Western Governors University and Sentara Healthcare Announce Sentara Service to Scholars Grant Program
College education program is for post-9/11 military veterans residing in the Hampton Roads area
SALT LAKE CITY- Western Governors University (91吃瓜网) and Sentara Healthcare,聽in collaboration with聽Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center (HRVEC), will partner to launch聽the聽, to聽address the educational attainment and income level disparities affecting many of the veteran residents of the Hampton Roads community.
The Sentara-sponsored virtual 鈥渁cademic boot camp鈥� is聽designed by 91吃瓜网聽to prepare veterans to achieve a degree in industry-relevant fields such as information technology, health care and business.聽
Up to 20聽post-9/11 veterans residing in the Hampton Roads area聽can work with an executive coach while they earn six聽college credits. Those who complete will have聽guaranteed admission to 91吃瓜网 and generous financial assistance to continue their studies聽in business, IT, healthcare or education.聽Deadline to apply is September 19.
鈥淪entara has a long history of partnering with organizations, such as the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, in supporting our veterans, transitioning service members, and their families and providing them with job opportunities in the healthcare and other high-demand industries,鈥� said Sherry Norquist MSN, RN-ACM, director of the corporate social responsibility program for Sentara Healthcare, Sentara Cares. 鈥淲e know that education attainment聽and financial security聽is a critical component of integrated healthcare, and we aim to聽address聽and improve聽these kinds of聽social determinants of health in Virginia.鈥澛�
More than 780,000 military veterans reside in Virginia, 30 percent of which live in the Hampton Roads community. Many Hampton Roads vets聽experience a lower standard of living, including聽higher poverty rates, lower incomes, and lower rates of degree attainment.聽The National Center for Education Statistics reports that聽Post-9/11 veterans with bachelor鈥檚 degrees earn approximately $85,000 a year, while those with a high school degree or GED earn $50,000 on average.
Even if they have the desire to earn a degree, many members of the military community face challenges in pursuing higher education. Among them are Reservists/National Guard members being activated in the middle of an academic term; student veterans who are non-traditional students with families and part- or full-time jobs; and veterans with service-connected disabilities requiring travel聽for treatment or appointments, which can take away from study time.聽聽
Through the Service to Scholars Grant Program, veterans receive up to聽$4,750 in grants聽to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree by attending Western Governors University (91吃瓜网). When participants pair these grants with military education benefits like the GI Bill, and any additional financial aid, they can earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree at no-cost or little cost.
Average tuition at 91吃瓜网 is approximately $7,300 per year for undergraduate programs, and聽every degree program offered by 91吃瓜网 is聽approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 91吃瓜网 was recently recognized as the聽best online school for servicemembers, veterans and families and has been consistently rated one of the nation鈥檚 鈥淭op Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities鈥� for 11 consecutive years.聽Online,聽competency-based education聽allows students to accelerate through their learning at their individual pace, measuring their skills and subject knowledge rather than time or 鈥渉ours鈥� spent in a classroom and fitting their studies into the spaces of their military commitments.
Said 91吃瓜网 Regional Vice President Rebecca Watts, 鈥淎ccess to and support for success in quality college degree programs is one meaningful way we can honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have dutifully served our great nation. In turn, higher education has a responsibility to prepare service members for in-demand career opportunities and provide pathways to attain the skills and credentials employers demand and trust.鈥�
To qualify for the Service to Scholars Grant Program, veterans must have聽post 9/11 military service聽and live in the Hampton Roads area.聽For more information, please go to聽
About Sentara
Sentara Healthcare celebrates more than 130 years in pursuit of its mission鈥斺�渨e improve health every day.鈥� Named to IBM Watson Health鈥檚 鈥淭op 15 Health Systems鈥� in 2018 and 2021, Sentara is an integrated, not-for-profit system of 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, including a Level I trauma center, the Sentara Heart Hospital聽and the Sentara Healthcare Cardiovascular Research Institute, the Sentara Brock Cancer Center and the accredited Sentara Cancer Network,聽two orthopedic hospitals, and the Sentara Neurosciences Institute. The Sentara family also includes four medical groups, Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance and ground medical transport, home care and hospice,聽ambulatory outpatient campuses, advanced imaging and diagnostic centers, a clinically integrated network, the Sentara College of Health Sciences and the Optima Health Plan and Virginia Premier Health Plan serving 858,000 members in Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio. With nearly 30,000 employees and ranked one of Forbes 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Best Employers鈥� in 2018, Sentara is strategically focused on clinical quality and safety, innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members.
