 5 Questions With...
Patrick Young
Coordinator of Veterans Services
Why was the Towson University Veterans Center created?
The Veterans Center was created to meet the needs of Towson's growing veteran population. Service men and women have unique challenges facing them when they return to school. They tend to be older, and less apt to connect with other students that are now their peers, which can lead to self seclusion among the campus community. Additionally, there are a multitude of benefits available to returning veterans, however, the process to initiate those benefits is often unclear. The Veterans Center is working to create a sense of community among Towson University's student veterans to assist them with reintegrating into a college environment.
What do you want the Towson University community to know about the Veterans Center?
Towson University is the first public institution in Maryland to have both a Veterans Center and fulltime staff member dedicated to dealing with veteran's issues and assisting returning veterans in their pursuit of a college degree. With that in mind, our program here is unique and we feel that we are spearheading the effort in Maryland to help our veterans earn a college degree.
Why is access to higher education so important for veterans?
When many hear about the numbers of homeless and unemployed veterans that we have in the United States you can't help but feel disappointed. Not in the veteran but in the system that is supposed to care for them. You have a small percentage of the population giving up a good portion of their lives to serve their country and others and to hear of veterans having a difficult time upon their return feels like we are letting them down. I believe education is key to any group's success, and with such a comprehensive benefit like the Post 9/11 GI Bill it's easier than ever to go to school and focus on achieving a degree.
Veterans face unique challenges in adjusting to civilian life; how can Towson University ease the transition?
I would say that the best way to ease the transition of returning members of the military would be to create an environment where they feel they belong. Creating a sense of community among Towson's veterans goes a long way, in terms of integration and involvement on campus. We can do this by providing resources to student veterans that can help them utilize their benefits and succeed while at school.
How many veterans at Towson University are taking advantage of the GI Bill, which covers tuition and fees for veterans?
We currently have roughly 200 veterans receiving GI Bill benefits on campus and that number will continue to grow as long as the United States is engaged in prolonged conflicts abroad.
For a complete list of TU's Veterans Services click here.
Towson University 2016
 Meeting the Needs of Non-traditional Students
Under the TU 2016 strategic plan theme, "Student Experience, Engagement and Success", Towson seeks to provide programs for student populations with non-traditional needs such as veterans. With a recently opened Veterans Center equipped with staff, special advisors, and resources for students returning from service, Towson is committed to ensuring all students have access to the tools and people they need to succeed.
2016 Plan | Guiding Principles
New in the News
Read up on the latest higher education issues that have appeared in the news recently:
 Legislative Bills and budget information
The Operating Budget Conference Committee has come to agreement on the items that differed from each chamber's plan. The conference committee split the difference of the proposed $8.1M cut by the House and the $2M cut by the Senate and agreed to a $4M cut to the University System of Maryland, with the flexibility of how to apply the cut. Additional items of interest regarding the pension and retiree prescription benefits can be found in the attached chart. Once finalized the conference committee report can be found here.
The FY2012 Capital Budget passed the House of Delegates this week and will be debated by the Senate later this week. Thanks to the members of the House Appropriations, Capital Budget Sub-committee and the Senate Budget and Tax, Capital Budget sub-committee funding for Towson University's Campus Safety & Circulation Phase II project was placed back in the FY2012 capital budget. Please join Towson in thanking our Delegates and Senators for their support.
CLICK HERE for the House Capital Budget Report.
For more bill information, please click here.
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