Kansas
City, Mo. – The VFW will host the 2014 Student Veterans
of America (SVA) Leadership Summit Oct. 2-4 in Kansas City. The VFW’s
involvement with the upcoming summit is in keeping with its commitment to
ensuring America’s student veterans have the tools and support needed to
succeed in their education endeavors.
During
the summit, 40 student veteran leaders from campus chapters across America will
convene to discuss campus level concepts that work to ease a veteran’s transition from the military to higher education and
then to the workforce. Further, it allows them the opportunity to network with
and gain personal feedback from area business leaders, as well as VFW
leadership.
Students
will be greeted with a welcome reception Thursday evening. On Friday, local
area business leaders will join the group to discuss strategic planning,
resource management and best business practices. Students will be paired with
area leaders to mentor them as they work to design and develop a business plan
to further their local chapter’s initiatives. Then on Saturday, the plans will
be presented to a panel of business experts who will provide feedback and
advice on the further development and implementation of the plan.
“We’re pleased to be able to host this important event.
Today’s student veterans must work to overcome the adversity that comes with
successfully transitioning from the military to the classroom,” said VFW
National Commander John W. Stroud who graduated
with honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “They need all of the
support they can garner, and we want them to know they can rely on the VFW.
We’ve been there, so we know what they need to succeed in their next mission in
life.”
The
VFW and SVA teamed up in 2012 to combine expertise, resources and effort to ensure
student veterans receive the support they need as they work toward attaining a
higher education. Together, they’ve achieved much success in their young
partnership. In early 2013, the groups led a successful fight to reinstate
military Tuition Assistance programs. They battled for equitable tuition
for student veterans attending public schools — a hot-button issue that affects
more than 40,000 veterans on college campuses around the country. And together,
the VFW and SVA launched the 1 Student Veteran program to ensure student
veterans gain access to their earned benefits and are able to
navigate the complex education claims process.