Message from Pesident Pennoni Regarding the Drexel Veterans Task Force
Dear Colleagues,
Drexel, like many colleges and universities, has seen increased enrollment of veteran students as a result of the new Yellow Ribbon program.
In preparation for this, a Drexel Veterans Task Force was created in August by Mark Greenberg, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Joan McDonald, senior vice president for enrollment management, and David Ruth, dean of students. The Task Force's role is to help Drexel make veterans' entry into University life as smooth as possible by addressing their personal and academic needs, and to create opportunities for veterans' life experiences to help educate current, non-military, Drexel students.
The task force is led by Melissa Englund, assistant vice president for enrollment planning and retention services, and Shannon Finning, associate dean of students. Task Force members include David Jones (Pennoni Honors College), Louisa Kopp (Alumni Relations), Samantha Scheidler (Student Financial Services), Rachelle Marks (Registrar), Regan Buker (Strategic Communication), Jenny Dugger (Disability Services), Ken Hartman (eLearning), Linda Pohl (College of Arts and Sciences), Jeff Linskens (Financial Aid), Annette Molyneux (Counseling
Services) and Toni Torres (Academic Advising, Retention, and Diversity).
The Task Force has been charged with:
* Strengthening task force members' knowledge about best practices regarding educating returning military veterans.
* Developing an official welcome program and periodic events to recognize our new and returning veteran students.
* Alerting the administration to any administrative obstacles impeding the enrollment or retention of military veterans.
* Developing a dedicated Web site for veteran students, easily accessible from our home page and populated with news, information and programming announcements.
* Assessing veteran students' unique needs and developing and promoting programs, services and initiatives specific to these needs.
* Opening an office dedicated to Veteran Student Services, offering one-stop help from a staff knowledgeable about the issues facing adult students with families, with life experiences that may or may not have included higher education and perhaps with medical and health issues associated with military service and combat.
* Providing educational outreach about our veteran population to faculty, staff and students to create a "veteran-friendly" campus community.
* Implementing a program to meet advising and mentorship needs and promote connections between the veterans joining us and current Drexel students alumni, faculty and staff with military service backgrounds.
The Task Force will update the University community periodically, beginning with information about Veterans Week programs (November 9-13), including a reception for student, faculty and staff veterans and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Veteran Student Services.
If you have feedback or suggestions for the Task Force, please contact Shannon Finning at
sfinning@drexel.edu. Thank you in advance for your efforts to make Drexel a great environment for veterans.
C. R. "Chuck" Pennoni
President
