Overview for Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate LTC (ret) Andrew Griffin EdD Office of Military and Veteran Affairs

Office of Military and Veteran Affairs was established March 2010: - Currently serve (722): 671 with VA educational benefits and 51 with DOD TA - Recently transitioned from EMSA to Academic Affairs Service and support based on: (2012): AZ Senate Bill 1373, section : Arizona Veterans Supportive Campuses (2012): Executive Order Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members (2013): President Obama’s “8 Keys to Success” in serving student veterans (2013) Department of Defense Voluntary Education Memorandum of Understanding American Council on Education (ACE) Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions 2 Overview for the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate

Other Key Components: Yellow Ribbon Program Military and Veteran Student Center Chapter of the Student Veterans of America Student Veteran Transition Course Current Initiatives: (1)Supporting Scottsdale and Coconino Community Colleges in becoming AZ VSC certified (2)New Veteran Resource Center (VRC) for the Franke College of Business (3)Formal peer mentor certification program (4)Coconino County Veteran Court support through an academic internship for student vets who are CJ majors (5)Writing and research workshops through the Interdisciplinary Writing Program (6)Education and training of leadership, faculty, staff, and student body regarding the student veteran on our campuses 3 Overview for the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate

Ten things you should know about today’s student veterans: 1.One of our greatest untapped resources, a highly diverse group 2.They can feel very uncomfortable on campus 3.They need and deserve our understanding, compassion, and respect 4.Combat trauma is an injury, not an illness (TBI/PTSD) 5.Not all have TBI/PTSD 6.They are often unaware of their own mild injury 7.They do not see themselves as victims 8.They often want to return to war 9.Female vets suffer deeply, almost always in silence 10. Three things you should never ask a vet 4 Overview for the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate