Veterans and Military Services Program

Hired in June 2008, Philip Larson serves as the director of the program, coordinating services and resources for new and current military-connected students to assist in their transition to the university. A veteran of the United States Air Force (four years) and the United States Air Force Reserve (three years), Larson received his B.S. in Biology and his M.S. in Student Affairs Administration, both from Indiana University. Prior to joining the ONSP, he worked in student services affairs at U-M, The Ohio State University, and at Arkansas State University, where he designed and implemented a variety of programs and services for students.

Co-Founded in 2007 by University of Michigan LSA junior Derek Blumke, The Student Veterans of America (SVA) has grown into a national organization with over 1,000 schools participating and advocating on a national level for student veterans across the country. SVA was instrumental in advising Congress on the Post 9/11 GI Bill^® in 2008. The U-M chapter of SVA continues to thrive with monthly meetings, the annual SVA Benefit Dinner, career preparation events, and various charitable and social events.

The POC is often the first person a prospective student veteran/military speaks with about U-M. The office receives an average of one to two calls per day from individuals inquiring about VA benefits or admission to the university. The program director often talks to undergraduate potential students about their “Navigation to Michigan” — where a student may have to take some classes at the community college level or at another university or college before applying to the University of Michigan. The program director also answers student questions about the application process, academic units or schools, and the VA benefits available. The program director often refers students to other university offices, schools and colleges for unit specific advice. VMS has developed an application checklist specifically for military and veteran students.

Service to School is a 501C3 non-profit that provides college application assistance to veterans and military members. Vetlink is a part of Service to School that targets specific elite schools and colleges. It offers advice and mentorship to students who are thinking of applying to: University of Michigan, Amherst College, Cornell University, The University of Chicago, Emory University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pomona College, Princeton University, Smith College, Stanford University, Syracuse University, University of Notre Dame, Williams College, and Yale University.

Service to School and Vetlink assist partner schools in identifying and recruiting qualified applicants for their institutions. It helps students find a top college or university that best fits their academic or interest goals. It has over 400 volunteers that provide 1-1 mentorship in the application process from transcript review to application preparation. Currently, they have 800 to 1,200 applicants per year with about 80 getting into the schools listed above. To sign up for Service to School/Vetlink on the Service to School website.

LSA, Ross School of Business, and The School of Engineering are collaborating with OEM in the Service to School program.

Peer Advising for Veteran Education or PAVE is a peer support program that matches current student veterans with incoming student veterans to provide support and guidance. PAVE is one of a range of services offered by the Military Support Programs and Networks out of the University of Michigan Depression Center. PAVE operates on 43 campuses nation-wide.

PAVE student staff are trained by the PAVE program and are selected and supervised by the Veteran and Military Services program director.

PAVE mentors (peer advisors) are expected to provide one-on-one meetings once a month with their assigned students, communicate through e-mail on a weekly basis, share campus and Veterans Administration resources through monthly newsletters, and facilitate educational programming. Peer advisors are training to be frontline support staff that help guide PAVE peers (new students) toward necessary campus and non-campus resources such as UHS or the Ann Arbor VA Hospital. Find out more about the PAVE program on our Veteran Peer Advising page.

VMS coordinates an annual week-long celebration of service with our Veterans Week activities. Featuring a series of panels, events, and lectures that highlight service, sacrifice, and tradition, Veterans Week culminates with an appreciation lunch for all faculty, staff, and students who have served or are serving in the U.S. military.

VMS and the Registrar’s Office has spearheaded the use of a non-credit, placeholder class to ensure that deployed students feel connected to Michigan while they are away. This allows a deployed student to maintain their enrollment status while on deployment. This also reduces potential barriers when it comes to re-enrolling in classes. We still encourage students to talk with their college or unit before deployment to discuss current enrollment options.

Established in 2008 and chaired by the VMS director, the U-M Council on Student Veterans works to identify and address the concerns of student veterans, reservists, National Guard members, dependents, and those in active military service. The Council serves as a campus-wide military student support team with representatives from several units of the university, including the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Financial Aid, Registrar’s Office, Office of New Student Programs, and others.

For the past 12 years, VMS has strived to make the University of Michigan a leader in recognizing and valuing the contributions of military-connected students to our university community. We are consistently recognized for these efforts by national publications such as USA Today and locally by the Michigan Veterans Affair Agency.

U-M is a Vet Success on Campus participant. We have a Veterans Administration benefits coordinator assigned to our campus to answer student questions, especially those surrounding the Vocational Rehabilitation Program that funds the entire cost of education for those who are 20% or more disabled due to a service related injury or condition. This was directly coordinated by VMS.

U-M is a VITAL campus, where a VA health care benefits coordinator is assigned to the university to promote veterans signing up for VA healthcare benefits and being assessed for injuries or mental health issues. VMS was responsible for bringing this important resource to campus. The university was an initial sponsor and partner in the VITAL program creation in 2011.

VMS support for students does not end at graduation. VMS works with the Michigan Veterans affairs Agency to compile a list of certified, veteran-friendly employers to aid vets in their job searching process.