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Running Head: CASE STUDY: STUDENT VETERAN Tucker 1 Case study: Student veteran experiences with academic advisors Megan H. L. Tucker EDRS 797

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Running Head: CASE STUDY: STUDENT VETERAN Tucker 1

Case study: Student veteran experiences with academic advisors

Megan H. L. Tucker

EDRS 797

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CASE STUDY: STUDENT VETERAN Tucker 2

Abstract

This case study examines interactions that college student veterans have with their academic

advisors. Offering the proper guidance and support may be crucial to these students’ success and

timely completion of their degrees in accordance to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. In-depth, face-to-face

interviews were conducted with three student veteran participants. Initial findings did not support

the established research questions, so the research questions were updated, and follow-up

interviews were conducted. A critique of the methodology and the findings are included.

Implications for future research are discussed.

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Case study: Student veteran experiences with academic advisors

A burgeoning area of research is that of veterans who return to from war and attend

college using their benefits from the G.I. Bill (Ruman & Hamrick, 2010). These students are a

unique group of nontraditionals who often have different needs from that of a traditional four-

year residential college student. When the needs of these veteran students are not met, they

become a marginalized group. Offering the proper guidance and support may be crucial to these

students’ success and timely completion of their degrees in accordance to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Thus, a greater understanding of the communication disconnects between veterans and those

individuals who are tasked to advise these students is paramount.

There is a rich history of war veterans returning home and enrolling in colleges and

universities around the nation, tracing it’s roots back to the implementation of the G.I. Bill by

President Roosevelt in 1944 (Mettler, 2005). The G.I. Bill was put in place following World

War II in an effort to stimulate the economy, and serve as an outlet for veterans to assimilate

back into a post-war society (Mettler, 2005). By 1949, over 2 million veterans attended college

under the Montgomery G.I. Bill (Bound & Turner, 2002). However, following the September

11th attacks on the United States, the Montgomery G.I. Bill was updated and replaced with the

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (G.I. Bill.com, 2011). According to “The new G.I. Bill: Auspicious

beginnings” (2011) the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits include 36 months of education. Tuition and

fees are paid by the VA directly to the student’s school up to a predetermined amount, a monthly

housing allowance is offered based on school location, and a book stipend is available of up to

$1,000 per academic year (G.I.Bill.com, 2011).

When the new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill took effect in 2009, colleges and universities prepared

for an influx of veteran students (Herrmann, 2009). Higher education institutions were

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concerned that they would be unprepared to meet the needs of this specialized group of students.

Thus many colleges and universities put special services in place to aid veterans in the transition

from war to the classroom (Herrmann, 2009). However, some concern rests in veteran students’

completion of degree requirements based on the G.I. Bill, and meeting academic needs (Rumann

& Hamrick, 2010). Rumann and Hamrick (2010) found that some students had

interruptions of two to four consecutive semesters between departure and

re-enrollment, and time to degree conferral was extended even more for

those who had to wait to take infrequently offered courses or had been

deployed between sequenced courses. These interruptions in enrollment and

miscommunications about course offerings may lead to issues in graduation

eligibility or an increased level of stress experienced by these veterans.

Some research has begun to emerge addressing the challenges associated with meeting

veteran students’ academic requirements and student service needs (Brown & Gross, 2011;

Zinger & Cohen, 2010). However, there is fewer research in which veteran students are directly

questioned about concerns surrounding their academic and advising needs (Ackerman et al.,

2009). Much of the literature centers on veteran transitions to the classroom and their choice of

major (Ackerman, DiRamio & Mitchell, 2009; Lipka, 2009). This literature is focused on

policymakers and program coordinators offering special student services for veterans as they

enter college for the first time (Ackerman et al, 2009). Another focus on vetearn students

physical needs on college campuses (Branker, 2009). Branker (2009) notes that many war

veterans who return home have certain disabilities which may make their undergraduate

environments difficult to navigate. A connection between the transitional and physical needs of

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veteran students lie in college-run organizations aimed at these students (Moon & Schma, 2011;

Student Aid News, 2009; Whikehart, 2010).

