The transition to civilian life can be difficult for veterans, who often return home from the battlefield with physical injuries and emotional scars. Compounding their struggle is a slumping economy and a soaring unemployment rate that can make it nearly impossible to find work. With a large number of military and veterans in North San Diego County, MiraCosta College is well-positioned to assist these men and women as they make the transition to life and work. In fact, the college has seen its veteran population grow 40 percent over the last two years, jumping from 318 students drawing veterans' benefits in fall 2008 to more than 540 such students-veterans now. And when you add their dependents, another 600 students are enrolled at the college. To assist these veterans and their families, MiraCosta College has several programs that provide support, training and education our veterans need to make healthy lives and productive careers here in North County.
MiraCosta College's Community Services Program has been working hard to coordinate various after-service choices for exiting Marines. For example, a course leading to scuba diving master certification began last year, and programs are also in place in the areas of hybrid vehicle service, green building, security protection officer, and solar photovoltaic (PV) installer training. These courses are designed specifically to provide training to start new careers quickly.
For its sustainable agriculture specialist program, MiraCosta College has partnered with the owners of a local agriculture company that provides a safe and serene environment for veterans where they can rehabilitate and train for a new career. Archi's Acres, owned and operated by retired Marine Colin Archiplay and his wife Karen, formed a partnership with the Veteran's Affairs San Diego Health Care System and MiraCosta College to create the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) Program, which harnesses the skills that veterans gained in the military, while encouraging their recovery through working the farm and studying relevant MiraCosta College horticulture courses. At this small-scale Valley Center farm student veterans grow herbs, vegetables and fruit using hydroponic techniques and sustainable growing methods including solar and wind, and water conservation. This innovative program has garnered international attention, and has been featured in San Diego newspapers, television and radio, as well as in the New York Times and on Al Jazeera television.
For veterans to succeed in the classroom, they need quality instruction, support services and financial aid. Support services both on base and at the college help bridge the transition from a military career to a forward-facing career. Counseling services at Camp Pendleton screen service personnel, sometimes a full year before they are due to be discharged, in order to determine their aptitude for various kinds of future work. At MiraCosta College, the student-led Veterans Club at the college welcomes newcomers and orientations are conducted for new student-veterans, ensuring that their particular concerns are addressed.
Recognizing the difficulties veterans can often face when first attending classes, MiraCosta College opened a Veterans Lounge last year, which offers a haven for student veterans, a place to escape the busy pace of college where they can study, relax, have a cup of coffee or engage in conversation with others who know what it's like to wear a uniform. The Veterans Lounge is part of a full veterans department staffed with student-veterans and technical specialists who assist with the paperwork necessary to tap available educational benefits.
The college's student-veterans benefit from scholarships funded by the MiraCosta College Foundation, as well as from a “post 9/11” G.I. Bill. The bill provides a larger monthly allowance, direct reimbursement for fees and books, and market-based housing allowances that make getting a college education more feasible. The college foundation offers veteran's scholarships and a textbook program to help defray the rising costs of books and other classroom materials.
At this time of worldwide unrest, our military personnel unselfishly place their lives on the line, and it is our college's honor and privilege to serve them. We are now here to serve them as they adjust to the way of life they fought so bravely to preserve.
MiraCosta College's Community Services Program has been working hard to coordinate various after-service choices for exiting Marines. For example, a course leading to scuba diving master certification began last year, and programs are also in place in the areas of hybrid vehicle service, green building, security protection officer, and solar photovoltaic (PV) installer training. These courses are designed specifically to provide training to start new careers quickly.
For its sustainable agriculture specialist program, MiraCosta College has partnered with the owners of a local agriculture company that provides a safe and serene environment for veterans where they can rehabilitate and train for a new career. Archi's Acres, owned and operated by retired Marine Colin Archiplay and his wife Karen, formed a partnership with the Veteran's Affairs San Diego Health Care System and MiraCosta College to create the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) Program, which harnesses the skills that veterans gained in the military, while encouraging their recovery through working the farm and studying relevant MiraCosta College horticulture courses. At this small-scale Valley Center farm student veterans grow herbs, vegetables and fruit using hydroponic techniques and sustainable growing methods including solar and wind, and water conservation. This innovative program has garnered international attention, and has been featured in San Diego newspapers, television and radio, as well as in the New York Times and on Al Jazeera television.
For veterans to succeed in the classroom, they need quality instruction, support services and financial aid. Support services both on base and at the college help bridge the transition from a military career to a forward-facing career. Counseling services at Camp Pendleton screen service personnel, sometimes a full year before they are due to be discharged, in order to determine their aptitude for various kinds of future work. At MiraCosta College, the student-led Veterans Club at the college welcomes newcomers and orientations are conducted for new student-veterans, ensuring that their particular concerns are addressed.
Recognizing the difficulties veterans can often face when first attending classes, MiraCosta College opened a Veterans Lounge last year, which offers a haven for student veterans, a place to escape the busy pace of college where they can study, relax, have a cup of coffee or engage in conversation with others who know what it's like to wear a uniform. The Veterans Lounge is part of a full veterans department staffed with student-veterans and technical specialists who assist with the paperwork necessary to tap available educational benefits.
The college's student-veterans benefit from scholarships funded by the MiraCosta College Foundation, as well as from a “post 9/11” G.I. Bill. The bill provides a larger monthly allowance, direct reimbursement for fees and books, and market-based housing allowances that make getting a college education more feasible. The college foundation offers veteran's scholarships and a textbook program to help defray the rising costs of books and other classroom materials.
At this time of worldwide unrest, our military personnel unselfishly place their lives on the line, and it is our college's honor and privilege to serve them. We are now here to serve them as they adjust to the way of life they fought so bravely to preserve.