Archive for military – Page 2

Yellow Ribbon Program Instructions 2012

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs provides significant financial aid opportunities to students who served in the U.S. Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001, as well as the dependents of these veterans. More information about the bill’s benefits and eligibility requirements is available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/.

In addition, through an initiative authorized by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, higher education institutions can provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant that is matched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This program, known as the Yellow Ribbon Program, enhances the base tuition benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill for those students that qualify at the 100% level for the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

SIPA is happy to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.  Qualifying veterans and qualifying dependents of veterans may apply for consideration beginning Friday, June 15, 2012, at 1p.m. EDT.  Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program is determined on a first-come, first-served basis.  The application will be available at:  http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/financial_aid/index.html.   Please check the site on June 15th.

For details about the Yellow Ribbon Program, visit The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website.  If you have questions about your eligibility level for The Post 9/11 GI Bill, please contact the VA at www.va.gov or 1-888-442-4551. 

For general information about veteran affairs at Columbia University, please visit: www.veteranaffairs.columbia.edu.

Yellow Ribbon Reminder

This is just a reminder that the Yellow Ribbon application online interest form goes live tomorrow. Remember that consideration is based on a first-come, first-served basis so if you qualify it is very important that you submit your information as soon as possible after the link goes live.

The date and link to the location are below.  If you have questions about whether you are eligible, please visit this blog entry that was posted on May 20th for details.

Date and Time:  Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. EST

Link: http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/financial_aid/forms_online.html

 

Yellow Ribbon Program Instructions 2011

As those with a U.S. military background probably know, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs provides significant financial aid opportunities to students who served in the U.S. Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001, as well as the dependents of these veterans. More information about the bill’s benefits and eligibility requirements is available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/.

In addition, through an initiative authorized by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, higher education institutions can provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant that is matched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This program, known as the Yellow Ribbon Program, enhances the base tuition benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill for those students that qualify at the 100% level for the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

SIPA is happy to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.  If you are a qualifying veteran, or the qualifying dependent of a veteran, and you are interested in benefiting from the Yellow Ribbon Program, you must submit an online form for our office to consider.  The online form for SIPA will go live on Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. EST.  As stipulated by the Post 9/11 GI Bill, eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program is determined on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is important that you complete this form as soon as possible after it goes live.

The link to the form for those interested in the Yellow Ribbon Program will go live on the following site on Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. EST:

http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/financial_aid/forms_online.html

I encourage applicants to visit the link now to become familiar with the page and where the Yellow Ribbon link resides.  The link will be on the bottom of the page but it will not activate until the stated time of Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. EST.

For more information about veteran affairs at Columbia more generally, please visit:

www.veteranaffairs.columbia.edu.

Lunch Conversation

Each year we are lucky to have many current SIPA students volunteer their time to assist the Admissions Office in some way.  At the end of the year we thank many of them by taking them to lunch and yesterday I had the opportunity to engage in some conversation over a great seared tuna salad.  I thought I would share some of what was talked about.

I was first reminded of the great diversity of our student body.  For example, one student had served in the U.S. military for over ten years prior to coming to SIPA, one had worked for an NGO focused on development issues in Africa, another worked for a non-profit focused on international education, and another had served in the Peace Corps.  This was just on my side of the table.

One student highlighted the benefit of having such a diverse student body.  She said something along the lines of the following –

“My internship took place in a country I had never been to before.  The great thing about SIPA is that there were students from that country enrolled.  I emailed some of them, got together with them and asked for tips on how I could make a smooth transition into the culture.  Now that I will be graduating I know that I can use my fellow graduates and alumni network for the same purpose in the future.  Diversity is such a tremendous resource.”

Another student commented on what he hated about SIPA.  He said something along the lines of the following –

“I hate that I have to miss so many events.  There is always so much going that I cannot do.  For example there is great discussion taking place today on the impact the death of Osama Bin Laden is going to have but I cannot go because I have to write a final paper.  I swear that if I won the lottery I would just live a few blocks from SIPA and just spend all of my time going to events.”

I asked one student why she chose SIPA.  She had been accepted to many schools but here is basically what she had to say –

“New York!  I mean come on, everyone who is anyone comes to New York.  I was walking across campus last year and saw Bill Gates walking with Warren Buffet – how crazy is that?  I just could not turn down the chance to live and study in New York.  On campus or in the city you can basically interact with every culture on the planet.”

Another conversation revolved around the ability to receive an informal education on the religions of the world.  A few students talked about how they got into conversations with students that practiced religions they did not know much about.  They said it was wonderful to learn about different religious traditions in a conversational and social environment where there was not pressure on a particular issues, but rather just friendly conversation about why certain practices and observances are important.

Social occasions like this with students remind me of how fortunate I am to work with in such a rich environment.  New students, you have a lot to look forward to and I am envious of the experience you are going to have.

Pat Tillman Foundation – Tillman Military Scholars Scholarship Information

Columbia University has been selected by the Pat Tillman Foundation as a Tillman Military Scholar University Partner for the 2011-2012 academic year.

University Partners are chosen to solicit and submit candidates for receipt of the Tillman Military Scholarship through the Pat Tillman Foundation.  This prestigious and selective partnership will enable Columbia University’s student veterans and their eligible dependents to apply for this scholarship.

The Pat Tillman Foundation was created in honor of professional football player and military hero Pat Tillman. Tillman played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2001 and enlisted in the United States Army in 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.  Tillman died in Afghanistan as a result of friendly fire in 2004.  The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is “to invest in veterans and their families through education and community”.

As such, this scholarship not only helps student veterans cover the direct costs of tuition and fees but it also acts as a critical resource for other expenses including housing and child care.  In addition to this scholarship, recipients become members of the “Tillman Community” where they have access to a national network of members and are provided other essential resources including leadership, service and advocacy opportunities.

The Foundation chooses University Partners who are proven military-friendly institutions that offer specific support services for service members and their families and have a significant percentage of military enrollments, in addition to other criteria.  Hunter I Riley, Pat Tillman Foundation Director of Programs, recently stated, “By working with partner institutions like Columbia University, who have shown ingenuity in delivering veteran-specific support services, we are able to funnel a ready source of assistance onto a campus which already demonstrates a culture of support for student veterans and military families.”

All applications will be submitted through the Pat Tillman Foundation website and then forwarded to the Columbia University selection committee for review.  The committee will then recommend the highest scoring applicants to the Pat Tillman Foundation as potential recipients of the scholarship.  The final selection will then be made by the Pat Tillman Foundation.

For more information about the application process and to view the application questions now, please visit the Pat Tillman Foundation website www.pattillmanfoundation.org.  The information is listed under the Tillman Military Scholars tab.  The full application for the 2011/2012 academic year will be available on March 7, 2011.

The application deadline for filing is April 8, 2011.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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