Veterans/military members enrolled at all levels; more on the way

Since the re-activation of the Stevens Veterans Office (SVO) in June 2009, more than 20 veterans, current military members and those members’ children have enrolled in Stevens Institute of Technology classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

According to Dr. Don Lombardi, the faculty liaison for the Stevens Veterans Office, three veterans are attending Stevens full-time as Yellow Ribbon students; another seven are likely to enroll as Yellow Ribbon students in the spring of 2010.

Three military dependents are also attending Stevens full-time as Yellow Ribbon scholarship recipients.

Stevens Institute of Technology was named a Yellow Ribbon Program partner by the Department of Veterans Affairs last spring, marking Stevens as the first participating research university in New Jersey and the surrounding metropolitan area. This designation further emphasizes Stevens’ long-standing commitment to educating U.S. military members and veterans, and to providing exceptional financial benefits to these men and women.

All four of the major services (Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force) are represented in the veteran/military student community.

“The Stevens Veterans Office team has specialists from education, finance, student support and administration that work closely with each and every veteran and military family member,” says Lombardi. “With close to 800,000 new veterans/military members anticipated in the next two years – and close to 5,000 new veterans returning to New Jersey alone in the next 12 months and seeking education – this is indeed a most timely response to our community’s needs in these challenging times.”

Stevens has developed partnerships with all of the VA medical facilities in the northeastern U.S., as well as the National Association of State Veteran Homes and other leading veteran organizations.

“Providing stellar education in engineering, leadership and technology to our nation’s heroes is not a new commitment here at Castle Point,” adds Lombardi, a former Marine officer. “Since 1870, Stevens has been providing education ranging from the Navy Steamship Engineering School in WWI to a large contingent of officer leadership training in WWII, to engineering education during Korea and Vietnam.

“With a wealth of new talent both in the current military and our new veteran community, Stevens will be certain to again be among the leaders in providing maximum support and optimum education to these great communities.”

The Stevens Veterans Office has been established as a resource for all veterans who are interested in attending, or learning more, about Stevens. Dean Deborah Berkley has been appointed Director of the SVO, which is already hard at work establishing special academic and student development programs.
“In addition to providing assistance with application, enrollment and financial processes, the office will offer academic advising, professional development guidance and psychological counseling,” Lombardi says.

A provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the Yellow Ribbon Program allows institutions of higher learning (degree-granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with Veterans Affairs (VA) to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. As a Yellow Ribbon School, Stevens is dedicated to providing the maximum financial coverage possible through the program. Stevens’s undergraduate and graduate programs offer a myriad of opportunities for qualified veterans of all branches of the U.S. military.

For additional information about the SVO, contact Donald Lombardi at 201-216-5661 or via email. For a list of participating Yellow Ribbon Program schools, please visit this link.