Grand Valley State University has lent a hand to service members
by joining the Servicemen Opportunity College Consortium (SOC).

GVSU will join 1,900 other institutions that provide educational opportunities to service members, their families and veterans. These educational opportunities include associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s programs on college campuses for those service members who find it difficult to get an education from moving from place to place.

President Thomas J. Haas and Jean Nagelkerk, the vice provost for health, requested that GVSU become a member; and although GVSU isn’t near any active military bases, a small portion of students will benefit from the SOC.

“The SOC guidelines ensure that participating institutions will offer flexibility and transparency in helping service members earn their degrees in a timely manner without penalty if deployed or ordered to relocate,” said Steven Lipnicki, assistant dean of students.”

In order to become a member, Lipnicki said that GVSU had to confirm it met all four criteria requested by the SOC. The four criteria include transferring credits to minimize loss of credit and avoid duplication of coursework, limit academic residency requirements for active-duty service members, credit learning from military training and experience, and crediting extra-institutional learning.

The SOC was created in 1972 and cooperates with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense and Active and Reserve Components of the Military Services to promote post secondary education.

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