Policy Forum Co-Hosts Briefing with Student Veterans

Yesterday, the STEM Education Coalition Policy Forum co-hosted a briefing with Student Veterans of America. The Policy Forum was pleased to welcome the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Phil Roe.  Chairman Roe talked about the importance of the new STEM scholarship program in the Forever GI Bill and the need to get information about innovative learning programs to veterans through social media and the internet.

The panel was co-sponsored by Got Your 6, Hands on Science Partnership, American Chemical Society, American Society for Engineering Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Society of Women Engineers.

The diverse panel included representatives from the veterans community, post-secondary education, and industry. Gardner Carrick of The Manufacturing Institute discussing their pilot manufacturing skills program, which will allow active duty members of the Army to obtain training during the last six months of their service. The pilot program will begin in January 2018. John Decoteau III of Universal Technical Institute discussed a similar program established by UTI where active duty Marines can receive training to become BMW certified mechanics. Barrett Bogue represented Student Veterans of America and explained the value that veterans bring to higher education. Veterans typically outperform their peers and have shown great interest in STEM degrees. Dr. Ashok Agarwal of the American Society for Engineering Education presented ASEE’s career pathways program and discussed the need for veterans to have a clearer idea of how their military service will translate into college credits.

The STEM Education Coalition continues to include veterans inclusion in STEM to be a top priority and looks forward to the opportunity to work with Congress and the Administration on this issue.