Here’s How SHU Helps Veterans Start Their Next Chapter

From financial aid assistance to career support, resources ease transition from military to civilian life

As with any student, military veterans are drawn to higher education for many reasons. They may want to enhance their knowledge and acquire new skills, work toward attaining other personal and professional goals, or tap the skills they learned in the military and use them in civilian life. Maybe, they have been out of the military for some time and are now ready for college and the educational benefits available to veterans.

Similarly, student veterans attend Sacred Heart University for varied reasons. At SHU, there are services and resources that help student veterans make the most of their college experience—from fostering social connections to assisting in the transition from military service to civilian work. Here are some examples:

Providing ways to connect

The Veterans Resource Center is in Hawley Lounge in SHU’s Academic Center. There, student veterans learn about academic resources, as well as other on- and off-campus services. Open year-round, there are spaces to study, meet fellow veterans, talk about experiences and grab a cup of coffee. The Veterans’ Student Association advocates on behalf of student veterans and helps others learn about life as a veteran.

Providing answers to questions

Since 2009, nearly 800,000 veterans and their families have received educational benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, totaling more than $12 billion, according to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department.

But there are other benefits available to student veterans. For questions about those opportunities, as well as eligibility, admissions, application and housing, SHU has several offices and departments to help veterans. Since 2016, Dawn Corica, an assistant registrar at SHU, has guided prospective or admitted student veterans to the answers they need. “They can have a lot of questions,” Corica said. “We get them started and help them the whole time they are here.”

If they need help with financial aid, they speak with Eric Moraniec, who, among other things, counsels undergraduate and graduate students with veteran benefits. Moraniec helps them to get the most out of their federal benefits and provides information on other financial aid through SHU and other programs. For instance, undergraduate students might be eligible for merit scholarships. “We help them to determine how to best use the VA funds, school funds and other benefits,” Moraniec said.

Veterans and military members can learn about the Yellow Ribbon Program, in which SHU proudly participates, that additionally helps with tuition and fee expenses. With the Yellow Ribbon Program, if the VA funds do not fully cover a year of tuition, the remaining costs will be covered halfway by the federal government and the other half by SHU. Although some schools cap access to this benefit, SHU does not place a limit on eligible students who can pursue this benefit.

Veterans Student Affairs also has a resource hub with information and connections to SHU staff and programs that help student veterans who are considering SHU or already here.

Providing support

The transition from military service to civilian life or college and university experience can bring on distinct challenges for veterans. They may be older than the traditional college student, have already started a family or have a job. Recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paints that picture: Most student veterans are ages 24 to 40, with only 15% the traditional age of college students and nearly half of student veterans have children and/or are married. Many are first-generation college students.

Student veterans could be juggling any number of challenges, including caring for children and family members or working a part- or full-time job. Given the constraints on their time, they may feel pressure or stress or may not have time to engage in university life and activities. At SHU, resources such as the SHU Counseling Center, are available to all full-time undergraduate veterans to help with successful transitions to and through their studies.

In addition, all full-time SHU graduate students, whether on-campus or in online degree programs can use Uwill, an online therapy resource. Licensed mental health professionals are available for one-on-one free sessions via video, phone, chat or message-based support.

Providing a map for the future

While veterans and service members typically have gained many valuable skills and real-life expertise in any number of professional areas, places such as SHU’s Center for Career & Professional Development, can help them to transition and transfer those skills to jobs and careers in the civilian workforce. Some of the services include providing career coaching, presenting programs and workshops on career readiness, and helping with the job and internship search process, such as interview preparation and LinkedIn assistance.

Specifically, center staff can assist veterans to identify those skills that could be applied to a new career path or identify organizations and businesses that specifically hire veterans. Student veterans at SHU also have access to Handshake, the online job bank and search website exclusively for Sacred Heart University students and alumni.

Veterans Day is observed every year on November 11. The Student Veterans’ Association will present a flag raising ceremony at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 11, 2024, at the flagpole at the William Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center.