November 25, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - In an economy where the trend for several years has been to downsize operations, especially in industry, and in the current economy where not only downsizing and layoffs are the norm but others are required to work for no pay raises, the undereducated military veteran is losing ground quickly in the country he or she served and sacrificed to protect.
Many of these veterans find their high school education is no longer adequate to make a good living. Technology has leaped far beyond their ability to comprehend and the required knowledge base for employees is much higher than it used to be.
In addition, many returning veterans find themselves with physical or mental challenges that make some jobs unattainable and they must train anew to return to work after leaving the military. These men and women who left home to serve were fit and healthy and now, upon their return, have new challenges that complicate their lives.
Veteran Upward Bound at Western Kentucky University is offering help to veterans who need to re-educate themselves. This unique program, the only one in Kentucky, provides classes and enrollment services free to its participants to help them prepare to enter schools beyond the high school level.
The program began in 1972 to help Vietnam veterans return to civilian life and it continues today helping veterans of that era and newer veterans. The program at WKU has existed since 1992 and has served several thousand vets over the years.
“When I entered the military I had few options,” Veterans Upward Bound director Randy Wilson said. “I was unskilled and yet I also had no way to go to college. After serving I was eligible for the GI Bill but when I entered college the hurdles were tremendous and I found some of my education was not up to par so I had a nightmare of a time studying extra to keep good grades. I could have saved time, money and worry if I had had a VUB program to help me at that time but none was available in Kentucky at the time I entered school.
Veterans Upward Bound tries to make that journey to and through school as painless as possible for veterans who get too few breaks after leaving the service.”
Veterans Upward Bound is funded through the U.S. Department of Education with only 42 programs across the United States. Kentucky is fortunate to have even one program but even these trying times are challenging the program as it tries to maintain the quality of service veterans deserve even though it is flat funded for every four-year cycle. This means every year the program loses ground when its budget does not keep pace with inflation. Still, all its services are free to eligible veterans.
With the dismal financial future the country is facing it is hard to project how long this valuable program will endure the budget cuts coming out of Washington, D.C. The staff members of Veterans Upward Bound urge veterans to attend the program now instead of waiting until “some day when it is more convenient.” Some day for the program may be just around the corner and veterans should not lose the opportunity to improve their lives through the head start this program can offer them toward higher education.
For information about Veterans Upward Bound at WKU, interested veterans should call (270) 745-5310.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Randy Wilson at (270) 745-5310.
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