August 22, 2013 Gulf Coast State College Commits to Support Veterans
~ GCSC joins national initiative to improve access, affordability and success for veterans and their families ~
Panama City, FL – On August 12, Gulf Coast State College signed on to the “8 Keys to Facilitating Veterans’ Success on Campus,” a national initiative to promote veteran-friendly policies at colleges and universities. The College will participate in the initiative to better help veterans, active-duty service members and their families achieve educational and training goals.
GCSC, alongside the 28 Florida College System institutions, joined more than 250 colleges and universities from across the nation to support the critical elements as endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Education, Veterans Affairs and Defense.
“I’m excited to see this commitment toward our veteran students from the national, state & local level,” said Pam Hiller, Military/Veteran Liaison. “These students have gone above and beyond in their service to our country and these ‘Eight Keys to Success’ are one way we can repay them for all their sacrifice.”
“The program assists our veterans, military service members and their families in breaking barriers that may otherwise overwhelm them as students,” said Melissa Lavender, Vice President of Student Affairs. “Pam Hiller has been a tremendous addition to our campus in building the infrastructure to respond to the needs of veterans and military service personnel. Our College has always been military-friendly, but after Pam joined us last year, we have redoubled our efforts to serve the needs of our military students.”
8 Keys to Success:
1. Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans.
2. Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership.
3. Implement an early-alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic, career and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming.
4. Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space (even if limited in size).
5. Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans.
6. Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention and degree completion.
7. Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to veterans.
8. Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans.
“We fully support the keys to success,” said Dr. Jim Kerley, GCSC President. “Gulf Coast is 100 percent committed to serving and helping veterans on their road to success. Our College is ranked as one of the top military-friendly institutions because we are passionate about our service to the military community. They have sacrificed so much for us, and now it is time we give back and help them.”