The effectiveness of academic advising for veteran students may hold profound influence

over the long-term decisions that these students make, and may affect graduation rates. There is

great concern over the treatment of veteran students as a unique group with specialized needs

from college faculty, student services and administration. Administrators and college officials

have been researching ways in which to help incorporate these veterans into the student body,

and offer them academic support in their new roles as students. Disseminating vital information

to veteran students is key in these students taking the right steps in completing their coursework

well within the confines of the G.I. Bill. The purpose of this research then is to understand

issues and challenges student veterans face when communicating and working with their college

advisors. The specific research questions in this case study explore:

RQ1: What challenges do student veterans face when working with college advisors?

RQ2: How might student veterans and advisors best work together in order to meet the

students’ academic needs?

Methodology

The methodological basis of this study rests with discovering student veterans’ concerns

with academic advising and voicing thoughts on possible changes to be made in order to meet

their academic needs. The research questions of the study are based on perceptions and needs;

thus an interview format is utilized. The research follows a phenominological perspective in that

I am interested in understanding the students’ perspectives surrouding their concerns with

advising needs being met. Phenomenological research is subjective to experiences involving

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emotions, perceptions and judgements (Husserl & Gibson, 1962). All interpretations and

meanings made by the student veterans are subjective to their circumstance and personal

experiences.

Conceptual Framework

The focus of this research is on veteran students’ personal experiences with their

academic advisors throughout their college career. Instead of concentrating on policymakers and

administrators in academia, this study remains student-centric. The rationale of the research is to

explore areas in which advisors are not meeting student needs, as well as areas in which advisors

excel. Thus the interest in this research rests with discovering student veterans experiences and

subsequent concerns with academic advising as well as voicing thoughts on possible changes to

be made in order to meet their academic needs. Due to this interest, a case study methodology is

implemented (Merriam, 2009; Merriam, 1988; Stake, 1988; Yin, 1984).

There are a plethora of reasons to utilize case study as a methodological choice. Merriam

(2009) explains the strengths of case study in that they offer a means of investigating complex

social units which consist of multiple variables of potential importance. These variables may add

to the understanding of a phenomenon (Merriam, 2009). Merriam (2009) notes that case studies

are anchored in real-life situations which allow for a rich, more holistic account of the

phenomenon that is being analyzed. Yin (2009) reflects this statement by adding that a case

study methodology allows investigators to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics true

events. Stake (1995) suggests that case study focuses on the complexity of a single case, in order

to understand its “activity within important circumstances” (p. xi). This study utilizes the case

study method because the research focus is on how veteran students and advisors work together

and what challenges they face. The core importance of this research is in finding ways to best

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communicate with advisors and veteran students to ensure academic success and compliance

with the G.I. Bill. Thus, the case of veteran students is vital to the circumstances surrounding

effective advising.

As Merriam (2009) and Stake (1995) define case study research by its development from

in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system. In a case the “bounded system” is a

single entity around which there are boundaries (Merriam, 2009). Thus, in this case, the bounded

system is the veteran student. The unity of analysis, which characterizes the case study, are the

veteran students’ interactions with their academic advisors (Merriam, 2009). These interactions

are specific to each veteran and their sole experiences with advisors.

There are a varitey of types of qualitative case studies. (Merriam, 2009; Stake 1995).

Merriam (2009) notes that it may be useful to differentiate case studies according to types or

functions. The first two types are historical and observational (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Merriam,

2009). Bogdan and Biklen (2007) define historical case studies as a study of the development of

an organization over time, and observational case studies as those wherein participant

observation is central. Stake (1995) lists three other types of case studies: intrinsic, instrumental

and collective. Intrinsic case studies are used when the researcher is interested in the case iteself

(Merriam, 2009). Instrumental case studies on the other hand see the case as secondary to

understanding something else (Merriam, 2009). Finally Stake (1995) describes collective case

studies, also referred to as multiple case studies, as those used when a number of cases are

studied to explore a phenomenon, population or condition (as cited in Merriam, 2009).

