IDentity Series

Phil McNair and Fred Stielow are dedicated military educators who work together at the online American Public University System with its flagship American Military University (AMU), the leading university for today’s military. They also collaborate on PTSD scholarship; Sloan Consortium workshops on “Serving Military Students” and “PTSD and Stress in the Online Classroom;” and founding a Military Research Institute.    Phil McNair, retired Army colonel and VP for Strategic Initiatives, was a principle architect behind AMU’s sector-leading military outreach program. He has also headed programs in Marketing, Student Retention, and Academic Services.   McNair served as company commander in the 25th Infantry Division (Light), assistant professor of military science at the University of Texas at El Paso, battalion commander in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and executive officer to the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.  His office was at ground zero in the Pentagon on 9/11. Phil was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained and the Soldier’s Medal for heroism in rescuing others in the aftermath of the plane crash.  At his retirement ceremony, Colonel McNair was presented the Army’s highest decoration for military service—the Distinguished Service Medal.  His service has been chronicled on television and in such books as The Pentagon by Steve Vogel and Heroes of 9/11 by Allan Zullo.   An ROTC Cadet Corps Commander, Phil earned his bachelor’s in Political Science at Louisiana State University. His master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College is joined by graduate work at Central Michigan University, University of Texas, El Paso, and Harvard’s Management and Leadership in Education program. He teaches in management and leadership and was nationally recognized by the Distance Learning Administration with 2009’s Wagner Educational Leadership Award.   Fred Stielow, Vice President/Dean of Libraries, represents the enlisted side.  Son of a disabled veteran from World War II, Fred volunteered for the U.S. Army during Vietnam. He served in Germany as an NCO. With GI-Bill help, Stielow earned a bachelor’s, masters, and dual Doctorate from Indiana University before an M.L.S. from the University of Rhode Island.   Dr. Stielow worked for the New England Library Board and University of Louisiana Lafayette, where he helped organize the Archives of Acadian and Creole Folklore. Stielow also directed the Amistad Research Center at Tulane, Reuther Labor Library at Wayne State, and New York’s Mid-Hudson Public Library System.  Consultancies range from Bowie State University and National Agricultural Library to New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival, Vermont Folklife Center, and World Bank. He has been a professor at the University of Maryland and Catholic University and an adjunct at the Universities of Illinois, Puerto Rico, and Perugia, Italy.    Stielow has contributed over 100 Web sites, chaired ALA’s Web Advisory Committee and Intellectual Freedom Roundtable, and sits on numerous advisory boards. He has contributed to over 100 scholarly articles and 11 books, including the forthcoming Reinventing the Academic Library for the Web.  Awards include a Fulbright Fellowship, Etter Prize for Creativity, Library of Congress’s Jameson Fellowship, MCI Cybrarian of the Year, and alumnus of the year from the URI Library School.

Introduction     

Chapter 1: Paying for College

     Financial Aid for Active Duty Military

          Army: TA and Other Aid Programs

          Navy: TA and the Navy College Program

          Marines: TA and Other Assistance

          Air Force: TA and Other Assistance

     Coast Guard Financial Aid

     Joint Service Programs and Financial Aid

     Financial Aid for National Guard and Reserves

        National Guard

           Reserves

    Financial Aid for Veterans

           Post 9/11 GI Bill

          Yellow Ribbon Program

           Montgomery GI Bill

           Other Aid Programs

  Concluding Thoughts

 

Chapter 2: Preparing for College Success

     Evaluating Your School Choice                                                                                       

          Student Community

          Type of School

          Accreditation

          Course Offerings/Scheduling

     Military Friendly Schools

     Getting Credit for Military Experience

            ACE Recommendations

                CLEP

                DANTES Standardized Tests

                AARTS, SMARTS, and Other Military Transcripts

                 Prior Learning Assessments (PLA)

     Refresher Topics

            Academic Writing

                Math

     You Are More Prepared Than You Think!

            Maturity

            Leadership

            Planning and Time Management

     Goal Setting

 

Chapter 3: The Art of Classroom Tactics

     Understand the Mission

     Follow Orders

     Overrun the Objective

     Coordinate with Allies

     Adjust Your Communication: Rank and Acronyms

     Deployments and Other Military Activities

 

Chapter 4: Military Student Resources

     Advising Services

          Academic Advisors

          Staff Counselors and Advisors

     Disability and Mental Health Services

           Documented Disabilities

           Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

           Traumatic Brain Injury

     Veteran’s Clubs and Organizations

     Additional Resources

 

Chapter 5: Life After Graduation

     Building and Maintaining Networks

           Military Community

           School Community

     Building an Effective Personnel Record and Resume

           Active Duty and Reservists

           Veterans

            Resumes

     Lifelong Learning