Supporting student-veteran success through identification of cohort-specific needs

Background: The first part of the study was completed during the fall 2012 semester at a mid-sized state university in the Northeast US. Student enrollment is approximately 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students with 340 student veterans among them. Student veterans were surveyed to assess their knowledge of and satisfaction with the campus Drop-In Center for student veterans. The response rate was ~24% with results suggesting overall satisfaction with the Center. Significance: Providing support for successful student veteran engagement is vital to both academic and personal success and is supported by previous research outlining the unique challenges of student veterans and the goals of Healthy People 2020. Methods: An electronic survey was completed in October 2012. Focus groups during early 2013 will help to clarify aspects of the results warranting further exploration: interpretation of the terms wounded and referral. Results: Two-thirds of respondents had been deployed and 20% of respondents reported being wounded during service, though the type of injury was not identified; of those wounded, 8.5% reported that the injury has interfered with the return to work and school. Although the Center director meets with each new student-veteran at or near the first visit to the Center and follows a similar conversation regarding GI benefits and registering at the local Veteran's Administration Hospital, almost 90% of respondents said they received no referral information.