Because the research questions are issue-driven and seek further insight, this research can

be categorized as an instrumental case study (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 1995). Stake (1995) defines

an instrumental case study as one that is examined in order to provide further insight into an

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issue or to redraw generalizations (as cited in Merriam, 2009). Merriam (2009) and Stake (1995)

explain that instrumental case studies focus on understanding something else involving the case,

but not directly the case itself. So in this research the focus is on the interactions between veteran

student and advisor, and not the veteran students themselves. As such, the research questions in

this study are developed from an etic perspective, in that they are developed from prior literature

about veteran students interations with advisors (Stake, 1995). The questions of what the

students’ interactions were and what changes they would like to see, are very research-centric

with the inference that the findings that emerge will reaffirm current literature on veterans and

advising (Ackerman et al., 2009; Brown & Gross, 2011; Zinger & Cohen, 2010). The aim of

these research questions are to capture a snapshot of a group of veteran students and their own

experiences with advisors, as well as what they wish to see changed based on their own

circumstance. As such this case is particularistic in nature, in that it focuses on what the case is

and how it is unique (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 1995).

Data Collection

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant using a semi-structured

interview format. As Merriam (2009) states, a semi-structured interview format allows for both

open-ended, unstructured questions and closed-ended, structured questions which, in turn, allows

for the researcher to have flexibility in response and follow-up questions. A semi-structured

interview guide does not disrupt the flow of the natural interview conversations (Merriam,

2009). Similar to Merriam, Yin (2009) notes that interviews become guided conversations which

allow for more fluidity to the questioning, and less rigidity. This research utilizes this type of

semi-structured interview format in order to fully understand each veteran’s unique experiences

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and to allow the interviews to evolve appropriately as each participant may have very different

testamonies and ideas for advising changes.

The interviews were conducted face-to-face in order to build rapport between the

researcher and the participant. Building rapport and trust with the participants may make them

feel more at ease with discussing their personal experiences. Stake (1995) notes that each

interviewee is expected to have unique experiences and stories to share with the researcher.

Face-to-face interviews were also selected to gauge the nonverbal cues from each participant,

and to gain a more in-depth understanding of their unique experiences that phone or emailed

questioning may not have permitted.

The focus of the interviews were centered on veteran students’ current and past

experiences with academic advisors. Initial questioning involved demographic questions on age,

military rank and branch, college enrollment and areas of study. Following the general

demographic questions, more specific questions covered areas of strength and weakness as

advisors communicate with veteran students. Other questions asked participants to consider

what changes they wish to see made within academic advising for veterans. Each interview

lasted between 20 to 30 minutes and were audio recorded after informed consent was reviewed

and approved.

Follow-up interviews were conducted in subsequent weeks of the initial interviews with

participants. The follow-up interviews were transcribed and coded in the same way that the

original interviews were. Yin (2009) notes that in-depth interviews may need to take place over

longer periods of time, or through multiple meeting opportunities in order to gain detalied insight

into the participant’s experiences. After the initial findings posed new questions, each participant

was re-interviewed for further insight and details.

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Sample

The research participants are drawn from currently enrolled veteran college students in

the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The selection is criterion based in that the Washington

D.C. metro area has a high population of veterans and a plethora of universities and community

colleges with high veteran student enrollment. Being a local resident of the area, it was

convenient to meet with these participants face-to-face for in-depth interviews and maintain

access to the participants for any follow-up opportunities. To choose the sample for this research,

email requests were sent via educational listservs at various higher education institutions

requesting participation in the study. Furthermore, snowball sampling through email and social

networking sites were utilized in order to extend beyond the researcher’s initial network to find a

wide variety of participants. A snowball sample, the most common sampling form, occurs by

locating key particpants through recommendation and references (Merriam, 2009). So for this

study, when sending out the initial email requests, I also requested that they forward the email to

anyone they knew who fit the criteria. The same technique was used on Facebook, a social

networking site. As listed in the parameters of the study, participants must be over the age of 18,

enlisted in any branch of the military, or honorably discharged, and currently enrolled as a part or

full-time college student. Identities of the interviewees were protected by the use of

pseudonyms.

