Auburn is working to keep military students in mind and focus on helping veterans continue their education through a course called Success Strategies in the Veterans Learning Community (VLC).
Auburn has made this course available for the upcoming fall semester and its goal is to help transition students in the military back into the university setting.
"Success Strategies is an opportunity for prior service veterans, active duty, National Guard or reserves," said Steve Barnard, Auburn University Veterans Affairs Certifying Official.
David DiRamio, an assistant professor in the College of Education, is the developer and teacher of this class because of his military history.
"This section of success strategies will help military students to develop personal learning and studying plans, and it will also address aspects of transition from military service to the college setting through guest speakers and peer connections," DiRamio said. "The long-term goal for this program is to create a learning community of approximately 20-25 veteran students that will be co-enrolled in certain courses through the first year of their post-military education."
"I am a veteran, and when I came to the university I could have used a course like this with strategies that could have helped me transition more easily," DiRamio said. "I had been accepted to the university, but I was overwhelmed because I was rusty in math and science skills that I had learned before my time in the military. If someone had offered me a class like this, I think it definitely would have helped."
DiRamio is the author of the recently published book, "Creating a Veteran Friendly Campus," that contains the combined efforts of researchers throughout the nation in this particular area.
Current students also feel that Auburn is taking a step in the right direction. "I think it's a good idea because it seems like it's a whole different environment over there," said Brian Thomas, a building science student involved in Auburn's ROTC. "There they have briefings and specific orders for each day and here you have your schedule for classes, but it's much less structured so I can see how it would be difficult to get used to."
"We aren't the only ones doing this, but we are definitely out in front," DiRamio said. DiRamio said that other universities are beginning to consider classes similar to this success strategies course, but Auburn is the only school ready to offer the class.
"Because of our location, close to Fort Benning and in conjunction with the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, now is the time for Auburn to have this opportunity available for military students," DiRamio said. "I've always felt like Auburn would be a place that veterans would love to come home to."
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