Date of Graduation

5-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Higher Education (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Miller, Michael T.

Committee Member

Gearhart, G. David

Second Committee Member

Nadler, Dan

Keywords

Higher education; Stress processing theory; Veterans; Veteran academic success; VA funding

Abstract

Veteran students are increasingly prominent in U.S. colleges and universities. The transition from military to civilian life is already challenging, and the transition to the academic realm can be even more so, especially when most veteran students are also first-generation college students, transfer students from community colleges to 4-year universities, or both. The specific problem is that the transition from military to student life requires significant adjustment on the part of both veterans and schools, and it was not known how these students’ school leaders could best help these veteran students adjust. The purpose for conducting this quantitative, historical, non-experimental correlational study is to determine whether targeted programs for veteran students are helpful to show how best to allocate resources for their education. The theoretical framework guiding this study is stress processing theory. The existing literature had not yet explored how effective school programs for veteran students are in helping these students. Therefore, the current study furthered the understanding of stress processing theory and might show academic and practical insights into how resources and funding allocation influenced veteran students. Specifically, I investigated the relationships between school funding, VA benefit funding, academic success, and graduation rates. The findings of the study showed no relationship between VA funding, school funding, and veteran graduation rates. The findings warrant future research on how VA funding and school funding are being used and the types of student veteran programs that are effective in increasing veteran graduation rates and academic performances.

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