Helping Haiti

Across the nation, colleges and universities are reaching out to the victims of Haiti's earthquake in ways as diverse as their various missions.  We are posting news stories summarizing those efforts on this Web site.  If you want to help with cash or in-kind donations, we suggest you visit the USAID Help for Haiti Web site.

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Military Benefits/GI Bill/ROTC

Take Two for GI Bill Inside Higher Ed January 27, 2010 After admittedly being overwhelmed by a deluge of new veterans seeking benefits, VA officials now say they have -- for the most part -- at least paid veterans their full benefits for the fall semester.  The agency processed about $1.5 billion in payments to more than 183,000 veterans in the fall, and there are now fewer than 500 eligible veterans who've yet to receive their fall packages.  For the spring term, the VA has already received 132,000 enrollment certifications from colleges and processed more than 105,000, officials said.

GI Bill looks better for spring, VA says Army Times January 20, 2010 Officials reported Jan. 20 they have processed 72,000 of the 103,000 GI Bill claims received for the spring.  Their goal is to have all 103,000 claims processed by Feb. 1.  As part of its effort to speed claims, VA officials have contacted university and college administrators and student veterans to urge everyone to file for benefits as soon as possible.  In particular, VA officials want educational institutions to submit enrollment information for students without waiting for students to receive an official eligibility certificate from VA that shows what benefits they have earned.

From Battlefield to Ivy League, on the G.I. Bill New York Times January 9, 2010 More than 300,000 veterans and their dependents are enrolled in American institutions of higher education, their numbers swelling as a result of a new, more generous version of the G.I. Bill that Congress passed in 2008.  Perhaps nowhere is this new wave more striking than at Columbia, which more than any other Ivy League institution has thrown out a welcome mat for returning servicemen and women.

GI Bill backlog climbs as new semester looms Army Times January 6, 2010 Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee's oversight and investigations panel, said he is "disappointed" with VA's performance in the fall semester, which left 26,000 people still waiting for benefits when classes ended.  VA officials said most of those 26,000 veterans have now been paid. But VA's Jan. 4 report on pending benefits claims shows that more than 48,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill claims are still being processed. Some of those could be for the spring semester.

GIs' checks AWOL The Record, Bergen County, N.J. - Editorial December 30, 2009 The VA is struggling to administer the program more quickly, with the goal of clearing out the backlog of claims and bringing January payments up to date by Feb. 1. It has increased staff for the program from 800 to 1,200 and is trying to put an automated system in place by the end of 2010. The intentions are good, as they often are when it comes to veterans. But unfortunately, the VA's poor execution has provided another example of our nation giving only lip service to those who serve.

For-Profit Colleges Target the Military BusinessWeek December 30, 2009 Since 1947 the Defense Dept. has subsidized college tuition for active-duty service members. State universities, community colleges, and private nonprofit colleges have traditionally dominated the market. Now for-profit colleges specializing in online degrees are making substantial inroads. The shift is leading to educational shortcuts and overzealous marketing, says Greg von Lehmen, chief academic officer of the University of Maryland University College.

Veterans reassured on GI Bill payments The Record, Bergen County, N.J. December 28, 2009 The delays had thousands of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan scrambling to pay rents and mortgages, and fearful they would not be able to continue school next semester.  But the VA says things are speeding up and the number of veterans with unprocessed claims is now fewer than 5,000 - down from tens of thousands.

Vets wait for GI Bill payments Associated Press December 22, 2009 Universities and colleges are still waiting for tuition payments for thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who attended school last fall under the new GI Bill, leaving the veterans panicked that they'll be unable to return to class in January.  After being besieged by delays and financial hardship last semester, many veterans are frantically contacting veterans service organizations such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for guidance.

Marine Can’t Recall His Lessons at For-Profit College Bloomberg News December 15, 2009 For-profit online colleges are taking over higher education of the U.S. military, lured by a Defense Department pledge of free schooling up to $4,500 a year for active members of the armed services. The schools account for 29 percent of college enrollments and 40 percent of the half-billion-dollar annual tab in federal tuition assistance for active-duty students, displacing public and private nonprofit colleges, according to Defense Department and military data.

Budget bill includes $6 million for vet centers at colleges Stars & Stripes December 11, 2009 The Department of Education will receive $6 million next year to help fund "Centers of Excellence for Veterans Success" at campuses across the country, as part of the compromise federal budget bill unveiled by congressional leaders this week.  Veterans groups hailed the move as an important resource in light of the growing number of veterans headed to college under the revamped GI Bill, and the numerous problems with the benefits program that have resulted.

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