New York State Senate Public Hearing Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs & Committee on Higher Education Examining the Programs and Potential for Job Retraining for Returning Veterans in Their Pursuit of Higher Education in the State of New York Testimony of: Dr. Pedro Cab�n, Vice Provost for Diversity and Educational Equity Office of Diversity and Educational Equity Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs SUNY System Administration May 17, 2010 12:00 pm � 3:00 pm Hearing Room A, Legislative Office Building Albany, NY I would like to express my appreciation to Senator Adams and members of the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, and Senator Stavisky and members of the Committee on Higher Education for holding this important hearing. I will provide an overview of veterans� affairs at the State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration and throughout the university then introduce other members of the SUNY panel from Empire State College, Jefferson Community College and Onondaga Community College, who work closely with veterans pursuing a higher education and are well-positioned to address the topic of this hearing. The Office of Diversity and Educational Equity at System Administration plays a coordinating and convening role for veterans� affairs across SUNY�s sixty-four campuses. The office also works to develop strategic partnerships with other organizations working on veterans� affairs, such as the American Council on Education, the New York State Division of Veterans� Affairs, and the Brain Injury Association of New York State. The Office of Diversity and Educational Equity has established a system-wide listserv for campus officers involved with military and veterans� affairs to exchange ideas, event notices and questions, and we are planning for a system-wide workshop on veteran-friendly campuses to promote the sharing of best practices and encourage SUNY faculty, staff and students to network and become more familiar with each others' accomplishments and challenges. SUNY truly values the service that veterans provide to our state and country, the sacrifices they have made, and those they continue to make. By providing more substantial educational incentives to our State�s veterans, SUNY hopes to retain many of these intelligent and highly motivated individuals in our workforce. To do so, SUNY participates in the following scholarship and award programs for New York State veterans: 1) Veterans Tuition Awards; 2) the Military Service Recognition Scholarship; 3)New York State Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans; and 4) the Recruitment Incentive and Retention Program. A central SUNY web page (www.suny.edu/student/military) offers a variety of information and resources for students with military backgrounds. Some SUNY institutions are education providers for GoArmyEd and eArmyU, offering innovative programs designed to provide active duty soldiers with high quality, flexible opportunities for study in higher education. GoArmyEd is the virtual gateway for soldiers on active duty to request tuition assistance for classroom, distance learning, and eArmyU online college courses. Last year proposals were submitted, in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Educational Equity, by Empire State College, Jefferson Community College, Onondaga Community College and the SUNY Professional Science Master�s Program (a consortium of twelve SUNY institutions) to the American Council on Education and Walmart Foundation for Success for Veterans Award Grants. These grants, which provide one hundred thousand dollars over two years to colleges and universities that operate model programs advancing access and success in higher education for veterans and their families, were awarded to Empire State College and Onondaga Community College. At Empire State College, activities supported by the grant include educational support services for veterans, the development of topical trainings for faculty and staff to create greater awareness of the challenges faced by veterans pursuing a higher education and expansion of the college�s use of social networks and partnerships with agencies serving veteran students and their families to further integrate these individuals into the college community. Onondaga Community College is using the funding for the creation of online veteran-specific orientation programs; expansion of the existing on-campus Office of Veterans� Affairs; the enhancement of prospective student outreach efforts; and increased capacity for counseling and psychological services. Forty-two SUNY institutions are members of Servicemembers� Opportunity Colleges�a consortium of approximately 1,900 accredited colleges and universities providing associate, bachelor�s and graduate degrees for servicemembers and their family members. Consortium institutions pledge to be military-friendly and design policies and practices in the student services, admissions, and marketing areas that provide easy access to accurate information about the school, its degree programs, policies, and procedures. Membership entails: 1) reasonable transfer of credit; 2) reduced academic residency; 3) credit for military training and experience; and 4) credit for nationally-recognized testing programs. Ninety percent of SUNY campuses have staff with veteran-specific responsibilities, and more than seventy percent of have admissions and financial aid staff trained in parameters of the new G.I. Bill of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Almost every SUNY campus has counseling staff available to veterans, and three quarters of SUNY campuses have a veterans� center that provides common space for veterans to interact and utilize support services and resources. In Academic Year 2009-10, 3811 veterans were SUNY students (up from 3423 in AY 2007-08). Ninety percent of SUNY institutions expect veteran enrollment to increase in the next five years. SUNY has a significant role to play in making New York�s higher education environment more veteran-friendly. System Administration is prepared to convene meetings between campuses and veterans organizations, offer best practices workshops for campus veterans� affairs staff, encourage more campuses to participate in the Servicemembers� Opportunity Colleges Consortium and the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program and support increased inter-campus dialogue and collaboration. On our campuses, more could be done to improve enrollment and tuition assistance and offer more services on housing and employment. My thanks once again for this opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas on this important subject.