Today’s veterans face a variety of challenging issues and circumstances when returning to any type of academic setting. They must cope with various seemingly insurmountable obstacles and then navigate through or around them. Going it alone is not the way to go. Most veterans learned the value of teamwork in the military as it was essential for mission success. Likewise, veteran students are now being encouraged to look for the same team-support in the civilian and/or academic world.
At any post-secondary school, a strong and viable (successful) veteran student services program will not only effectively serve its military-affiliated students, but it will also be a tremendous asset to the entire surrounding community as well. Simply put: IT’S A WIN-WIN SITUATION. It’s been said that “it takes a village to raise a child”. Likewise, It can also be said “that it takes an entire community to create and support an effective system to serve its veteran student population”. Afterall, everyone benefits when unemployment rates are lower, fewer police calls are being made, domestic violence is reduced, mental health issues are addressed, and homelessness is eradicated.
A holistic approach is the only way to meet the complex needs of today’s veterans and veteran students. No individual school or agency is equipped to be everything to everyone. There is no single source of expertise, knowledge or assistance, all of which are necessary, when dealing with modern-day veteran students. It takes the combined effort of many. From housing and transportation issues to mental health and legal matters, many of today’s veteran students have multiple issues in play that impact and hinder their academic and vocational endeavors. Success in this arena often requires the expertise of many individuals, professionals and the services of numerous agencies to adequately meet all the various needs of just one single veteran student.
At Independence Community College, a designated Purple Heart College as well as a Military Friendly School, the unique Veteran Student Success Center offers a solution. All veteran students can have an entire team of dedicated personnel to assist them in dealing with any of the issues they are facing, regardless of the nature of those issues. Partnering with specific community agencies and other off-campus individuals along with their respective resources allows the college staff to ensure that any obstacle facing a veteran student is overcome. In many cases, the issue is eliminated entirely. Afterall, it is eliminating those barriers to college success that paves the road to a brighter and more productive future for the veteran student. While it is the driving force and overall mission of the ICC Veteran Student Success Center, it is the valuable partnerships and collaborations found within a supportive network of service providers that make it work - for the veteran and for the entire community.
For additional information, please contact:
Veteran Student Success Center at Independence Community College: call (620.332.5477), e-mail veteransuccess@indycc.edu, visit website at www.indycc.edu or stop by the veteran services office on the lower level of the Student Union Building.
Four County RSVP at Four County MH: call (620.332.1954), email kshepard@fourcounty.com or visit website at RSVPfourcounty.com
Community Access Center and HSH Homeless Ministry, Inc.: call (620.331.0956), email hshministry@gmail.com, or visit website at communityaccesscenter.net