Vets go from combat to campus

After a four-year stint in the Marines that took him to Iraq and Afghanistan, Las Vegas native Michael Dakduk returned home in 2008, enrolled in the University of Nevada — and got bored.

It wasn't that Dakduk, now 25, lacked the discipline or drive to succeed in school. The former sergeant says he found it hard to study calculus or write English papers — and listen to fellow students complain about the workload — when his mind was still replaying what he had seen and been through.

"I'd revert back to thinking about guys getting blown up, getting shot at," he says, instead of focusing on what he called his "mundane and menial" schoolwork.

As returning veterans struggle to make the transition from military to civilian life on campuses with younger students without their kind of life experience, colleges and universities are increasingly developing programs to address their needs.

"I paid a steep price to have my butt in that seat," says Matt Randle, 30, a former Army combat medic who is now a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "I had a keen sense of not fitting in."

Dakduk graduated in December and now helps other returning veterans as executive director of the Student Veterans of America in Washington. Randle founded and is student-director of the Arizona campus' Veterans Education and Transition Services office.

Dakduk and Randle say making connections with fellow veterans helped them get the support and encouragement they needed.

By Jim Stem for USA TODAY Marine Don Call, 47, raises his hand during the Veterans Success class on March 29 in Tampa.

"You cannot stay in the cave," Randle says. "A little bit of personal connection goes a long way."

By Jim Stem for USA TODAY Former soldier Carolina Mogollon, 32, participates in the Veterans Success class on March 29 on the University of South Florida Tampa campus.

Campuses become 'Military Friendly'

For qualifying veterans, the post-9/11 GI Bill pays the full in-state cost of any public college. The Yellow Ribbon Program helps veterans attend private schools that can be more expensive, says Keith Wilson, director of Education Service for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The number of veterans enrolling in college is increasing: Approximately 800,000 returned veterans used GI Bill benefits last year, up 40% from 2009, Wilson says.

Among them soon may be Sal Giunta, the Army staff sergeant who last year became the nation's first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. He discussed plans to end his Army career in June and to move to Fort Collins, Colo., to pursue his education at Colorado State University, in an interview with the Army News Service in January. Wilson says colleges are increasingly offering peer mentoring, special orientation sessions and even private lounges for veterans.

"We have a social responsibility to recognize that when they take that uniform off, they don't want a handout," Wilson says. "They just want an opportunity that they put on hold when they put on that uniform."

Veterans Affairs is testing a program called VetSuccess on Campus at eight colleges, including the University of South Florida, Cleveland State University and Salt Lake Community College, offering personalized assistance to every veteran on campus. It hopes to add nine more in 2012, Wilson says.

Sean Collins, brand manager for G.I. Jobs, which surveys 7,000 universities annually to compile a "Military Friendly Schools" list, says of the 250,000-400,000 veterans who are now separating from the military annually, 25% will be in college within two years.

A nine-year Navy veteran, Collins says veterans bring maturity, perspective and leadership experience to campus — traits that are desired by college administrators. He says relatively few require special accommodations.

"The schools that are most successful in attracting and retaining veterans are those that can build a sense of community of campus," Collins says.

'You're starting all over'

Administrators at the University of South Florida in Tampa have worked hard to create a supportive atmosphere, says Larry Braue, the school's director of veterans services. He says that has paid off with enrollment by veterans rising 10% to 15% annually.

One of them is junior Scott Steinbacher, 31, who left the Navy in 2006. He is working toward becoming a physician's assistant.

Steinbacher says making the transition to campus life was hard because he missed the camaraderie and sense of purpose provided by the military.

"I jumped out of helicopters, and now I'm working in an office," he says. "Coming back to college, you feel like you're starting all over."

USF was the first college to get a full-time VA-funded VetSuccess representative on campus, Braue says.

"When (veterans) realize … that the school respects them, it makes it easier for them to sit in those classes," he says.

Hughes also reports for the Fort CollinsColoradoan