Benedictine Cuts Costs for Veterans
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Printable FormatJournal Register By Chris Dettro
University will pay for tuition; ex-service members will cover books, fees
Illinois veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will soon be able to get a break on their college education at Benedictine University's campuses, including Springfield College-Benedictine University.
The Lisle-based school announced Friday it is extending its First Responder program, which helps Illinois police and fire personnel afford college, to Illinois veterans -- active and reserve -- returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Benedictine began its First Responder program in 2001. It is an offshoot of a program offered to Lisle Fire District firefighters after Benedictine College president William Carroll found many firemen didn't have college educations.
Fire and police personnel pay only for textbooks and fees, not tuition. More than 400 "first responders" are enrolled in the program, including about 20 at Springfield College, said Tanesha Pittman, associate dean of First Responder and Professional Development programs at Benedictine.
A total of 63 public service groups are represented.
The extension of the program to Illinois veterans was made possible by a $750,000 federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.
Pittman said the veterans' program can start as soon as at least 14 veterans sign up.
"It depends on the number of people who want to participate," Pittman said. "It may be fall 2008 before we actually start."
Illinois veterans who participate will be able to pursue an associate of arts degree in business administration or a bachelor of arts in management.
Benedictine also will extend half-tuition benefits to members of reserve units who aren't deployed to prepare them educationally prior to deployment, she said. The half-tuition benefit also applies to college-aged children of reservists who are deployed while participating in the program.
Half-tuition costs will be covered for veterans who sign up for graduate programs, she said.
"By extending the First Responder program to veterans, these brave men and women will have access to an education they might not otherwise be able to afford," Carroll said. "The lives of many veterans and their families will be positively changed, and the opportunity for a better future greatly increased."
The original GI Bill of 1944 hasn't kept pace with college costs and today provides only limited assistance to veterans seeking a college education, Pittman said.
Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who sign up for the GI Bill are eligible for $1,101 per month, or $39,636 over four years, in educational benefits. However, the average four-year college costs more than $65,000, and a private university costs more than $130,000, according to the College Board.
Nearly 80 percent of active-duty troops sign up for benefits, but fewer than 10 percent of eligible veterans use their full benefit during the 10-year limit following their discharge, she said.