ABSTRACT
In essence higher education must increase its commitment to serving Student Veterans and Military Service Members (SVSM). A significant increase in the college SVSM population over the first decade of the 2000s led to a mass movement from non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, the veterans administration (VA), and federal and state governments to examine strategies for supporting SVSM as they transition from the military to the classroom. The Student Veterans of America (SVA) has established key relationships with VA officials and other federal and state officials and while doing so the SVA has grown to over 1,000 local student veteran organizations nationwide. In providing support for SVSM, higher education has created opportunities to initiate new collaborations, advance research, and make important contributions to a variety of fields. Although it is difficult to predict future enrollment of SVSM, a decrease in military personnel could lead to fewer veterans enrolling in higher education.
