Governor Jindal Announces Higher Education Legislation For Veterans

Press Release

Today, Governor Jindal announced two proposed pieces of legislation for veterans that will help veterans and military students complete their college education in Louisiana and also recognize colleges that have gone above and beyond to create a supportive environment for members of America's armed forces.

With over two million veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is important that Louisiana's two and four-year schools support military men and women by helping them get a quality education. Many active soldiers begin their post-secondary careers through online and on-base opportunities offered by Department of Defense contract schools. This legislation requires state schools to seek arrangements with these institutions so that academic credit can be awarded and transferred more easily in order to finish up their certificates and degrees faster in Louisiana. Another piece of legislation will encourage higher education institutions to make their campuses as friendly as possible for military men and women returning from service. Both pieces of legislation will help provide a better and quicker pathway to helping prepare veterans for high wage, high demand jobs.

Governor Jindal said, "In the face of great peril, and asking for nothing in return, these courageous men and women put their lives on the line in the name of freedom. With these two bills, we continue to express our appreciation to our country's service men and women by showing our commitment to their educational needs and preparing them to enter the state's ever-growing workforce."

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David LaCerte said, "As Secretary of Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, I am pleased that Louisiana continues to set the pace nationally for support of service members when they seek to further their education beyond their military training. Easing the transition from military to civilian life is of the utmost importance and I know that this legislation will make that more attainable for the men and women who have served our country with honor."

The Jindal Administration will propose two separate pieces of legislation for veterans:

The Military Articulation Matrix Bill by Senator Ben Nevers
Current law requires state institutions of higher education to develop and maintain a policy for granting academic credit for training and experience attained through military service.

This bill further ensures that our veterans and military students have the ability to seamlessly return back to pursuing their education in Louisiana by ensuring that academic credits previously earned at certain regionally accredited institutions are accepted by state institutions of higher education.

Specifically, this bill requires all state institutions to also create articulation arrangements with regionally accredited like institutions (2 or 4 year) that currently hold a contract with the Dept. of Defense to provide education services at various military bases around the world.

Senator Ben Nevers said, "Veterans are a huge asset to our state. Making sure these heroes have access to veteran friendly campuses and easily transferable credits is of vital importance. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and this legislation will improve the lives of returning service men and women."

Governor's Military and Veterans Friendly Campus Designation (VETS Act) by Rep. Henry Burns
This proposed legislation creates the "Governor's Veterans Friendly Campus Designation," which formally recognizes college campuses that have gone above and beyond to create a supportive environment for veteran and military students. In order to receive the "VETS Campus" designation, a school must satisfy the following list of military/veteran friendly criteria:

* Adoption of the Military Articulation Matrix;
* Recruitment and admissions policies and procedures that promote military and veteran enrollment such as:
o New student orientations for military student populations to convey information about curriculum, programs, services, and activities that are more specific to the military student population.
o Special placement testing guidelines, transcript reviews, application fee waivers, and readmissions policies.

* The availability of academic and student support activities that are tailored to military and veteran students. These include but are not limited to:
o Priority class registration for military and veteran students, ensuring access to the classes they need to schedule;
o The availability of veteran-specific courses;
o The development of policies and regulations that provide specific protocols for students in the event they are mobilized or receive orders that conflict with their course schedules;
o Workshops that instruct military students how to present themselves and their abilities/skill sets in an interview and to offer networking/interviewing workshops to veteran and military students.

Representative Henry Burns said, "This legislation will provide our men and women in uniform, who have sacrificed so much for you and me, an opportunity to enter into a competitive workforce by giving them credit for the knowledge and training that they have acquired while serving in the military. I want to encourage and congratulate all of our higher education campuses for taking this initiative to qualify as a Vet's Campus. Its time has come."

Source