Professor says veterans make ideal students
Published: October 26, 2012
WASHINGTON – Troops leaving the military and heading to college often voice concerns about how well they’ll match up with civilian students who are younger and unfamiliar with the armed forces. But according to a piece on the Huffington Post on Thursday, professors think those veterans are a perfect fit for the classroom.
Georgetown University Spanish professor Barbara Mujica writes that educators she works with enjoy having veterans as students, because of the experience and perspective they bring.
"Because they have actually experienced the realities of war, operated in foreign environments, and negotiated with -- and often befriended -- people of other cultures, student veterans take classroom discussion from the theoretical to the real. … While courses in public policy and the ethics of war seem tailor-made for veteran participation, professors in other fields have also found the input of veterans to be invaluable.
“Professor Melissa Baralt, of Florida International University, says that because of their exposure to foreign languages, veterans excel in her linguistics courses. … Business professors are exceptionally enthusiastic about veterans because of their leadership and management experience. … Veterans bring new insights that enrich and enliven classes for everyone.”
Nearly 850,000 veterans and their family members have attended college using the post-9/11 GI Bill since August 2009.
