Columbia University Continues Leadership in Veteran Education with Second Annual Virtual College Fair
On Thursday, October 28, the Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI) hosted the second annual virtual college fair for active duty service members and military veterans interested in enrolling in two- and four- year institutions. At this event, students spoke with representatives from 99 institutions of higher education and 4 non-profit organizations, including the Columbia University School of General Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Georgetown University, Stanford University, University of Virginia, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, and more.
"We’ve been heartened by the continued enthusiasm from top-tier universities and community colleges around the country recruiting student veterans via the CVTI virtual college fair. Making these direct connections happen is a huge part of what we do, so it’s great to see so much activity happening real time that benefits student veterans,” said Beth Morgan, Director of Higher Education Transition and Partnerships at CVTI.
The fair is an important part of a portfolio of robust programming designed by CVTI to support excellence in transition programming for current and former members of the U.S. armed forces. With over 180 college representatives and nearly 200 registered prospective students, the fair generated more than 550 virtual booth visits and over 100 video conference visits.
Those who were unable to attend the event are encouraged to utilize the Attaining Higher Education Interactive Map, a robust interactive tool developed by CVTI that simplifies the college research process by allowing for filtering of schools based on criteria important to service members and veterans.
Prospective students are also encouraged to enroll in Attaining Higher Education on edX, a free MOOC offered by CVTI that is designed to prepare active duty service members and veterans for the transition to college through intentional decision-making regarding admissions processes, financial aid, and more.
Making these direct connections happen is a huge part of what we do, so it’s great to see so much activity happening real time that benefits student veterans.
In addition, the Center offers several mini-courses and microlessons, designed to allow students who may not have the time or resources to engage with the full curriculum and achieve meaningful learning outcomes in a fraction of the time it would take to complete the more comprehensive MOOC series.
For more information, please visit the CVTI website.
About the Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition and Integration
Over the last 15 years, Columbia has successfully enrolled more student-veterans than all other Ivy League schools combined, while maintaining a graduation rate above 90% and a record of job and graduate school placement that equals Columbia’s non-veteran graduates. However, during this same period, it became clear that service members in transition continue to face barriers reaching their potential in transitioning to civilian life, despite the many effective programs offered to this population. Columbia University launched the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI) to have a direct and lasting impact on the issue of veteran transition and upward mobility by creating and providing access to the best-in-class tools and programming veterans need as they transition from active service to college and the workforce.