MULTI-STATE COLLABORATIVE ON MILITARY CREDIT (MCMC) PROJECT PLAN FOR NORTH DAKOTA. June, I. Background

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1 MULTI-STATE COLLABORATIVE ON MILITARY CREDIT (MCMC) PROJECT PLAN FOR NORTH DAKOTA June, 2015 I. Background The Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) was awarded a $900,000 grant from Lumina Foundation for the Multi-State Collaborative on Military Credit (MCMC), a 13-state initiative to identify policies and practices to help military service members, veterans, and their families to overcome barriers to access, participation, and completion of a postsecondary credential and entrance into the workforce. Consistent with the goals of the MCMC, the North Dakota University System (NDUS) seeks to participate in the regional initiative as a means to maximize ways for service members to transition to college; explore models for consistent, transparent, and effective awarding of credit for military training and experience; establish strong partnerships with institutions and organizations and to generate a system for tracking the progression of military service members at the state level. The NDUS recognizes that family members are critical factor in the support and success of veterans and military members. To the greatest extent possible, the NDUS continually seeks to include supports and services to family members of veterans and military members in this and other similar initiatives. The NDUS is comprised of five community colleges, four regional four-year institutions and two research universities. There were 63,591 students enrolled in NDUS in the academic year Approximately 2,366 (4%) active duty, veterans, or family members who qualify for the transfer of veterans educational benefits enrolled in North Dakota is home to two active military air force bases in Minot and Grand Forks and has numerous National Guard and Reserve units throughout the state. There are also five tribal colleges and two private universities in the state. The NDUS collaborates with both the tribal colleges and the private universities on numerous initiatives including common course numbering, transfer of general education coursework, common credit-by-examination, and other projects similar to the MCMC that benefit students in the state. Four of the 11 public colleges and universities have offices dedicated to assisting military members and veterans others are in the process of providing similar services. To varying degrees, individual campuses have engaged in activities to support veterans.

2 North Dakota University System MCMC State Plan 2 II. Mission and Vision of the NDUS The State Board of Higher Education, presidents of the institutions and senior system staff gathered to create the strategic plan for the NDUS. The plan reflects a renewed, student-centered vision for the future of higher in the State following months of research and input from business, community and government and stakeholder groups as well as students, faculty and staff. As a result, the mission of unleashing potential and the vision of inspiring our future are bold visionary statements that introduce a plan that will help shape the future of our state. The NDUS listened to all of its constituents, that included the feedback of veterans, military members, and their family members, and set a direction that we believe will fulfill their hopes and dreams for what higher education could look like by The goals of the MCMC are well aligned with stated goals of the NDUS that are, as follows: Affordability - Deliver degrees that are the best value in the nation Access and availability - Provide programs people want, where and when they need them Educational excellence - Equip students for success Unified system - Maximize the strengths of the unified system Most notable and a recent addition among the stated goals is the desire to serve students as a unified system to work together collaboratively on initiatives like the MCMC so that progress, lessons learned, and benefits to students at one institution within the system and the state are shared with others. III. MCMC Workgroups The NDUS is relatively new to the MCMC workgroups. At present, one individual represents ND on the MCMC steering committee and at least one individual has been assigned to each of the four established workgroups: 1) Articulation of Academic Credit, 2) Communications and Outreach, 3) Licensure and Certification; and 4) Data, Technology, and Systems. A. Articulation of Academic Credit The Articulation of Academic Credit Workgroup has adopted the goal of increased translation of military training to applicable credit towards a college or university degree through the review of policies and procedures and the collaborative work of the participants of the MCMC grant. The North Dakota University System has a history of working with both tribal colleges and the two private universities in the state on several other initiatives to include common course numbering, transfer of general education coursework, and the exploration of competency based learning models. North Dakota intends to accomplish the following goals through participation in the MCMC: Active participation in the Articulation of Academic Credit workgroup to consult with the American Council on Education (ACE), the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), DANTES and College Source to better understand resources for educational institutions and to share that information with ND constituents. Work with ND admissions staff, records office staff, and education certifying officials to ensure both staff and students are not only aware of resources like the ACE Military

