When active or former members of the military and their families look for pathways to continue or expand their education, a wide array of colleges and universities offer extensive services to help them maximize their military benefits and find programs that align with their career objectives.
Nearly every postsecondary institution in the state maintains a veterans or military student services office whose core functions include benefits certification, academic advising tailored to veterans and referrals to campus or community resources to support veterans, military personnel, and their families.
The Iowa Department of Education helps ensure that programs and services offered to Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries comply with eligibility requirements for VA benefits and engages in regular conversations with community colleges to streamline benefits and services to VA beneficiaries at the state level.
“One of our goals as the Iowa State Approving Agency (IA-SAA) is to ensure that Veterans and their families have access to quality education in order to best leverage their GI Bill® benefits and to support the staff who serve those students,” said Iowa Department of Education Education Program Consultant Jathan Chicoine.
Recently, Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) has excelled in this area and was named one of the top Veteran Friendly Yellow Ribbon Schools by U.S. Veterans Magazine. DMACC was the only two-year institution in Iowa to garner the honor, which highlights institutions committed to empowering veterans with the tools, support and opportunities needed to succeed.
DMACC's recognition is due in part to the incredible efforts of its Veterans Services Coordinator, Don Enright. Enright served in the Iowa National Guard for 22 years, including 14 years of full-time service, and held the position of education officer for the Iowa National Guard.
Following his retirement Enright joined the staff at DMACC, where he has served in his current capacity for almost 15 years.
"Having a full-time individual who is solely focused on veterans services is critical to the success of a larger college," Enright said. "A majority of veterans who attend college don't know how to apply for or receive their education benefits. Having someone on campus who understands VA education benefits empowers veterans to pursue higher education and improve their lives."
Enright feels that having a veteran in that role is also key to any veterans services offered by colleges. The shared background, language, mindset and camaraderie of veterans enable a coordinator with that background to more effectively aid veterans in receiving the services they need and navigating the various levels of federal and state government that provide those services and benefits.
Guidance in maximizing those benefits is one of the many services Enright offers at DMACC as the institution adheres to the Principles of Excellence issued in 2012 by Executive Order 13607. In addition to those principles, DMACC also offers extensive tutoring, counseling and disability accommodations to veterans.
While these supports aim to enrich veterans and their communities as they pursue the next chapters in their lives, Enright acknowledges that having a strong and vibrant community of veterans on campus and in the classroom benefits all students and DMACC as a whole.
DMACC currently offers more than 60 degree programs and 100 certificate or diploma programs that are eligible for VA education benefits. This fall, more than 330 veterans, National Guard members and reservists and eligible family members enrolled at DMACC using VA education benefits.
"Having veterans in classrooms with other students brings a great mix of ideas and experience," Enright said. "If they can impart some wisdom on somebody and kind of open their eyes to different perspectives, I think that's a fantastic thing."
While DMACC's size and resources may enable it to reach veteran populations more effectively, Enright hopes it can serve as a model for institutions of all sizes to meet the needs of veterans in their communities and encourages those colleges to collectively brainstorm with DMACC and other larger programs to facilitate the needs of veterans across the state.
"Veterans are coming to college to pursue a degree, which is going to make them more employable, which is going to improve their life, which is going to make them a better member of the community, put money back into the community and keep them in Iowa."