CMVE ready to assist military-related students with everything
Military-related students, we’ve got you covered.
Pose any question about almost anything, and Tidewater Community College’s Center for Military and Veterans Education will provide an answer.
“The buck stops here,” said Shelly Bearden, a VERITAS veterans resource liaison. “I’m not going to send anyone to another office. If something’s not working, if you’re frustrated with a process, if you have any kind of problem, I will make sure it gets solved.”
Bearden refers to herself as an advocate for all of the college’s military-related students. Echoing that are her colleagues Cassandra Harris, lead military academic advisor, and Alesia Wroten, also a VERITAS veterans resource liaison.
With the Navy a part of all of their backgrounds, the administrators don’t just understand the language of the military — they’re fluent in it. They understand acronyms, including myCAA, VMSEP and TA and can explain if you qualify.
They can answer any questions about GI Bill benefits. The email askvetaffairs@tcc.edu was set up specifically to respond to questions related to military-related students looking to use their GI Bill.
Wroten handles workforce programs geared toward military-related students seeking a short-term program that leads to immediate employment. A sampling:
- Grants specifically targeting transitioning military who want to train for a trucking career;
- A Nanomanufacturing Certificate program for veterans and transitioning service who are 180 days or fewer from their end-of-service date;
- A Foundations of Project Management course starting in January 2021;
- Solar Ready Vets
Wroten works with student vets to ensure they know all their options before selecting a program. “I make sure they know about all the workforce programs they can take advantage of,” she said.
Harris had been on base prior to COVID-19; now she is based at the Virginia Beach Campus with the others. She works primarily with active duty service members, but also assists veterans, spouses and dependents. She provides a range of services, including the evaluation of credit from military experience and prior college/universities attended to ensuring that qualified military-related students receive a domicile exception to pay instate tuition.
Harris also helps military who might not be able to finish the semester due to deployment or temporary assignment. “We can get them pulled out of class and get their tuition fully refunded,” she said.
She’s happy to help military-related students navigate the transfer process and will even advise a student vet on how many hours he or she can handle based on other obligations.
Bearden can assist former military looking to transfer to an Ivy League college as TCC is part of the Warrior-Scholar Project.
The CMVE is also able to direct veterans to a plethora of resources — from assistance to pay for books to filing a disability or unemployment claim.
“We take a holistic approach,” Harris said. “The CMVE is a one-stop shop.”
You don’t have to remember who does what if you’re a military-related student in need of assistance. Email military@tcc.edu for any questions. Virtual service is available daily or via phone; see this link for information.