UNC system to make plans to attract more veterans

When Jenna Drescher transitioned out of the Marine Corps to begin college, she almost didn’t know attending a UNC-system school was an option.

Drescher, a junior at UNC-Wilmington and president of the university’s Student Veterans of America chapter, said technical, online and for-profit schools appeared to be more actively recruiting veterans.

“I don’t think there is enough advertising for the UNC school system as a whole for veterans,” she said.

The system’s Board of Governors will convene today at UNC-Pembroke to discuss more ways to attract and support veterans like Drescher.

The UNC SERVES initiative, started to assist student veterans, has produced a resource guide and will unveil a website at the meeting.

Ann Marie Beall, director of military education for the system, said this is a timely topic because of the large military population in the state.

According to a report by the system’s General Administration, North Carolina is one of the top five states for active duty, guard and reserve populations.

“I think that UNC SERVES was a great starting point and continues to be the foundation upon which we are building,” she said.

Beall said topics to be discussed at the meeting include projects still in development, such as a series of online modules.

The modules will provide tips to veterans about applying, enrolling and achieving academic success at UNC-system schools, she said.

Beall said another challenge the system faces is addressing mental health issues among students who have completed multiple deployments.

The Department of Defense’s Center for Deployment Psychology offers free workshops for clinicians in higher education to provide mental health care to student veterans, she said.

“It is something that we are aware of, and it is something that we are already addressing,” she said.

Michael Dakduk, executive director of Student Veterans of America, said peer-to-peer support is also critical, such as that found in local veterans groups, which do not require a financial investment.

“Everybody plays a role in helping the veteran make the transition from combat to college and ultimately to a career,” he said.

Drescher said it’s important for military students to integrate with the student body, and connecting with other veterans helps with the transition.

“It’s a very different lifestyle — being older and going back to college,” she said.

Drescher said that though the UNC system has made progress, difficulties with transferring credits for military service remain a concern.

She said veterans of combat shouldn’t have to take classes fulfilling experiential requirements.

“If that’s not exploration outside of the classroom environment, then I don’t know what is,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.