Military-Connected Student Support Strategy

Over the past year, the Military and Veterans’ Resource Center (MAVRC) has worked to understand our student’s challenges and needs through our current state assessment. With our assessment complete, it’s time to act. Today, I am proud to share the MAVRC’s 3-Year Student Support Strategy. This data-driven strategy consists of three major initiatives designed to cast the widest net of support and assist our students with overcoming their most pressing challenges.

Our student’s primary mission must be successfully navigating their transition into higher education and beyond. Stressors—such as worrying when housing allowances will arrive and how to access healthcare—can distract our students from succeeding. As such, strategic initiative one is dedicated to delivering streamlined support services. We will adopt new technologies to dispatch faster services with fewer referrals. We will build partnerships to help our students access healthcare and receive robust and tailored career services. We will operationalize Cura Personalis to holistically care for the needs of each student to ensure they can flourish while at Georgetown.

The first 24 months after separation is critical. During this time, studies show veterans are more likely to develop mental health conditions and, unfortunately, succumb to veteran suicide. Thus, we must catch all of our students—online and in-person—right at the military-to-civilian transition doorway. We must quickly identify our students, help activate their benefits, connect them with support, and ensure they can seamlessly integrate into the Georgetown community. Thus, strategic initiative two aims to develop a tailored and accessible orientation experience.

Military-connected students are currently underrepresented at the undergraduate level at Georgetown. Today, some undergraduate students will spend their entire tenure at Georgetown without sharing a classroom with a military-connected student. As a Jesuit institution founded by a student veteran that values community in diversity—we can and will do better. Therefore, the goal of strategic initiative three is to increase undergraduate military-connected student enrollment. We intend to make Georgetown more financially accessible to those who have served by working to expand Yellow Ribbon scholarships to cover the full cost of tuition.

We will reevaluate our student support strategy annually and make changes as needed. If you have comments, feedback, or ideas for collaboration, please submit them here. I look forward to working alongside you as we build a better, military-inclusive Georgetown.

Best,