Case Selection

Three veteran students chose to participate, and were interviewed during the summer

months of 2011. The participants of the study were given the pseudonyms of “John,” “Dean” and

“Ward” to maintain confidentiality.

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John is a Seargent in the United States Marine Corps. He has served in the military for

five years now, and enrolled as a college student at a Mid-Atlantic region community college in

2010 at the age of 25. He is focusing on studies in criminal justice towards an associate’s degree.

John is enrolled as a student while using benefits from the G.I. Bill. John has met his academic

advisor face-to-face twice, and corresponded via email once, and through telephone on one

occasion as well.

Dean served as a Petty Officer in the United States Navy for four years. Following his

service he enrolled in college in 2009 under the G.I. Bill. Now, at the age of 31, Dean is working

full-time as a college student. Like John, Dean is also working towards a degree in criminal

justice. Dean has never spoken to, or met his college academic advisor since his enrollment two

years ago.

The third participant of the study is Ward. Ward is 29-years-old and served in the United

States Marine Corps. Following eight years of military service, he enrolled as a student at a Mid-

Atlantic university in 2009. Ward is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in

communication. Similar to both John and Dean, Ward is enrolled in college while utilizing the

benefits of the G.I. Bill. Ward has been in contact with his advisor one time face-to-face since

he enrolled in school.

Analysis

The audio recordings of each interview were transcribed by the researcher using Dragon

Speak software. Following transcription, a partial constant comparative analysis was conducted

(Corbin & Strauss, 1990). First, line-by-line open coding was utilized (Corbin & Strauss, 1990).

As posited by Corbin and Strauss (1990) open coding is used to identify actions, events and

interactions, as well as make comparisons and develop categories. To use open coding, events,

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actions and interactions are compared with others for similarities or differences. Following this,

the events and actions are labeled. Open coding allows for the emergence of generative and

comparative questions to guide the researcher (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). For this study open

coding was used to find common threads between each participants’ unique experiences with

advisors, and further guide researcher in exploring this phenomenon. In order to do this, the

researcher analyzed the events and actions in each line of transcribed text, looking for threads of

similiarity and threads of differences between experiences. These similarities and differences are

discussed in the findings. The second step of this type of data analysis is axial coding (Corbin &

Strauss, 1990). In this step the researcher returns to the comments and transcripts to try to group

ideas that seem to fit together. Axial coding was used in this study and established four primary

themes, which are introduced in the findings. The third and final step of the constant comparative

method of data analysis is selective coding. Corbin and Strauss (1990) note that during selective

coding the researcher exhausts all of the data and develops a core category. This step was not

completed due to the lack of data and time constraints. When this study is replicated with new

participants over a longer period of time, each step of the constant comparative analysis will be

utilized.

Findings

After interviewing participants I found that their responses would not answer my initial

research questions. These veteran students had very little to no interactions with their academic

advisors. The intital findings posed further questions into this issue. Also, a majority of the

interviews focused on what the veterans wished they had from a retrospective point of view.

Based on those intial interview findings, the following updated research questions were

developed, and follow-up interviews were arranged:

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RQ3: What experiences do student veterans have with college advisors?

RQ4: How might student veterans and advisors work with one another in order to meet

the students’ academic needs?

Themes

Four primary themes emerged from the initial and follow-up interviews with the

participants. Though each of the participants had ranged from never meeting an advisor to

meeting one twice, each mentioned a strong lack of communication between themselves and the

advisors, a need for more interactions, lack of knowledge on their veteran status, and using their

own methods of finding information an advisor would likely offer via the Internet.

Lack of Communication

The first theme that emerged was the lack of communication. This theme became

glaringly obvious after the initial interviews with each veteran. Dean has had no interactions

with his advisor, either virtually or face-to-face. Both John and Ward had interactions with their

advisors, but both were limited. Ward had a more negative interaction with his advisor which

ended up being his first and last meeting.

