs and Policy Analysis – Wendy Lang
Text Box: Hold the Date!! The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill Progress, Potential and Pitfalls ... What you Need to Know A free statewide conference on providing access to higher education for veterans and servicemembers in the 21st century November 10, 2009 8:00 a.m.—12:00 noon Kean University—Kean Hall, Room 127 Register now! To learn more, click on postcard below, or click here. Text Box: Student Veterans and Supporters: August was a busy month for the Operation College Promise (OCP) project. All nine member institutions headed south to attend the largest military job fair in state history — the “Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program” at the Atlantic City Convention Center on August 15, 2009. Along with more than 100 potential employers and support-services providers, OCP spent the two-days welcoming the members of the 50th Infantry Combat Battalion home and distributing information to them on the project and transitional services available. Hats off to our partners at the G.I. Go Fund for their role in organizing this historical event. OCP also launched a pilot grassroots effort during the month to spread the word in communities with large veteran populations. Dubbed Operation College Promise, Main Street, the program partnered with the City of Burlington to provide outreach in the community during the popular “Festival of Lights” weekend in the Downtown. Despite the inclement weather, local eateries including “Sticky Bunns” bakery and “Birches” restaurant, as well as the on-site 101.5 prize van, partnered in promotional events designed to increase awareness of available resources for servicemembers. Thanks to all! August also marked the first designation of “Military-Friendly Schools” by G.I. Jobs Magazine. The selected schools, including Kean University, Montclair State University and Thomas Edison State College, are ranked in the top 15% of surveyed colleges in the nation. This national recognition of the state colleges’ efforts is a sign of success, according to Dr. Susan A. Cole, President of Montclair State University, stating, “Montclair State University has been an academic home for returning veterans. We value their perspective and the contribution they make to our University.” Dr. George Pruitt, President of Thomas Edison State College agreed, adding, “This is an honor for us in an area where we aim to excel.” Thomas Edison State College is widely recognized for providing wide-ranging programs tailored to the needs of U.S. military and veterans for 30 years. The G.I. Jobs announcement followed an extensive multi-year research project considering such factors as acceptance of credit for military service, access to flexible learning options, veteran programs and veteran student population. “We are very proud to receive this honor as it recognizes Kean University’s long-standing commitment to the men and women who have served our nation,” said Dr. Dawood Farahi, President of Kean University, which has had a continuous Office of Veterans Affairs for over 40 years. Coming Next Month ... Wrap-Up of the September Statewide Conference

National News

 

Secretary Shinseki Announces Ability to Sign Up for Emergency Education Benefit Payments on VA Web-Site—Vans to Help Veteran-Students (September 30, 2009)

 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki today announced further outreach to veteran-students eligible for a special emergency payment of their education benefits.  Learn more here.

 

New Report Suggests New GI Bill Will Lead to More Full-Time, Full-Year Enrollments and Attendance at Public Four-Year Institutions (ACE.net, August 27, 2009)

A new report suggests that future military undergraduates (defined as veterans and military service members on active duty or in the reserves who are pursuing undergraduate education) may be more likely to enroll full-time for the full academic year and may be more likely to matriculate at four-year public institutions than past military undergraduates.  Read more, here.

 

 

New Jersey News

 

For Veterans in a Bind, Civilian Group Moves to the Front Line with Help (Star Ledger, August 24, 2009)  Read more, here.

 

Returned N.J. Troops Get Support from Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (NJ.com, August 17, 2009)

There was advice and counseling provided at Fort Dix by family support groups and the Veterans Administration, but nothing like the $3 million effort being done by the New Jersey Army National Guard to ease the transition of the 2,800 troops that returned home in June.  Today thousands of soldiers and family members gathered in their units at the Atlantic City Convention center as part of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, a national initiative that consists of a series of mandatory meetings for Army National Guard and Reserve troops and families.  Read more, here.

 

NJ Universities, Colleges Preparing for Influx of Veterans on New GI Bill (Star Ledger, August 4, 2009)

New Jersey colleges and universities are ramping up their efforts to receive an expected influx of veterans as a result of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  Read more, here.

 

 

On Campus

 

From Combat to the Classroom (Record, September 15, 2009)

New Jersey’s colleges and universities are seeing a surge of veterans in their classrooms this fall thanks to a new, more generous GI Bill.  Read more, here.

 

At 92, Passaic Resident Studies at Montclair State University—(NJ.com, September 13, 2009)

During the Great Depression, Harold Dinzes’ family lost their Brooklyn home and moved to New Jersey.  His parents could only afford to send one of their children to college.  They picked his sister, the “brains” of the family, as he puts it.  Now, at an age when most people are dead, Dinzes is getting his chance and has just begun his fifth year as an undergraduate at Montclair State University.  Read more, here.

 

Colleges Try to Help Vets Re-Adjust to Civilian Life (Press of Atlantic City, September 21, 2009)

Last year, Charles Kern, a three year Army veteran, juggled a 30-hour work week at Shore Toyota in Mays Landing to help pay his school fees at The Richard Stockton College of New jersey.  He also spent hours on the Internet tracking down information about his military benefits.  This year, the 23 year-old criminal justice major from Franklin Township, Gloucester County, will be able to spend more time on his studies, thanks to a federal G.I. Bill that went into effect in August.  The bill provides free or subsidized in-state tuition to service members who served after the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Veterans who served 36 months of active duty or were discharged with a service-connected disability get full tuition, $1,000 per semester for books and supplies and a housing stipend for full-time students.  Read more, here.