1. Center of Excellence
for Veteran Student
Success
Evaluation By: CREAL
Presentation By: Antonio Banks
S

2. Overview Of Presentation
S Introduction of Center
S Objectives/ Goals of Center
S Progress of Center So Far
S Evaluation Model
S Current Evaluation Efforts
S Findings
S Future Steps For Evaluation

3. Center of Excellence for
Veteran Student Success
Introduction
S $318,000.00/ 3 year grant provided by the US
Department of Education as an initiative to increase
overall student support services for veteran students.
S Staff Overseeing Project
S Susan Leavy, Director
S Joseph Chang, Project Coordinator
S Katherine Baeza-Pruitt, Assistant Coordinator

4. CEVSS Goals/Objectives
Overview
S Transitional Support from military life to an academic
environment is important to retaining veteran students
S Providing veterans with accurate information that is easily
accessible can have a significant influence on veteran
enrollment, persistence and completion.
S Veteran women are in need of unique support resources and
services to foster achievement in a challenging academic
environment.
S Academic advising and personal support critical to retention

5. Progress Made
S Created Expanded Veteran Student Orientations
S Improve website & increase internet assistance for student
veterans
S Utilize social media
S Mentor Training
S Open House
S Discussion Groups
S Focus Groups around veteran student experience (3 in Spring
‘11)

6. Center of Excellence for
Veteran Student Success
Interventions
S Academic Enrichment Intervention
S University 300 course (Implemented next fall)
S Veteran-Specific tutors in Math/English
S Orientation tailored for veteran students
S Student Tracking of Persistence via Student Tracking and
Early Alert Retention System (STEARS) / Sun Hye Moon

7. Center of Excellence for Veteran
Student Success Interventions
(Cont.d)
S Additional Student Support:
S Support Groups
S Veteran Student Services Websites
S Peer Mentoring
S Veteran Specific Counseling and Psychological (CAPS)
S Subsidized Child Care

8. Evaluation Model
CEVS Program Theory CEVS Program Activities CEVS Program Outcomes
· Transitional Support from military life to an academic · Veterans Advisory Board working to improve, integrate
environment is important to retaining veteran students
veterans’ services. · Increased veteran student enrollment by
· Providing veterans with accurate information that is easily · Expanded four hour orientation to ease the transition of 10%
accessible can have a significant influence on veteran adjusting from military to academic life and 10 week
enrollment, persistence and completion.
· Increase veteran student persistence by
transitional support University 300 course
20%; expected 70% of students will
· Veteran women are in need of unique support resources and · Individual action plan for each veteran student who chooses to
services to foster achievement in a challenging academic participate; includes math tutoring and writing center
graduate in four-year span
environment. assistance via University Learning Center. · Increase veteran student four-year
· Academic advising and personal support critical to retention · Weekly Female veteran’s support group graduation rates by 3%
· Two-day professional development workshop for CAPS to · Specified services for women veterans
handle military veteran counseling implemented and utilized
· Create a Center that is self-sustaining
beyond the three years it is funded by the
CEVS Program Goals grant.
· Establish a Veterans Support Advisory Board That will support the Program
Coordinator to ensure a single point of contact for veteran students
· Improve veteran student’s academic performance through University 300
course.
· Increase veteran student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates through
improving non-academic resources.
· Increase outreach to non-traditional, underserved veteran students
· Create specialized support systems for female veterans.
CREAL Evaluation Activities CREAL Evaluation Outcomes
CREAL Evaluation Goals
· Focus Groups · Student Academic Persistence and
· Monitor veteran student’s persistence from · Formative evaluation for adjustment of project graduation rates
one year to the next strategies
· Student participation in the CEVS programs
· Annual evaluation to focus on accomplishments
· Monitor and assess the effectiveness of each and services
of the specific objectives.
of the programs implemented by the CEVS · Survey of veteran students and faculty to assess
· Document program design and value of the Veterans Advisory Board
implementation · Student Assessment of Learning Gains survey *Annual report on program outcomes along with
recommendations for program improvement.
*Using surveys, focus groups, document analyses, and
observations for data collection purposes

9. CREAL Evaluation Actions in
Baseline Year
S Coordinating with CEVSS leadership group
S Representatives at first two focus groups
S Qualtrics baseline survey examining veteran student
demographics, and access to academic & student
support services
S Developing action plan for subsequent year.

10. Findings
Demographics of Veteran Student
Levels of Satisfaction with Educational Variables
60%
Respondents
Perception and Value ofof Veteran Specific Services
Perceived Access Student Support Services
70%
90%
50% White/ Caucasian
80%
40%70%
60% 9%
African American/ Black
30%60%
50%
50% 13% American Indian/ Alaska
20%
40% Native 80% 85%
Extremely Satisfied
10%30% 61% 45% 71% Asian American/ Asian Somewhat Satisfied
40% 4% Extremely Valuable
47% 50%
0%20% 36% Neutral Very Valuable
29.63% 27.27% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific
10%
30% 24.07% 23.64%
20.00% 22.22% Islander 16.67% Somewhat Unsatisfied
5.56%
3.70% 3.64%
5.45% 16.36%
3.64%
3.64% 11.11%
3.70%
1.85% 16.36%
7.27%1.82%
3.64% 5.56%3.70%
3.70% Somewhat Valuable
10.91% 1.82%
1.82%
0.00%
0% 13% ExtremelyVery Invaluable
Mexican American/ Chicano Unsatisfied
20% Veterans Student Veteran Students' Veterans' Campus Weekly General Counseling and Peer Mentoring Opinion Female
No Weekly
Services Website Orientation Events Discussion Group Psychological Program Extremely Invaluable
Veteran's Support
Puerto Rican
Services (CAPS) Group
10% 2% Other Latino
Neutral or No Opinion Extremely Effective
13% Somewhat Effective Somewhat Ineffective Extremely ineffective
9%
0% 6% Other
Ethnic / Career Women's Veterans Titan Financial Aid Student Rec Children's Titan
Cultural Center Center Services Bookstore Center Center Student
Centers Union

11. CREAL Evaluation Action Plan
Next Year
S Analyzing number of students who persisted from 2010-
2011 academic year to 2011-2012 academic school year
S Specialized focus on quality and quantity of services being
offered for women veterans
S Support Group Assessment, Feedback, Evaluation
S Monthly Brunch Assessment, Feedback, Evaluation
S Analyzing barriers and supports for persistence:
S Personal
S Environmental
S Academic