MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- California schools are streamlining enrollment both financially and socially for the state's veterans as part of the Troops to College initiative. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger developed the California Veteran's Education Opportunity Partnership, also known as Troops to College.
The initiative combines the efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Secretary of Education, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and military installations throughout California to help active and veteran service members file paperwork, access funding and reduce the stress of navigating the collegiate system.
Sifting through forms and visiting countless offices might overwhelm some people, but military members have the added assignment of accessing their Montgomery GI Bill and other funding they may have, not including the adjustment to life after the military.
Michelle K. Orrock, Deputy Secretary of Communications for the Office of the Secretary of Education said that the initiative has caused schools to implement some new ideas to supplement their enrollment of veterans.
"We have seen increased communication between schools, veterans and the military to address issues that can be improved in order to streamline the process," said Orrock.
Community enrichment and tuition dollars are incentives for schools to enroll veterans, but there is also a military-friendly state government supporting the project.
"I think the biggest thing is that California and the Governor have made their intention clear: make sure that we give quality assistance to active duty and veteran members," said Orrock, who works in Sacramento.
Many of the state's higher learning institutions are stepping up their efforts to match the initiative. California State University is the country's largest university with 23 campuses and more than 417,000 students.
"Each campus now has a central point of contact to guide veterans through the process. In addition, each campus has updated their websites to include important information for active duty personnel and veterans," said Carolina Cardenas, with the Office of the Chancellor at California State University. "We have instituted monthly conference calls between all 23 of our campuses to identify up-coming issues, and for our office to relay updates that impact us on a state-wide level."
One of the first things CSU did was assemble campus teams to generate conversion about some of the key issues students face, to include credit for military service and other training explained Cardenas.
"We have started to look at how we evaluate the transferability of credit, so there may be some executive orders providing guidelines for our campuses on this issue in the near future," said Cardenas, a resident of Escondido.
Though the Troops to College initiative has state-wide participation, local schools have already made an impact as Katherine Khaskin, the Financial Aid and Veterans Advisor at Palomar College in San Marcos explained.
"Palomar College credit members one year of California residency after their [end of active service], which is a big break for the veteran," said Khaskin, also a veteran, who knows firsthand how confusing the enrollment process can be. "Some of our disabled veterans receive assistance by having books, parking permits and even tuition paid for by the Vocational Rehabilitation Program," said Khaskin.
Both state-wide and locally, schools are moving in the direction the Governor suggested in his March 22 press conference discussing the initiative.
"The men and women of our armed forces put their lives on the line to protect us, to protect our country, our state, and our freedom. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service and we should do everything we can to honor them when their time of service has ended," said Schwarzenegger.
For more information on education, contact the Joint Education Center at 760-725-6660.