High Eduction Center Invites Veterans to Open House
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that there are half a million or more Veterans cashing in on the Post-9/11 GI Bill nationwide. The Southern MD Higher Education Center is perfectly placed to serve Veterans eligible for this assistance, with ‘on-ground’ live college courses. SMHEC degrees are both graduate and undergraduate levels and at present there are many veterans enrolled at this magnet campus for higher education in California, MD at 44219 Airport Road, in Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees.
At this moment a new migration is under way from the military to the college campus. More than half a million veterans who served after September 11, 2001, were enrolled in college classes last year under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, research shows. Thousands more are expected in the next two years nationwide, with the return of approximately two million veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Optimism is running high that the successful transition of today’s veterans to higher educationand gainful employment to followwill help a nation nervous about the economy.
Today’s veterans at SMHEC vary greatly. Some have been to college before. Many haven’t. Some are married, with families; others are only a few years older than the “traditional” undergraduates. One experience they all share is having served in uniform during a period of extended military conflictalthough not all were in combat.
Federal unemployment statistics show that male and female veterans between 18 and 34 are at a greater risk for joblessness than their civilian peers. Female veterans, particularly are more likely to be single parents and therefore at higher risk of unemployment.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect in August 2009. Research on veterans at seven public institutions recently found that their retention rates and grade-point averages were higher, on average, than those of their peers. The Post 9/11 Bill’s broad scope is intended to ease veterans’ day-to-day concerns about paying for college and attending full time. A veteran who is eligible for the full allotment of benefits, can receive 36 months of tuition up to the cost of the most-expensive public college in the state. Many private institutions at SMHEC make up any difference with the VA’s ‘Yellow Ribbon’ Program. The 9/11 program also provides a housing allowance and a stipend for books.
Still beyond daily concerns of rent and textbooks are broader concerns of access. SMHEC has saved thousands of students from driving over 98 million miles during its 16 years of existence. Millions of hours of driving time and up to $13 million dollars for gasoline were also saved, and add to the benefits Veterans receive by attending classes at SMHEC.
A good step towards goals in education is to attend an SMHEC Open House, such as the one Thursday, March 22 from 4-7 p.m. For additional information call SMHEC at 301-737-2500, or visit the website at www.smhec.org.
Source: Southern Maryland Higher Education Center
