McKenzie, Tenn. – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) announced today that 14 Tennessee institutions of higher learning, including Bethel University, will receive funding and program support through the Veteran Reconnect Grant. The program is designed to assist veterans and service members in their pursuit of college degrees. Veteran Reconnect is part of Governor Bill Haslam’s Drive to 55 initiative to increase educational attainment in the state to 55 percent by the year 2025.
The 2018 Veteran Reconnect grants focus on improving the assessment of prior learning for student veterans returning to college. Prior learning assessment (PLA) at colleges and universities examines a veteran’s prior military training and grants equivalent college credit for those skills attained during service. This results in a student veteran completing their postsecondary credential in an accelerated timeframe.
Dr. Kimberly Martin, vice president of Bethel’s College of Professional Studies, helped develop the grant for the university.
“We are so honored for the College of Professional Studies and Bethel University to receive the Veteran Reconnect Grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission,” she said. “The College of Professional Studies already serves a large number of veteran students, and this grant will help us expand opportunities for these servicemen and women to earn college credit for their military experience.”
Dr. Martin stated that the program will help reduce the cost of earning a degree and the time required to complete a degree program at Bethel University.
Governor Bill Haslam, the driving force behind Drive to 55, noted that many Tennessee veterans put their education on hold to serve our nation in the armed forces. “As a state, we have an obligation to support them in completing their education,” Haslam said. “Through the Drive to 55, we can connect veterans with the postsecondary credentials that will help them further stand out in the workforce. Veteran Reconnect is one more way that Tennessee is investing in veterans and their future.”
To learn more about Bethel University’s College of Professional Studies programs or enrollment, contact representative Lance Tasker at (931) 444.9864 or taskerl@bethelu.edu. For more information about Bethel’s benefits for military students, go to: http://bethelsuccess.net/military-benefits/.