Ward explained:

I felt the only experience I had was not very personal. There was more interest in

rushing through the information than focusing on me, the student. I also thought

that everything that the advisor was telling me I could figure out on my own. You

know, the experience was so impersonal that when passing the advisor in the hall

she did not even recognize me. I mean, why would I want to leave my college

career in the hands of someone who didn’t even know me?

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To date, Ward has not scheduled to meet with his assigned advisor again. He continued,

“I felt like I was driving blind at times, you know? But I’ve managed through it mostly on my

own.” Thus, for a variety of reasons, these veterans have few interactions with their advisors.

Dean expressed being unsure as to whether or not he should actively seek out his advisor or wait

to see if they would contact him about meeting.

Unfamiliarity with G.I. Bill

One thing that each participant noted is the lack of knowledge about the G.I. Bill or that

the students were veterans. “You know, looking back on it, I don’t think my advisor even knew I

was a veteran” said Ward. John and Dean reflected this sentiment. Dean said, “I don’t know if

my advisor didn’t realize I was a vet, or what. But they never contacted me. I kind of figured

someone would because I was just starting to use the G.I. Bill and wasn’t sure of what to do or

what channels to go through. But there was nothing.” He concluded the interview by saying “The

needs that should be met by the advisors is if they are going to handle a veteran student then they

should know every detail about the GI Bill.” John felt that the advisor kind of knew his

circumstance, by at least acknowledging that he was a veteran. “But he did not really mention

anything pertaining to the G.I. Bill” John said.

Need for Increased Interaction

John, Ward and Dean all mentioned the need to meet with advisors more frequently,

either in person or virtually. When asked if he would prefer to meet his advisor more or less

frequently John said, “More. Much more. One of the two times I ever talked to my advisor I

found out about the criminal justice certificate. I would have gotten so much more information I

needed.” John was already mostly finished with his general requirements before finding out

about the certificate which required a few different courses. He is back on track for graduation

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now. Similarly, Ward said “I think that there were occasions when I should have met with the

advisor more. I think that it would have kept me from ultimately taking courses that I did not

necessarily need.”

Virtual Research

The third major theme that emerged was that of virtual research. Each participant spent

time online on their university or community college’s website in order to find information

pertaining to degree requirements.

When prompted on what he did to find information on his degree requirements John said:

I ended up feeling like I could find out a lot of the information I needed on the

school’s website. I did not need my advisor for probably 90% of the information

I needed to know. Of course I figured that out after almost a year of being in

school without speaking to my advisor at all. I just sort of figured it out as I went

along because there was no push for me to meet an advisor. They, they didn’t

contact me, so that’s what I did.

Like John, Dean has resorted to online research pertaining to degree requirements. “Since

I never saw an advisor, I just figured I’d look up what I needed online. Usually I found what I

was looking for” Dean said.

Discussion

My initial hypotheses were not supported by the findings in this case. Each of the

participants had limited to no exposure to academic advisors during their college tenure. As such,

the argument for effective student veteran advising becomes two-fold. Not only is there a need

for explicit understanding of the veteran student’s situation by advisors, but academic advisors

should also seek out and enforce meetings with these students. This discussion will be broken up

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into two sections: The first will address methodological issues that may have led to the lack of

answers to the original research questions. The second part of the discussion will offer

implications based on the new findings of the study, and opportunity for further research.

Methodological Critique

From a methodological standpoint, I can see where assumptions led to a failure in

anticipated findings. Based on the literature published about veteran students and advisors, I

formulated the two initial research questions with the anticipation of hearing detailed accounts of

these meetings with advisors. I had not considered that the participants would have very limited

exposure to academic advisors, or that they would have never arranged to meet an advisor at all.

Yin (2009) says that researchers must consider rival propositions to make an exemplary case

study. As such, the structure of the first research question was flawed to being with. The question

stated: “RQ1: What challenges do student veterans face when working with college advisors?”

Thus, when I was able to re-interview the participants I formulated the updated questions around

the revised research questions, including: “RQ3: What experiences do veteran college students

have with advisors?” This allowed for more depth into the lack of encounters with advisors.

