Over the course of several years the Aurora Foundation has had the opportunity to collect information on student veteran retention rates at universities; the result: only 10% of student veterans successfully graduate from college after 6 years compared to 60% of traditional students. This is where Aurora has had a significant impact in working with universities to establish support programs for their student veterans to help drive up retention rates and enable them to be better prepared to successfully enter the civilian workforce.
Thorugh Aurora's generous contribution and supportive voice, we have been able to develop a univeristy 300/400 hybrid course targeted to the veteran students returning to a campus environment. The course curriculum is designed to assist veterans as they transition in and out of the univeristy. The curriculum is designed to set up a pathway to success. We look forward to using student feedback and continually improve the class to meet the needs of our students. Thanks Aurorua for you support and vsion!
There is no question that The Aurora Foundation is making a hugh difference in supporting Veterans. The foundation is exploring every opportunity to provide financial asistance to Veterans as they try hard to further their education. As a Veteran myself of 34 years, I am pleased and proud to be associated with an organization wlllng to take the time and expend the effort to try to help veterans gain more educational opportunities. As a foundation we are looking to ways to raise money and provide that financial capability to schools interested in helping Veterans succeed educationally. I believe we will be supporting many Veterans in the very near future.
Funding from the Aurora Foundation helped us jump start our “Green Zone” program at VCU to support military students. They have continued to be encouraging and interested in our efforts to support student veterans at the university. I have been so impressed with the commitment of all the Foundation staff to their core mission of assisting veterans to graduate from college and enter the workforce.
I am a Marine veteran with three tours to Iraq (infantry and special operations) and The Aurora Foundation funded me through the Washington Scholars Fellowship Program last summer. As a direct result of this fellowship program and Aurora I have received three offers (so far) from firms in my field of interest and I still have three weeks to go before I receive my undergraduate. My ultimate goal was simply to gain some kind of competitive advantage among those competing in my desired area and because of what the Aurora Foundation did for me I am now more competitive than I could ever have achieved on my own. The Aurora Foundation is a veteran created organization and not only thrives on helping our veterans but has the means and ability to do so better than any other I am aware of, I am living proof of this.
My experience with our country's veterans spans personal and professional relationships. Over the past 3 years, I've learned more about our most recent veterans and their efforts to return to college campuses only to leave without a degree. Being part of the Aurora Foundation and its partnerships with both higher education and similar foundations, I feel like we are making a difference in our military "heroes" lives. We have enabled students to receive counseling in various forums, classes that are oriented to veteran students, and internships that have provided a foundation for a brighter future.
Working with the Aurora Foundation has been a joy. There is a lot of work to do in assisting colleges to make their campuses veteran-friendly, and by working with Aurora, I have been able to not only help spread word that there is a need, but learn more specifically what experts in the VA and institutes of Higer Ed envision. Aurora has already began work with the Veteran populations of George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University in shaping their campuses to help Student veterans stay enrolled in school and graduate. Aurora also has an internship program that is uniquely positioned to give internships to student veterans only in their career fields of interest.
