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Reaching Out to Veterans
June 12, 2009
Members of the 137th Space Warning Squadron of the Greeley Air National Guard unit stationed at the Weld County Airport spruce up a flower bed on the UNC campus as part of a community outreach partnership between the two entities. Photo by Barry LaPoint
Amid the backdrop of new federal educational benefits and changes in Colorado’s residency requirements for U.S. military veterans, UNC is offering support to veterans and their families.
The new benefits program, known as the Post 9/11 GI Bill, goes into effect Aug. 1. It gives veterans who meet service requirements thousands of dollars more than they qualified for under the 1944 Montgomery GI Bill, which will continue as an alternative for many vets.
In addition, a new state law effective Aug. 5 exempts veterans living in Colorado from a 12-month residency requirement to qualify for in-state tuition.
Although it’s too soon to tell how the enhanced benefits program and changes in residency requirements will impact enrollments by veterans or their dependents, several initiatives to make UNC more veteran-friendly are being spearheaded by UNC’s Office of Enrollment Management and Student Access, including:
- Development of a veteran-friendly Web site that encourages higher education, provides easy-to-navigate tools for entry or re-entry to higher education and special visit dates for veterans and their families.
- Sponsorship of a webinar for faculty and staff about supporting veterans’ reintegration into civilian life by creating a veteran-friendly campus.
- Participation in the Post 9/11 GI bill’s Yellow Ribbon Program, a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and educational institutions to share the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition costs or higher graduate-level tuition costs for eligible veterans.
- Membership in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium, a collection of more than 1,800 colleges and universities that provide educational opportunities for service members and their families.
- Establishment of a relationship with the Greeley Air National Guard unit stationed at the Weld County Airport.
- The University Center, along with Student Activities and other campus groups, will host a welcome reception for veterans, non-traditional, commuter, and transfer students, 4-6 p.m. Sept. 2, in the University Center Ballrooms.
In addition, UNC Financial Aid Counselor Carlos Barrientos will attend a training session about the new GI bill next month. Barrientos, who used GI educational benefits after being discharged from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1998, is described by Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Access Tobias Guzman as the "go-to" person for GI Bill and veteran queries. He works with about 200 students currently using veterans’ educational benefits to attend UNC.
"The new GI bill is definitely a good thing for many veterans and a great way to thank them for their service to their country," Barrientos said. "I’m confident UNC will be able to respond to their needs as they make the transition from military to civilian life as students here."
For more information about the new veterans’ educational assistance bill, visit http://www.gibill.va.gov/. For specific UNC information, visit http://www.unco.edu/ofa/vets/.
- Gary Dutmers
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