The second original research question: “RQ2: How might student veterans and advisors

best work together in order to meet the students’ academic needs?” also needed to be altered

because initially, the participants had no way to truly evaluate their interactions based on the

very few they had. Thus, the secondary revised research question became “RQ4: How might

student veterans and advisors work with one another in order to meet the students’ academic

needs?” This change in the question allowed for the revised interview guide to ask the veterans

ways in which they wished they could have met with advisors, or what their advisors could have

done to increase interactions. All three participants noted the inclusion of virtual contact as a

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desired method of communication when they were unable to meet advisors face-to-face. John

was the only participant who had any external contact from his advisor outside of the two face-

to-face meetings he described. He made note of apprciating his advisor reaching out to him

virtually and answering questions John had via email or telephone.

The next critique is the time restraints of the study. Because this study was

conceptualized, interviewed and analyzed within six weeks, there were limited resources. Yin

(2009) notes that a case study is not likely to be to be complete because the investigator ran out

of time due to the end of a semester. This is certainly the case for this research. The entire study

should be redone with more participants and an updated interview guide that takes alternate

perspectives into account.

Implications

Based on the new findings following the second set of interviews there are a few

important implications to discuss. A major implication of this initial study is the fact that veteran

students may not be meeting advisors as frequently as they should. A few of the participants

regretted not meeting advisors more frequenetly in hindsight after taking unnecessary courses

which added time and cost to their college experience. These three students offered persoanl

reasons and choices as to why they did not meet advisors, but what other reasons are there for

students not meeting advisors? Are other veteran students in the same situation? If so, then how

do they navigate the degree requirements alone? Understanding why veteran students are not

meeting advisors may provide some insight into how to change this lack of communication.

Another implication of the study is the importance of virtual information for students.

Each of the participants used the Internet to find degree requirements, course information and

financial aid information. As John mentioned, he was unsure of what to do with the G.I. Bill

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stipulations when he first started as a college student. It wasn’t until he spoke to fellow veteran

students that he understood the time limitations and funding options that the G.I. Bill offered.

Including this information on the college’s website may prove valuable to this student group.

Lastly, I would like to do this study again with a larger participant group and perhaps

over a longer period of time to follow their college progress as it relates to their interactions or

lack of interactions with advisors. I would likely add an observational component to a future case

study on this topic. It would be valuable to see first-hand how veteran students interact with their

advisors during scheduled meetings. Interviewing academic advisors who are assigned veteran

students would also add insight to the other side of this dyadic interaction.

Conclusion

Though the results of this study are not generalizable, there are many directions in which

to proceed based on these initial findings. As much of the literature has shown an increased

interest in veteran needs (Branker, 2009; Moon & Schma, 2011, Student Aid News, 2009;

Whikehart, 2010) and the importance of advising (Ackerman et al, 2009), this was not the case

here. These students had sparse interactions with their advisors and in general, thought little of it.

They turned to their campus websites and fellow veteran students for class advice and followed

the published school handbooks to finish their degrees. Thus, it is important for universities to

remain up-to-date in the information posted virtually for students to use as a personal guide.

Universities and community colleges should also offer comprehensive student manuals so that if

a student (veteran or traditional) makes the choice to self-advise, then they are not missing out on

pertinent information needed to complete their degree.

Finally, it would behoove university officials or veteran services to require more regular

advising appointments for veteran students. As Ward mentioned: “There should be an advisor

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CASE STUDY: STUDENT VETERAN Tucker 19

that contacts veterans about their upcoming transition into the academic world. While I realize

that the Military Affairs office has grown considerably over the years, when I started here back

in 2009, I called that office for help with the G.I. Bill and they gave me the number to the VA.”

He sighed. “That was pretty much my welcome to college ‘Veteran’ experience.” Thus, even if

veteran students choose to do their own research and make their own plan of work, they should

have an initial orientation to college that introduces them to their advisors, and provides a list of

key contacts. Veteran students should also have approval from a mentor or advisor when they

schedule course work to ensure that their time is spent wisely and that they remain on track for

degree completion. It would be infinitely more helpful for veteran students to become oriented to

what is expected and the proper channels to communicate through.

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