Veterans Education: Coming Home to the Community College Classroom

The purpose of this study was to identify the needs of veterans who are community college students and to examine community college programs and services essential to meeting their needs. A qualitative case study design using interviews, observations, field notes, document reviews, a focus group, and a preinterview demographic questionnaire provides a holistic account of the community college experience for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. This research study gives a voice to veterans who are community college students, and provides community colleges with insights that may enable them to improve their services for this population. Five major themes relating to the veterans’ perspectives of their needs at the case institution emerged from the data: (a) credit streamlining; (b) streamlining of programs and services; (c) faculty, advisor, and counselor training; (d) difficulties encountered by veterans, and (e) factors that constitute a veteran friendly campus. These five themes are linked and presented in an integrated way in order to holistically address the study’s three research questions. What do veterans perceive their needs to be at the community college? What programs and services are currently in place at the community college to address the needs of veterans? What recommendations can be made for improving the veterans’ community college experience? This study adds to the body of knowledge and potentially contributes to a future blueprint for the successful education of veterans who are community college students