Military Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI)

Strategic Direction

Student Ambassadors help military-connected families feel welcomed in Fairfax

Sarah Holland — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 13:55:40 +0000

Student Ambassadors help military-connected families feel welcomed in Fairfax Sarah Holland Mon, 07/10/2023 - 09:55

In a conference room in Merten Hall at ��ӽ紫ý 20 high school students sit in absolute silence.

At each table, teams of two play each other in a card game. But something is amiss: pairs look at each other across the table in confusion. Frustrated fingers poke at the score sheet, then to the pile of cards. Heads shake and nod emphatically as someone goes to take the pile, a wordless argument over who is right.

April Mattix Foster leads a session on intercultural competency. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

April Mattix Foster, associate professor of education In Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, then reveals the twist: “You are all playing by different rules.”

The silence rule lifted, and the room erupted: shock, surprise, and exclamations of “I knew it!”

This is a lesson, Foster explains, in intercultural competence. Every school has its own culture, its own rules, she tells them. Their challenge as student ambassadors is to support new students by sharing these new rules while also being mindful of the rules and expectations they’re bringing to the table.

This was one breakout room of the Student Ambassador Convening, a collaboration between the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the Military Families and Veteran Initiative (MVFI), the Virginia Department of Education, and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Nearly 100 student representatives and 20 advisors from 13 FCPS high schools gathered on Mason’s Fairfax Campus in June for a day of workshops and team-building activities to support the student ambassadors program: a school-based, student-led leadership program that brings together military and civilian peers to welcome all new students and create a sense of belonging in the school. As part of their Purple Star Designation, Virginia K-12 schools must show evidence of maintaining an active student ambassador program.

While there is an emphasis in the program on understanding the experiences of military-connected youth as they transition in and out of area high schools, any student transitioning into the FCPS system will be supported and assisted by the ambassadors.

“This is a peer-led program creating a sense of community in our schools,” explained Jennifer Drake Patrick, associate professor of education and member of the leadership team for MVFI. “They’re there to ensure that new students have someone to sit with at lunch, to show them to their classes, and to suggest clubs and extracurriculars. They help students feel welcomed and supported in whatever way makes the most sense for their school culture and community.”

Students spent the day learning about positive leadership, active listening, and holding intentional conversations. The day culminated in a brainstorming session which empowered the ambassadors to take the lead in considering how to improve their school’s programming in the fall.

Cedric Price, left, and Philip Wilkerson describe leadership to their breakout room. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

“The students take the ideas and conversations they’ve heard today from our speakers and their peers, and bring that all back into their schools,” said Cedric Price, BA Integrative Studies ‘21 and MEd Curriculum and Instruction ‘22. As the founding president of Educators Rising, Price was invited back to Mason to co-led a session with fellow alum Philip Wilkerson, MEd Counseling and Development ‘12, on using your assets to guide your leadership. “It makes the schools more community-centered, more friendly, and more inclusive for who they are meant to serve.”

While the hands-on workshops and networking opportunities are critical for the success and growth of the program, there’s another benefit to having the students convene at Mason: introducing high school students to higher education.

“As a school of education, we want to think about how we can create valuable partnerships with local schools, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” said Drake Patrick. “Many of these students have never been to a college campus. This gives them the opportunity to see who Mason is and what the college experience is like."

McKenna Seay, an integrative studies major with a concentration in education studies and Bachelors to Accelerated Masters (BAM) pathway student for elementary education, was also supporting the event through Educators Rising. She was a student ambassador when she was in high school and was excited to see how the program has grown. “Colleges and high schools can learn a lot from each other, so to see that collaboration at an event like this makes me happy.”

“College was put on such a pedestal when I was in high school, and while my teachers said I would do well, it felt so out of reach,” said Sophia Castle, an integrative studies major concentrating in social sciences for education and fellow member of Educators Rising. Castle is also in the BAM program, working towards an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction. “The more that high schools and colleges can connect with each other, it will help students realize that college is attainable.”

“Mason takes its role as a state and public institution very seriously. Opportunities like this allow us to serve the community and keep alumni engaged, all while giving our students experiential, hands-on learning in supporting military-connected youth,” said MVFI director Keith Renshaw, Psychology Department chair. “In the Washington, D.C., metro region, where we have a lot of military personnel, knowing that Mason is committed and cares for the community—specifically the military community—speaks volumes.”

Topics

College of Education and Human Development

College of Humanities and Social Science

Fairfax County schools

Bachelor’s/Acclerated Master’s Program

Virginia recognizes Jennifer Connors with award for military education excellence

Colleen Rich — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 19:48:42 +0000

Virginia recognizes Jennifer Connors with award for military education excellence Colleen Rich Fri, 12/03/2021 - 14:48

Jennifer Connors. Photo provided

From one veteran liaison position and a single cubicle in the Office of Admissions to a full-service standalone resource center, the Office of Military Services (OMS) at ��ӽ紫ý has grown to support the more than 3,500 military-affiliated students.

The person behind this effort: Jennifer Connors, founding director of OMS.

“Jennifer has been the visionary and architect of everything ‘veteran’ within the Mason community,” said Ryan Barnett, OMS’ associate director.

Connors, a former chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, said: “My job for a very long time in the military was taking care of people.”

Connors is the first recipient of the Admiral John Harvey Career Achievement in Military Education Excellence Award, which was presented by the Virginia Department of Veteran Services in September.

