REPRESENTATIVE HALL SUPPORTS VETERANS AT COLLEGE VISIT
Rep. Hall
Urges Efforts to Help New Veterans Attend College
- Hall
Brings Coalition of Colleges Together to Make Enrollment Easier for Iraq,
Afghanistan Vets -
- GI Bill
for the 21st Century Provides Post-9/11 Veterans to College with
Scholarships -
U.S. Rep. John Hall joined with Westchester Community
College and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Chairman Edward Vick to
urge area colleges to help local veterans more easily access the educational
benefits of the new GI Bill. In June, Congress passed a new GI bill for the
21st century that will provide full four-year scholarships to
post-9/11 veterans, but veterans still face unique challenges when
attempting to enroll in college. Hall held a press conference at the college
on October 23, 2008.
Westchester Community College is one of a number of
Hudson Valley colleges working to expand their services to encourage
veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to pursue a college degree. Other colleges
that serve veterans from Hall’s Congressional District and are joining his
initiative include SUNY Orange, Mount St. Mary College, Dutchess Community
College, Vassar College and Marist College.
"Veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan are coming home to educational opportunities that weren't
available to generations before them," said Congressman Hall, chairman of
the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs. "Just like the first GI bill launched our country as a 20th
century power, the new GI bill help America succeed in the 21st
century. Our post-9/11 veterans now have the most generous education
benefits in 60 years, and I want to make certain that in the Hudson Valley
we're doing all we can to ensure that they can use these benefits and
succeed in college."
The new G.I. bill is the greatest expansion of
educational benefits for veterans since World War II. The bill provides
veterans, including Reservists called to combat duty, with up to four years
of paid tuition equal to the cost of a public college. It also provides
monthly housing stipend and $1,000 a year for books and other expenses. The
housing stipend varies by location.
Edward Hick, Chairman of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
of America said, "This law, which John Hall so strongly supported, can cover
the full cost of college for today’s veterans. It will provide a level of
support for the higher education of our service men and women that we have
not seen in this country since World War II. Its passage into law was a
truly monumental event for our veterans."
However, veterans hoping to take advantage of these
benefits are often confronted by a number of hurdles. Most veterans are
older than average college applicants, have been out of high school for many
years and may have had previous college work disrupted by numerous
deployments. Additionally, veterans returning from their service may not
have had access to the resources of traditional college applicants, such as
SAT preparatory courses or a college counselor.
Westchester Community College has had an office
dedicated to assisting veterans for years, and is working with current
students who are veterans and with prospective applicants to ease their
transition to academic life.
"As institutions of higher learning, we must make sure
that veterans returning from service abroad have every opportunity to access
the updated GI Bill if they wish to attend college," said Westchester County
Community College President Joseph Hankin. "We have made great strides
toward this end here at the college, and fully support the efforts of
Congressman Hall in trying to raise both awareness of these educational
benefits and also the likelihood that young veterans will take advantage of
them."
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