LaGuardia CC Gets $45K Grant For Vet Programs

To prepare for the thousands of veterans who will be returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, LaGuardia Community College has received a $45,000 grant from the City University of New York (CUNY) to create an outreach and retention program for that population.

The LaGuardia Veterans Services Collaboration Initiative will provide a host of services to returning vets and reservists, including the disabled. It will supply them with transition services they need to return to civilian life, connect them to government and community resources, advise them on educational choices and provide them with a support system that links them to the college's academic, career, counseling, tutoring and mentoring services.

"This new program is focused on supporting and serving veterans and reservists in the area and helping get them the education, training, and resources they need to achieve their goals and secure a prosperous future for themselves and their families," Samuel E. Farrell, director of the college's Veterans Center and the initiative, said.

It is estimated that some 10,000 veterans and reservists will be returning to New York City from service in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next two years.

To recruit veterans, the program will conduct outreach activities at New York City veterans and veterans-service agencies as well as communitybased organizations including the New York state Department of Veterans Affairs, the Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Outreach Centers and the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence for homeless veterans.

The program will also call upon the veterans already enrolled in the college to serve as recruiters. "Veterans spreading the word among their peers would be the most effective way to recruit more veterans into the program," Farrell said.

Three areas of the college- the Division of Adult and Continuing Education, Academic Affairs, and Enrollment Management and Student Development- will lend their expertise in the outreach effort. "The initiative will create and coordinate a network of connections through existing, successful college-wide programs," Farrell added.

The college's Division of Adult and Continuing Education will use its Veterans Center Office to house and coordinate the initiative. Staffed by a director, an office coordinator, and VA work study student veterans, including those who will serve as tutors and mentors, the center will conduct outreach and recruitment activities and monitor the retention of the student veteran and reservist population.

A faculty member from Academic Affairs, Dr. Jason Smith from the English Department, will serve as an advisor for those veterans interested in pursuing an associate's degree. Among its degree programs, the college has a specially funded program for veterans interested in going into teacher education. The program, New Opportunities for Teacher Education (NOTE), is a seamless teacher-preparation program that begins at LaGuardia and continues through to a four-year baccalaureate program and, ultimately, a postsecondary program.

Enrollment Management and Student Development Division has a number of areas that will be participating. In the division's Office of Student Financial Services, its veterans affairs coordinator will certify veterans for educational benefits, including tutorial benefits, veterans work study, vocational rehabilitation and benefits for dependents of veterans.

Other offices in the division will cater to specific groups of vets. The Women's Center will assist female veterans and reservists, the Black Male Empowerment and Cooperative Program will support black vets and reservists and the Office for Students with Disabilities will offer a host of support services to disabled veterans. In addition, the College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment will reach out to vets on public assistance, while the College Discovery Program will provide college support to academically and economically disadvantaged students and the counseling department will provide academic, career, and personal advice.

Veterans and reservists who are interested in participating in the program are asked to call the Veterans Office at 718-482-5316 or -5391.

LaGuardia Community College, part of the City University of New York, is a nationally recognized leader among community colleges. Its vibrant and culturally diverse student body, representing 159 countries and speaking 110 languages, has established LaGuardia as "The World's Community College". The college provides a broad array of academic, workforce development and continuing education programs to more than 41,000 students. LaGuardia is located in the heart of Western Queens. For more information, visit www.laguardia.edu.