UC Veterans Programs Manager to Appear on WVXU

Making the transition from soldier to student can be overwhelming as veterans move from military service to civilian life and jobs. 

Easing that process for student-veterans at the University of Cincinnati is Terence Harrison, program manager for

UC’s Office of Veterans Programs & Services

. 

Harrison will speak about some of the unique challenges student-veterans face and how UC is providing them with the tools and support they need to succeed Monday on

WVXU-FM's “Cincinnati Edition.”

The weekday public affairs show airs live at 1 p.m. on 91.7.  

Program details:

In 2009, there were approximately 500,000 veterans receiving education benefits and attending U.S. colleges. By 2013, more than 1,000,000 student veterans were using their GI benefits to pursue advanced educational opportunities, and that number is estimated to increase by 20 percent in the next few years. Joining us to look at today’s veterans on campus are Dave Merriss, assistant director at the Northern Kentucky University Veterans Resource Station; Terence Harrison, University of Cincinnati Veterans Programs & Services manager; and Christopher Klug, assistant director for Xavier University’s Center for Veterans Affairs.

The number of military-affiliated students – veterans, those serving on active duty, or in the Reserve or the National Guard – is a population that’s steadily growing at UC.

In the past six years, the number of student-veterans receiving education benefits at UC more than doubled, from 1,116 in 2009 to 2,572 as of summer 2015. Thirty-six percent of UC student-veterans are women.

Harrison, also a UC alumnus, spent 26 years in the Army Reserves, including a tour of duty in Iraq with the 256th Combat Support Hospital out of Columbus, Ohio, during the wind down of Operation New Dawn.

• Related: The haze after the blaze: Veteran's personal experience helps him relate to students struggling with reintegration  
  

UC’s Office of Veterans Programs & Services is one of fewer than 100 campuses in the nation to offer the VetSuccess on Campus program, which is designed to help veterans transition from the military lifestyle to an academic environment. 

The office also provides job opportunity information tailored to veterans’ needs, including an online translator to help show how skills acquired during military service can be applied in the civilian workforce. 

UC has been named a Military Friendly School for six consecutive years by Victory Media, a veteran-owned marketing and publishing company focused on connecting the military and civilian communities.

Last year, UC welcomed Omega Delta Sigma-Ohio Beta, the UC branch of the Omega Delta Sigma National Veterans Fraternity. The chapter is UC’s first veterans fraternity and includes men and women.

UC AND STUDENT VETERANS

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UC Public Information Officer Tom Robinette contributed to this story.