Grants available for student-veteran centers - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Grants available for student-veteran centers

The Department of Education has announced that it will make grants available to 19 colleges or universities to help pay for student-veteran centers.

Thirty or more institutions of higher learning could vie for $6 million in grants, said Ray Kelley, national legislative director of AmVets, which has been pushing the idea of one-stop centers to help student veterans with admission, registration, financial aid, personal and mental health issues, and other needs.

“Our hope is that this is an idea that really takes off,” Kelley said. “This has a lot of promise for really helping veterans.”

Institutions have until Sept. 28 to apply for grants, which Education Department officials said will be awarded based on who makes the best presentation for a program to help recruit veterans, keep them in school and help them graduate. Programs that help veterans who are disabled, need help with the English language, or have been homeless also will have a better chance of being picked.

The notice does not say how long it might take for grants to be awarded, but Kelley said he expects money to be available in time to pay for student-veteran centers to be up and running by early 2011.

There is nothing that prevents colleges or universities from operating student-veteran centers with their own money or private funds, Kelley said, but the federal grant program would require a baseline level of essential services.

Some institutions claim to have student-veteran programs that amount to little more than one person to help veterans apply for GI Bill benefits, Kelley said.

That is a useful service, but is not the same as a center that provides a wider range of help, he said.