3 North Dakota University System MCMC State Plan 3 Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services but also apply credit for military experience(s) when credit is appropriate. Continued participation in the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and their work in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Review the top ten Military Occupational Specialty Qualifications (MOSQs) of military members and veterans and mapping military skills and occupations to commonly numbered coursework using the ACE Guide and other resources. B. Communications and Outreach The Communications and Outreach workgroup has as its primary goal to increase information shared with military service members regarding the potential award of the college credit for prior military occupation skills. Develop a web page that is geared specifically toward the primary goal. Promote through a communication campaign that uses all of the available NDUS tools, including robust social media. Piggyback on current communications campaigns, such as NDChoose and the Community College Awareness Initiative. Collaborate with the North Dakota Department of Commerce and Find the Good Life organization to reach the appropriate audiences. Work with veterans advocacy groups, military PIOs and other organizations to provide information and resources to military service members. Work with the NDUS Public Affairs Council to disseminate information through their recruitment channels at the various campuses. C. Licensure and Certification The primary goal of the Licensure and Certification workgroup is to further define how prior military service or training translates into a license or earning credit that will accelerate completion of a one-year or longer certificate or degree and explore other occupational areas where prior military service or training can earn military service members licensure or certification credits. The Licensure and Certification workgroup has identified several areas of licensure for further exploration over the next three years. Those areas include: Commercial Driver s License Licensed Practical Nurse Emergency Medical Technician Peace Officer D. Data, Technology, and Systems The Data, Technology, and Systems Workgroup goals include better tracking and reporting of military members and veterans. At present, the NDUS student information system, PeopleSoft, does not have an active module in the state. Campuses use shadow systems and federal reporting tools, outside of the NDUS student information system, to track and report military

4 North Dakota University System MCMC State Plan 4 IV. member and veteran status. These two separate reporting systems make the process of accurately reporting and assessing the transfer of military credit difficult in the present system. The primary goals of the ND Data, Technology, and Systems work group is to: Implement, test, and utilize the PeopleSoft module to track military members, veterans, and eligible dependents. Research federal reporting requirements and explore data exchange to avoid duplicate entry of the same information by certifying officials. Increase reliability of NDUS reporting of military members and veterans. Establish electronic course equivalencies for the top ten MOSQs that have been reviewed in the state. Strategies North Dakota will utilize the existing membership of the Veterans Educational Training (VET) North Dakota Higher Education Veterans Services Professionals to serve as an advisory council to the MCMC. At present, members of the VET represent the following organizations in the state: ND University System ND Tribal Colleges ND Private Colleges ND Department of Commerce ND Job Service ND National Guard ND Veterans Educational Training ND Veterans Affairs The purpose of the council will be to provide oversight and guidance over the three-year period of the grant and to coordinate activities among participating institutions and agencies to advance the goals of the MCMC. V. Short-Term Goals Short term goals of the ND MCMC workshops includes the following: Organize an Advisory Council comprised of representation from the institutions and agencies listed above. Host a face-to-face meeting of the members of the Advisory Council on an annual basis during the three-year period. o Include an overview of the current availability of the award of credit for prior learning in the state at various NDUS institutions o Include an overview of the ACE Guide and how to use the Guide and other resources in the evaluation of military training/skills for the award of college/university credit. Work with campus representatives and Core Technology Staff to implement the PeopleSoft module for the purpose of accurately reporting military members, veterans, and eligible dependents and assessing the award of the credits for prior military service.

5 North Dakota University System MCMC State Plan 5 VI. Long-Term Goals Long term goals of the ND MCMC workshops includes the following: NDUS staff dedicated to assessing academic progression Evidence of increased application of training and skills acquired through military and other noncollege experiences and the award of credit for those experiences. NDUS website containing educational and other resources available to military members, veterans, and their families. Consider developing a campaign promoting campus commitment to reviewing military occupations for the potential award of college credit. VII. Score Cards and Final Assessment Score cards and a final assessment will be developed in collaboration with other MCMC participating institutions over the course of the grant period.