Attaining Higher Education

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Available now till 2025-06-30
20.00 Educational Hours
Beginner
Language :
English
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About this Course

Attaining Higher Education is a course designed to facilitate the successful transition of active duty service members and veterans to postsecondary education, whether at a two- or four-year college for an associate's or bachelor's degree, or even graduate school. Too often, service members and veterans transition with little information, or incorrect information, about what makes students successfully realize their goals through higher education. Frequently they are left to navigate a difficult and complicated transition to higher education without robust support or complete information.

This course is designed to break down the process of transition to education and to assist service members in finding an educational program that fully maximizes their potential. The course:

  • lays out how to approach admissions processes to institutions of higher education
  • guides students through the self-assessment needed to determine if and how to apply wisely
  • challenges students to consider the factors which make a college a right fit for them
  • offers an overview of the college application process, whether at a community college or four-year college
  • provides a summary of the most common sources of financial aid available to many transitioning service members and veterans

From intentional decision making--a method through which service members and veterans connect their life and military experiences with a potential academic or career path--to choosing a right fit college, understanding the application process, and financing their education, this course will provide tangible ways to successfully navigate all of these benchmarks in the transition to higher education.

While this course is open to everyone, the content has been tailored specifically for active duty service members and veterans, especially those who aspire to start school or return to school soon, and higher education professionals who work to support student veterans.

Instructors

Beth E. Morgan
Beth E. Morgan
Born in Quantico, Virginia, Beth grew up in a Marine Corps family and was raised around the world, living for periods of time in Hawaii, Germany, and Korea. Professionally, Beth has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, for several non-profits, as a consultant, and on staff at major universities throughout the United States, including Colgate University, Princeton University, and the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration at Columbia University, Beth worked most recently with the non-profit Service to School as Executive Director and previously directed the Marine Corps Leadership Scholar Program (LSP), both of which assisted transitioning service members and veterans with admission to undergraduate and graduate programs. Beth has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University.
R.J. Jenkins
R.J. Jenkins
Before joining the Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition and Integration as a Curriculum Designer in 2016, R.J. served as an Associate Dean of Students at Columbia University’s School of General Studies where he directed the Academic Resource Center and served as the lead instructor for University Studies, a transition course for first-year, non-traditional students. An award-winning teacher, R.J. has advised college students at Columbia, Cambridge, and Harvard Universities, and has taught courses in English and American literature, literary history, close reading, academic skill-building, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. R.J. holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and anthropology from Columbia University (2003), a Master of Letters in English literature from the University of Cambridge (2005), and is currently pursuing doctoral work in English literature.
Skip Bailey
Skip Bailey
William ”Skip” Bailey has been a financial aid administrator for more than 34 years. He has been managing financial aid for non-traditional students at the School of General Studies (GS) for over 20 years. Previously he administered financial aid at multiple colleges including the University of San Diego and the University of Michigan. A degree in education from Michigan State University and lots of experience has provided Skip with the tools he uses every day to assist students at GS with the myriad issues involved with college financial aid.
Tanya Ang
Tanya Ang

Tanya has supported the military-connected student community for more than 20 years. She has served as an advocate for student veterans at Veterans Education Success, at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and also served as the Director of Veterans Programs at the American Council on Education. Prior to joining ACE, Tanya worked at two universities including working as an Administrative Analyst for the Vice President of Student Affairs Office at California State University - Fullerton and as Associate Registrar at Vanguard University where most her work focused on the non-traditional student including military and student veterans. She was the certifying official at her institution for student veteran GI Bill benefits and worked hand-in-hand with the various offices on-campus to ensure students received the benefits and the support they needed to successfully navigate their academic career. In her current role, she works to ensure military-connected students have access to high-quality education to achieve their long-term career goals. Tanya is the first in her family to graduate from college and earned her BA in Communications at Biola University and an MA in Organizational Leadership at Vanguard University.

Dirk Vanderlaan
Dirk Vanderlaan
Before starting work as a technical recruiter in his native California, Dirk attended the Columbia University School of General Studies where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2014). After serving in the United States Air Force (2005-2009) he moved to New York, and after completing his studies started his recruiting career as an Admissions Manager working with adult and military veteran students seeking completion of their Bachelor degrees at Columbia University. Upon moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016, he spearheaded recruitment efforts for the School of General Studies in California before transitioning into a technical recruiting role in Silicon Valley where he has also remained active with organizations such as FourBlock and the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration.
Tiffany Decker
Tiffany Decker

Tiffany Decker leads Columbia’s School of General Studies graduate and professional school initiatives, and in collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, develops new initiatives to support undergraduate research. She also facilitates curriculum development for GS's international dual- and joint-degree programs, helping build degree plans across a range of academic disciplines.

Prior to joining GS, Tiffany worked at MIT, where she focused on access for underrepresented students into STEM fields. In this role she was recognized by Harvard and Google for her pioneering research initiatives. A native Californian, Tiffany moved across the country to start her career as an English teacher with Teach for America in Paterson, New Jersey. In this role, she was named a District Model Teacher. A first-generation college student hailing from long line of service members, Tiffany’s scholarship focuses on student access to tertiary and graduate education. She holds a B.A. in English and history from Agnes Scott College and an M.S.Ed. in higher education administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nick Utzig
Nick Utzig

Nick Utzig is a PhD candidate in English at Harvard University, where he works as a teaching fellow and studies the influence of militarism in the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Nick’s dissertation considers the ways in which the return from war is featured in English Renaissance drama.