Madison College Works to Untangle Complications for Wisconsin Vets

Madison College Veterans Service Coordinator Michael Shumway recently wrote Community College Week about the recent changes affecting student veterans. The letter to the editor details all the hard work the college is doing to help our student veterans. Here is Michael's letter to the editor:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
By Michael Shumway
Madison College Works to Untangle Complications for Wisconsin Vets

To the Editor:

Thank you for reporting on the recent changes currently affecting the student veteran population in the State of Wisconsin. (“Wisconsin Veterans Face Maze to Claim Education Benefits,” CCWeek, Feb. 8, 2010)

Madison Area Technical College has been working diligently to expand services and assistance to this group of adult learners attending our college. Since the summer of 2009, when the details of the changes to federal and state legislation were being ironed out, the Veterans Services Office at the college has been hosting GI Bill workshops in an effort to prepare veterans for the changes now in effect.

Approximately 625 students came to the college requesting assistance with the new benefit processes, and it quickly became evident that the impact of the changes, as noted by County Veterans Service Officers Association of Wisconsin legislative chair Chris Jordan in the above-referenced article, has not necessarily been to the benefit of the student.

Based on enrollment counts for federal processing in the state of Wisconsin, community colleges such as Madison College hold two of the top three highest veteran student enrollments in the state — the University of Wisconsin-Madison comes in fourth. Service members and veterans enrolled in our community colleges face significant delays to their benefits, as federal processing times and the complications created by the interplay of the Wisconsin state and federal veterans benefits have left them temporarily without the educational benefits to which they are entitled.

Madison College, through the generosity of the college foundation and various community partners, works to provide emergency loans to veteran students so they may have money for textbooks and living expenses while they await their benefits.

With the return of more than 3,000 veterans from the deployment of the 32nd Brigade of the Wisconsin National Guard, Madison College continues to improve existing services in preparation for the surge of veteran enrollment into Wisconsin’s community colleges anticipated in the months to come. Madison College works fervently to ensure the transition from combat to classroom is as smooth as possible for our community’s heroes.

Michael Shumway
Veterans Services Coordinator
Madison Area Technical College
Madison, Wis.