Dr. Kaye Whitley Leads Veteran Transition Symposium

yellow ribbon On October 12, Dr. Kaye Whitley, visiting professor of counseling, led a symposium for veterans transitioning into scholarship held at the HSC Foundation headquarters, co-hosted by GSEHD. Titled "Successful Transitions: Supporting Veterans Through Higher Education and Beyond," the event was the second in a series of symposia that will inform the development of a white paper to be released 2013.

Paul Tschudi, assistant professor of counseling and team content expert, Courtney Geiber, a counseling doctoral candidate and team project coordinator, and Craig Windham adjunct professor of counseling and program facilitator, co-led the event.

The goal of this project is to create a resource outlining challenges faced by veterans of the military as they transition to becoming students of higher education, and recommendations for best practices within institutions of higher education. The findings and recommendations will be shared with universities nationwide via webinars.

At the symposium, which was co-hosted by the HSC Foundation and GSEHD's Department of Counseling and Human Development, veteran students as well as administrators and counselors from several universities discussed veteran students' challenges, strengths, and possible solutions for success. The event was also sponsored by the National Youth Transitions Center/National Veterans Center. Dr. Whitley is a visiting professor at GSEHD through an agreement between GW and the U.S. Department of Defense, and serves as the project lead on the partnership with the HSC Foundation.