From executive development leadership courses for service members to a physician assistant degree program designed for returning veterans, the University of North Carolina has been dedicated to bringing education to the armed forces.
May 12, Carolina announced two more impressive initiatives that will help service members and veterans succeed in the classroom — both on campus and online.
During a ceremony at the FedEx Global Education Center attended by 100 faculty, staff and community members, Chancellor Carol L. Folt officially launched UNC Core, a new distance-learning program for service members. She also announced the addition of a new full-time position dedicated to helping veterans navigate the higher education process.
“We all know that access to higher education changes lives,” Folt said. “We want to make it possible for our active-duty military to be pursuing their educational goals while they’re also serving the nation. By doing so, they will be better prepared to use their skills while they’re actively serving, but also to be able to enter the workforce as civilians, or to continue their education immediately upon leaving the service.”
For years, Carolina has been providing education opportunities for service members. Those opportunities include Kenan-Flagler Business School’s online MBA, accounting programs and executive development courses, which host senior military leaders to accelerate transitions to new leadership roles; the School of Medicine’s physician assistant degree program; and the Warrior-Scholar Project, which aims to serve as a bridge for veterans by immersing them in an intensive reading and writing program.
Service members attend the UNC-Chapel Hill announcement of two new programs that support active duty military personnel and veterans at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I’m pleased and honored to be a part of the work that this great university is doing to make sure that our veteran students have the opportunities to flourish — not just to be here, not just to succeed and be in and out — but to actually flourish and succeed in the best way that we can possibly provide,” said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp.
In an effort to help even more veterans flourish, the newly-announced Student Veteran Assistance Coordinator position will work across the university and state to focus on ways to make Carolina a positive experience for veterans. A hire will be made this summer in the Office of the Dean of Students.
“This position will be the glue connecting student veterans to a network of support in every arena of campus life,” Crisp said.
UNC Core, housed in the Friday Center for Continuing Education, will also serve members of the military – wherever they are serving in the world.
Through self-paced and semester-based courses, the program helps active-duty service members, veterans and National Guard and Reserve members from North Carolina complete general education college courses from a distance on a flexible schedule.
“There are over 100,000 active-duty military in the state of North Carolina, and it’s our responsibility to make sure we’re providing higher education opportunities for the people who serve and defend our country,” said Rob Bruce, director of the Friday Center for Continuing Education. “These are men and women who need accessible, flexible, innovative courses and programs. They can’t come to Chapel Hill and take our courses in person, so we take our courses, our research and our faculty to them.”
Open to all military members, UNC Core prepares students for degree completion programs by fulfilling core requirements needed to enroll. Students can take courses in humanities and fine art; English composition; social and behavioral sciences; mathematics; natural sciences and foreign languages.
While most classes in the program are conducted by UNC-Chapel Hill, courses are also offered through East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Western Carolina University.
Courses are offered in both self-paced and semester-based formats. The self-paced courses can be started at any time, and students have nine months from the start date to complete the course. Semester-based courses — following the Carolina academic calendar — are fully online and most don’t require participation at any set times of day.
After completing the core courses approved for transfer, the service members can apply the credits to their chosen degree program at one of the university system colleges.
“UNC-Chapel Hill has a history of serving the entire state, and this is yet another example of how we can help diverse student populations achieve their higher education goals,” Bruce said.
The Friday Center’s courses proved critical for Stephanie Henry, who was just eight months away from graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001 when she had to withdrawal from all of her classes when her reserve military police unit was called to active duty. Thanks to long-distance courses while she was stationed at Fort Bragg, Henry was ultimately able to complete her an exercise and sports science degree in 2008.
“I don’t know if I would have finished,” she said. “It’s incredibly hard to go back to school when life starts.”
Henry said the UNC Core program could be beneficial to any service member looking to continue their education.
“If they have this opportunity and they’ve had the smallest idea that they want to go to college, they should try it,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Ultimately, Bruce said, the goal will be for Carolina to also provide a degree completion program as the University continues to provide opportunities for the military community.
“UNC Core is a first step for us,” Folt said. “It’s a big step for us.”
By Brandon Bieltz, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
