The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) announced it has awarded Military Credit Equivalency (MCE) Grant funds to The University of Olivet, totaling $49,210. The new grant program was created to support colleges and universities in their efforts to develop college transfer credit equivalencies for the education and training that veterans received while they served in the military.
Many veterans and service members learn during their transition to higher education that their prior military education does not always easily translate into college-level credit. “The MVAA recognized an opportunity to work collaboratively with post-secondary institutions to create stronger links between learning acquired in the military and academic credit,” said MVAA Director James Robert Redford. “MCE Grant recipients are paving the way for developing access to high-demand career fields for veterans in Michigan. We are proud to support their efforts in contributing to the academic and professional successes of veterans.”
The University of Olivet was selected to receive the one-time funding through a competitive grant process. The awarded funds will offer the college the opportunity to expand its commitment to make Olivet even more veteran-friendly, which will include the development of a web-based platform for credit assessment.
“The platform will allow those eligible to receive a prompt credit assessment of their military training transcript as applied to select content areas offered at The University of Olivet,” Tom Sampson, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor, said. “The strength of our proposal lies in the intent to have the MCE assessment completed promptly by a faculty member who teaches in the department of interest. Our goal is to establish a professional relationship between a potential student-veteran and professor, even prior to formal application or admission. Eligible veterans have many options for using their educational benefits. We want to be the first option.”
“The University of Olivet has a strong commitment to serving our active military and veteran-students,” said Maria Davis, Ph.D., provost and dean of the college. “We are pleased to be able to extend that support through the work we proposed in the grant.”