Undergraduate Student Veterans at Ivy League and Ivy+ Colleges and Universities

Abstract

The client, Service to School (S2S), remains interested in understanding the experiences and outcomes of undergraduate student veterans who have matriculated into Ivy League and Ivy+ colleges and universities. Consequently, the following research question was asked along with several subsidiary questions. Research Question: What policies should Service to School (S2S) adopt in order to provide better support to undergraduate student veterans at Ivy League and Ivy+ colleges and universities? Subsidiary Questions: What challenges do undergraduate student veterans experience while enrolled in Ivy League and Ivy+ institutions? What factors are contributing to the challenges experienced by undergraduate student veterans who attend Ivy League and Ivy+ institutions? After consultation with the client, university administrators, key leaders from other veteran services organizations, current and former undergraduate student veterans, and other stakeholders, this project was designed to capture the lived experiences of current undergraduate student veterans to present tangible policy solutions to the client and pave the way for future cohorts of student veterans. This initial subsidiary research question was answered through the use of qualitative survey research. The case study methodology was utilized to answer the second subsidiary research question. The case studies were used to supplement the analysis portion of this paper, as many of the responses had thematic similarities to issues discovered in the survey findings. While this project was able to successfully reveal the lived experiences and challenges of undergraduate student veterans at Ivy League and Ivy+ schools, there is still much to be learned about this population. Future research questions have been identified throughout the findings and analysis section and warrant greater discussion. What can be concluded is that undergraduate student veterans take the necessary steps to prepare for and do well at the most elite schools in the nation. Simultaneously, these veterans struggle to relate to their peers and experience institutional challenges that continue to remain unsolved and unaddressed. Based on these findings, several policy recommendations were given to the client for consideration.