The magazine has named the V.E.T.S. office a “Military Friendly School 2011.” G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide and placed HSU in the highest rank. The nine-year-old publication promotes military hiring, job services and student recruitment.
Humboldt State V.E.T.S. Director Kim Hall said the designation refers to the university’s on-site provision of the full span of services, for dependents and active duty service personnel as well as veterans. The office administers the post-9/11 GI Bill, provides referrals to Humboldt-area veterans’ organizations and extends ready access to academic advising, course requirements, benefits counseling and work-study options. It also provides job counseling and training, employment searches, agency networking and assistance to the unemployed.
“We provide one-stop shopping that not all campuses offer, and I consider us to be the gateway for veterans to this university,” Hall said. The office is staffed by vet undergraduate and graduate students, who encourage the camaraderie that returning soldiers say they miss most of all from their service experience.
Hall said the award will reinforce Humboldt State’s outreach. “We’ll be on the magazine’s nationwide Web site and that is invaluable in communicating to vets and service members that we are one of the best vets’ services campuses in the country.”
Responding to the largest influx of college-bound veterans since the Viet Nam war, Humboldt State three years ago expanded services originally begun in the early 1990s. The modernization kicked off in 2007 when the 23-campus CSU system initiated its “Troops to College” program to assist more veterans and active duty soldiers with higher education. The CSU has a campus in every region of the state and close to almost all of California’s military bases.
Veterans and active duty students can use their GI benefits while attending any CSU campus. Likewise, active duty service members can use Department of Defense tuition assistance and other educational benefits at CSU institutions.
“We’ve been doing this at Humboldt State a long time,” Hall said, “but our newest spaces in the Lower Library are a real ‘home away from home.’ We serve as an in-house community center where our student vets can share personal and combat experiences. They get to know each other and form lasting friendships. At the same time, they get the information they need about academic programs and student support services. Our vets—we have about 400 now— share strong personal ties with each other. Those connections are extremely important in their transition back to civilian life and student life.”
The newest component of Humboldt State’s vet services is Outward Bound, a custom transition program for new and continuing students based on outdoor experiences. The initiative is designed to foster teamwork and self-reliance.
“Outward Bound offers wilderness experiences in river rafting, rock climbing, mountaineering, dog sledding, you name it,” Hall said. “It builds on the mutual support that vets enjoyed in the service and it provides an outlet to grow as a person, test your boundaries and become more relaxed in dealing with city and university life.”
Details are available at http://www.humboldt.edu/veterans/outward-bound.html.
The V.E.T.S office is located in Lower Library Room 58. Dial 707/826-6272.