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    Salute to Military Students

    QUANTICO, VA, UNITED STATES

    04.12.2016

    Story by Adele Uphaus-Conner 

    Marine Corps Base Quantico

    The Voluntary Education Center (VEC) aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico held its annual Military Student Appreciation Luncheon Apr. 12.
    “This is a community outreach event for service members and Department of Defense [DoD] civilian students taking classes,” said Melora McVicker, VEC Education Services Officer. “So many of them are taking online or distance education classes and they never get to meet each other in a lunchroom setting like this.”
    The lunch of ravioli, sweet-and-sour meatballs, sandwich wraps, and cake was sponsored by nine of the over 1,900 schools that partner with the DoD to offer classes to Marines and civilians who work aboard MCBQ. The sponsoring schools were American Military University, Central Michigan University, Florida Institute of Technology, National University, Park University, University of Maryland University College, Virginia Tech, Central Texas University, and Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC).
    Representatives from some of the schools were on hand to mingle with the students and answer questions about their programs. MCBQ Commander Col. Joseph Murray also spent time at the luncheon, talking to the students about what they are studying and what they plan to do with their degrees.
    Dan Duffy, NVCC’s education support specialist for Quantico, said this is the third year his employer has supported the luncheon.
    “This is a way to give back to military students and veterans,” he said. “They sacrifice so much for us so the least we can do is show our appreciation.”
    McVicker estimates that more than 3,000 Marines, their family members, and DoD civilians aboard Quantico take classes through the VEC, which exists to provide quality educational counseling and make it easier for service members to achieve their associates, bachelors or masters degrees.
    The VEC facility on Roan Street has 12 classrooms and it partners with seven schools to offer classes on site.
    “Many of the schools offer accelerated programs that are 16 weeks or less, which is helpful for people who work full time,” McVicker said.
    NVCC is one of the schools that conduct classes aboard Quantico. Duffy said it offers between 50 and 60 classes a year.
    “The big focus here is on the Administration of Justice and general studies programs,” Duffy said. “If we can’t find them a class here on base, we can find something at one of our local campuses.”
    The VEC holds a graduation ceremony each year so that students who want a chance to walk like they would in a traditional college setting can have that opportunity.
    The VEC also counsels service members on the financial aspects of higher education. Active duty Marines are eligible for up to $4,500 per fiscal year in tuition assistance (TA). Other students use their veteran or GI bill benefits to pay for school and still others make use of federal financial aid such as the Pell grant. The VEC helps clients access these benefits and navigate the complicated path of financial aid.
    Sgt. Denis Ombasa, who works in the finance office, was at the luncheon. He is 10 credits into an 80-credit bachelor’s degree program in Construction Engineering Technology, offered online through National University. He would like to take a construction management position when he leaves the Marines. He said the VEC has made things “very easy” for him and has helped him obtain his TA benefits so that he can pay for his classes.
    Ombasa’s colleague in the finance office, Sgt. Tyson DeBarr, recently finished a master’s degree program in Management and Leadership through Liberty University, which he started when he was posted to Okinawa. He said that if he had a chance to do it over again, he would have taken advantage of the physical classroom courses offered at the VEC.
    “It would have been helpful to have some interaction with other students in the major,” he said.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.12.2016
    Date Posted: 05.10.2016 14:49
    Story ID: 197794
    Location: QUANTICO, VA, US

    Web Views: 47
    Downloads: 0

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