Post-9/11 GI Bill brings more U.S. veterans, military to CityU

By Tara Ballenger
Velocity Contributor

In his two tours of duty in the Iraq war, Army helicopter pilot James Yelverton has been in some stressful situations. Once, he recalls, he tried to land near the Syrian border when his aircraft was attacked by enemy fire. As his copilot sent out communication about the attack, Yelverton flew the helicopter to safety.

“I was in shock,” Yelverton says. “I had to fly the craft and avoid the fire all while trying to figure out where the fire was coming from.”

Now Yelverton wants to use his stress management skills to fight a different enemy: illness. He plans to become a pediatrician and has been taking general education courses at City University of Seattle since 2004. After this quarter he plans to transfer to the University of Washington for medical school.

Fortunately for Yelverton, he’ll receive extra help on his journey from the cockpit to the classroom. The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress in 2008, went into effect Aug. 1, 2009. The Bill provides tuition assistance and a housing allowance for veterans who serve in the military for at least 90 days after September 10, 2001.

Yelverton, 28, says the housing allowance ensures he can concentrate on his studies without worrying about debt or how to pay his rent.

In many cases, veterans receive full tuition assistance in addition to a monthly housing stipend, which typically runs about $1,400 for Bellevue, said Brian Burgess, CityU of Seattle veterans affairs officer. About 50 new veterans enrolled at CityU during the 2009 fall quarter.

“It was an impressive response,” Burgess says.

For Shawna Haag, the assistance allows her to realize her educational dreams as she juggles motherhood and a full-time job.

“Being in the military, moving a lot and bringing up two little girls, money is tight,” Haag says. “It would be really hard for me to get through this without the tuition assistance.”

Haag served in the Air Force from 1997 until 2009 - including two, two-year stints in Japan and Germany - as an information systems security officer.

“Basically, I protected the computer systems of top secret facilities” from hackers, Haag says.

After hearing about the new GI Bill while still in the military, Haag decided to enroll at CityU as soon as she became a civilian. She began working on her Master of Science degree in Information Security and Information Systems in October.

“CityU offered my degree specialty, and unlike other schools, it keeps up with all the changes in the field,” says Haag. “Other schools can be five years behind in the technology but every class I take at CityU is right on.”

To further support students like Yelverton and Haag, CityU has signed up for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The optional partnership between universities and the government provides students help with educational expenses that may not be covered by the GI Bill.

To qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit at 100 percent eligibility, students must have served at least 36 months in the military since Sept. 10, 2001. Through a scholarship, CityU pays 50 percent of any credit hour amount over the in-state maximum (currently $380 per credit hour). The government pays the balance for the first 40 eligible students per academic year.

Together, the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program provide the most comprehensive assistance for veterans to date, Burgess said.

“This will enable veterans to fulfill their educational goals,” he says. “It’s exciting.”

After six years and two Gulf deployments in the Navy as a supply core officer, Rosalie Ferrara, 30, is pursuing her Master of Business Administration at CityU.

“I use my experience in the military a lot in my classes. You can use the approaches that corporate America has, like business operations and process improvement, and apply them to the government in ways that I hadn’t thought of before,” she says.

For Ferrara, the GI Bill means she can further her education without going into debt.

“We’re very blessed,” she says. “For the commitment we make, they (the government) take good care of us.”

For more information about the GI Bill, please contact Brian Burgess at bburgess@cityu.edu.