Identifying Student Military Service Member/Veteran Cultural Assets on University-to-Career Pathways: A Qualitative Analysis

• In Event: Assets and Challenges of Groups Not Often Discussed

Abstract

Since the establishment of post-9/11 GI higher education benefits, student military service members/veterans (SSM/Vs) have been one of the fastest-growing groups of nontraditional students in American universities. Despite their expanded enrollment and potential to diversify university and workforce fields, contemporary discussions typically center on SSM/V psychological trauma, campus alienation, and other challenges. A focus on SSM/Vs’
unique cultural strengths, however, may be more effective in supporting these students as they make their way through college and into civilian careers. Using asset-based theory and interviews of SSM/Vs (n=35), this qualitative study outlines five forms of military-oriented cultural strength participants strongly connected to their academic and early career success, including service orientation, time on-the-job, interactional fluency, active fortitude, and systems for living.

Author

• Ross J. Benbow, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author