Home Online Education Access and Affordability The Current and Future State of Military Voluntary Education: Reflections on the CCME 2015 National Symposium
The Current and Future State of Military Voluntary Education: Reflections on the CCME 2015 National Symposium

The Current and Future State of Military Voluntary Education: Reflections on the CCME 2015 National Symposium

0

The Current and Future State of Military Voluntary Education: Reflections on the CCME 2015 National Symposium Jim Sweizer, Vice President of Military, Veterans, and Community College Outreach, American Public University System

The Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which serves the training and networking needs of military voluntary education professionals, annually hosts a conference for attendees from the Department of Defense (DoD), universities, and members of the Education Service Officer (ESO) community. Overall, this year’s conference was one of the best in some time, mainly due to a robust agenda and the presence of a large number of military and DoD personnel absent for several years previously due to funding issues.

Although many key issues ranging from base access to college affordability were discussed, I found the briefing by DoD education officials on the state of the Voluntary Education Program to be the most informative, and the most startling. Informative, because it provided statistical insight on almost every facet of the Tuition Assistance (TA) program, and startling, due to the reported decline of participation in the DoD TA program. It appears that all of the Services, except Air Force, experienced significant downturns in TA users last year. Although there are many reasonable explanations for this decline (continued deployments, longer duty hours, etc.), many service members and school officials have privately expressed concern that over-prescriptive policies imposed by the DoD and the Services are driving students from the program. From my perspective, these concerns are directly related to how complicated it has become for service members to request tuition assistance. What was once a very simple process has become overly cumbersome for many who use the TA program.

On a more positive note, DoD reported a 94 percent course completion rate by TA users in fiscal year 2014. Interestingly, 41 percent of completions were from private, for-profit institutions; 36 percent from public institutions, and 23 percent from private nonprofit institutions. Additionally, 83 percent of TA users are engaged in some form of distance learning.

As previously mentioned, the conference agenda was exceptional and included contributions by APUS faculty and staff. Informative presentations were given by VP of Research and Development Dr. Phil Ice, (Retention and Graduation Rates for U.S. Military Service members: A Multi-Institutional Cohort Trend Analysis and Innovations in Online Learning); English Program Director Dr. William Overton, (Tactics for Improving Civilian Faculty Communication with Military Students); and Dean of Program Development Dr. Gary Berry and AVP of Transfer Students & Credit Evaluations Jolene Passut, (Rewarding Military Students with Academic Credit for Experience: Institutional Opportunities).

This was a bittersweet conference for me as I near the end, later this year, of a 34-year career serving the military community. During this time, I’ve seen many positive changes to the voluntary education program–100% TA, Post 9/11 Bill and greater opportunities through online education, to name a few. That said, there is always room for further improvement. I believe the future success of military education depends on government officials creating more “student-friendly” policies with accompanying processes that are easier to navigate by service members and the schools they attend.

A former Air Force voluntary education chief once advised me to write education policy for the 98 percent of those who comply with the rules, as opposed to the 2 percent who might try to game the system. In short, keep it simple; sage advice for all to follow.

Jim Sweizer is the Vice President of Military, Veterans, and Community College Outreach at American Public University System. He joined the university in April 2005 after serving over 33 years in the Air Force as an active duty member and civil servant. As Vice President of Military Programs, he oversees all military outreach activities and serves as the main liaison between the university and Department of Defense agencies. Mr. Sweizer has an extensive background in adult continuing education, having served as an education services officer and Chief of the Air Force’s Voluntary Education Program.

 

Wally Boston Dr. Wallace E. Boston was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of American Public University System (APUS) and its parent company, American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) in July 2004. He joined APUS as its Executive Vice President in 2002. In September 2019, Dr. Boston retired as CEO of APEI and retired as APUS President in August 2020. Dr. Boston guided APUS through its successful initial accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in 2006 and ten-year reaccreditation in 2011. In November 2007, he led APEI to an initial public offering on the NASDAQ Exchange. For four years from 2009 through 2012, APEI was ranked in Forbes' Top 10 list of America's Best Small Public Companies. During his tenure as president, APUS grew to over 85,000 students, 200 degree and certificate programs, and approximately 100,000 alumni. While serving as APEI CEO and APUS President, Dr. Boston was a board member of APEI, APUS, Hondros College of Nursing, and Fidelis, Inc. Dr. Boston was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity by the U.S. Secretary of Education in 2019. He also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), as a Trustee of The American College of Financial Services, as a member of the board of Our Community Salutes - USA, and as a member and chair of the board of New Horizons Worldwide. He has authored and co-authored papers on the topic of online post-secondary student retention, and is a frequent speaker on the impact of technology on higher education. Dr. Boston is a past Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the McDonogh School, a private K-12 school in Baltimore. In his career prior to APEI and APUS, Dr. Boston served as either CFO, COO, or CEO of Meridian Healthcare, Manor Healthcare, Neighborcare Pharmacies, and Sun Healthcare Group. Dr. Boston is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Chartered Global Management Accountant. He earned an A.B. degree in History from Duke University, an MBA in Marketing and Accounting from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business Administration, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. In 2008, the Board of Trustees of APUS awarded him a Doctorate in Business Administration, honoris causa, and, in April 2017, also bestowed him with the title President Emeritus. In August 2020, the Board of Trustees of APUS appointed him Trustee Emeritus. In November 2020, the Board of Trustees announced that the APUS School of Business would be renamed the Dr. Wallace E Boston School of Business in recognition of Dr. Boston's service to the university. Dr. Boston lives with his family in Austin, Texas.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *