The University of Louisville will be host to the 3rd Annual Veteran Symposium for Higher Education, Feb. 21-22 at the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville.
The conference, which draws participants and presenters from across the country, is designed to help universities become more veteran-friendly. More than a dozen presenters will discuss best practices and research. Attendees will even hear from veteran students themselves about what works and what doesn’t.
Sponsors for the symposium include UofL’s Division of Student Affairs, Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, ACPA — College Student Educators International, NASPA — Student Affairs in Higher Education, and NASPA- Region III.
This is the third veteran symposium UofL has hosted. Organizers say the need continues to grow.
The Symposium is an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to share how they are engaging students that are also military veterans, said Tom Jackson, vice president for student affairs. Participants truly learn from the various experiences other campuses are having in these efforts. Ultimately it is the student and the university that benefits because the outreach to students, and the services universities are able to provide are improved.
Each campus that enrolls military veterans has some obligation to take a good look at how one’s services are perceived and work. This symposium helps all attendees do some of this in a collegial environment.
Conference sessions will provide information on social and academic integration for student veterans, developing and using CAS standards for veteran and military programs, tools for assessing military veteran needs, how to set up a comprehensive military student services office, disability services in relation to veterans and women veterans. There also will be a student veteran issues roundtable and a student veteran panel.
Presenters for this year’s conference include Douglas Franklin, Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education and Genevieve Chase, founder and executive director American Women Veterans. (See a full list of presenters.)
This symposium will be beneficial for staff throughout an institution, including those in academic advising, admissions, counseling and student health, disability resources, financial aid, residence life, registration and student services, according to organizers.
Registration, which will remain open through the week of the event if space permits, is $189 per person.