This honor is awarded to an employee of an education or training facility who is directly involved in the delivery of military education programs and has worked at least five years with military-related students while demonstrating dedication and leadership in providing quality service, leadership, and innovation.

“Jennifer and her team have created an inclusive, supportive environment for members of the military community in OMS,” Alan Byrd, Mason’s dean of admissions, said. “It makes all the difference in the world for our students.”

Jennifer Connors with her Office of Military Services team. Photo provided

The award is special, Connors said, because it coincides with her 10 years of service at Mason.

“I have an incredible staff and student veteran population that got me to this point,” Connors said. “It’s reflective of our community as a whole.”

Since she was hired in 2011 as the first director of military services at Mason and the first female director of a college veteran center in Virginia, Connors’ role as a servant leader hasn’t faltered.

“She works tirelessly to remove barriers for students and to position them for success at Mason and beyond,” Byrd said.

Connors said her work never feels like a job.

“I'm serving my country by continuing our mission here at Mason to make sure that our veteran population is supported and a part of our community and successful,” she said.

Connors does everything from providing student counseling sessions for benefits and academic support to giving feedback on legislation to Congress.

In November, Connors helped launch OMS’ partnership with Mason’s LGBTQ+ Resources Center. She also aided in creating Mason’s Military, Veterans, and Family Initiative (MVFI), a one-stop shop for Mason veteran support services ranging from mental health resources to legal and recreational support.

Connors said the guiding principle at OMS is “you don’t leave anyone behind.”

Connors enlisted in the Air Force in June 1995, transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2010, and retired from the Reserve in July 2020. She became the first female chief master sergeant of the Force Generation Center while serving as superintendent from June 2018 until her retirement.

“Through her tireless efforts, initiative, and leadership, Jennifer Connors sets the standard for military education professionals,” Barnett said.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Veterans

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Awards

Mason doctoral students selected as this year’s Tillman Scholars

Colleen Rich — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:15:28 +0000

Mason doctoral students selected as this year’s Tillman Scholars Colleen Rich Tue, 11/09/2021 - 10:15

��ӽ紫ý doctoral students LeNaya Crandall Hezel and Lt. Col. Michelle Ruehl are being recognized for their service work and desire to make an impact. The two are part of the 2021 class of Tillman Scholars, named in honor of Pat Tillman, the former NFL star who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 while serving with the U.S. Army Rangers.

Hezel is a military spouse and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant working on a PhD in sociology, and Ruehl is an Air Force pilot and English teacher working on a PhD in Writing and Rhetoric. The women are two are the 60 scholars chosen from thousands of applicants this year by the Chicago-based Pat Tillman Foundation.

Sociology PhD student LeNaya Crandall Hezel is a Tillman Scholar and a 2021 Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program Scholar. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

LeNaya Crandall Hezel

A classically trained soprano, Hezel is now using her voice to advocate for DEI. During the tumultuous 2020, she started NayceQuest LLC to guide organizations as they discover meaningful ways to be equitable and inclusive.

She said that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her husband, who serves in the U.S. Navy, had just returned from a deployment in Djibouti, and at home with her three daughters, she was thinking “How are we going to do this?” She made the decision to step away from her full-time job as the inaugural veterans office director at Georgetown University and be a full-time student.

“Then George Floyd’s death happened, and I couldn't sit on the sidelines and be like, ‘I'm just going to let the rest of the world figure it out,’” said Hezel, who is also a 2021 Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program Scholar with the Bush Institute. “When I recognized where the need and the demands for this work were, I took action.”

Growing up, Hezel had two nicknames, Nay and Ace, which she merged into Nayce for the name of her company. Through NayceQuest LLC, she has been helping organizations move beyond “checking the box” when it comes to implementing DEI in the workplace. For this work Hezel said she is using a sociology lens and institutional ethnography, looking at the differences between “what's being said versus what is actually happening in the day-to-day practices.”

With her dissertation, Hezel again puts the need of veterans and her previous work with the veterans and military community at the forefront as she looks at campus veteran resource centers and whether they have an impact on student academic success, specifically undergraduate student veteran graduation rates.

“My hypothesis is the schools that have the resource center or the dedicated office, they're going to have higher graduation rates,” said Hezel. “But there's no research on that so I hope to fill that gap.”

Writing and rhetoric PhD student and Air Force pilot Michelle Ruehl often taught English as a volunteer during her deployments. Here she is with some of her students in Afghanistan. Photo provided

Lt. Col. Michelle Ruehl

Things move fast in Ruehl’s world, and not just because she is an Air Force pilot. She started her doctoral studies at Mason in 2021 after a year as a White House Fellow where she worked as a speech writer for a number of leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

When she found out her next assignment would be at the Pentagon, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff for three years, she quickly scrambled to get herself in a PhD program. Ruehl has been teaching English and aviation at the Air Force Academy with two master’s degrees, one in English and another in psychology.

“I've taught now in higher ed for eight years, and I would love to keep doing that,” Ruehl said of adding a PhD to her list of credentials. “[The academy] doesn't require pilots to have a PhD, and I realized, when I get out of the Air Force, I will actually have to compete for jobs with the real professors.”

Even before the Air Force Academy gig, Ruehl was finding her way into the classroom. She tells of flying planes over Afghanistan at night and volunteering to teach English during the day.

As the daughter of a musician and the granddaughter of a choir director, she said she also finds teaching English to be an excuse for bringing in other parts of the humanities, including music. Music really made a difference in one of those Afghanistan classrooms in which she was teaching a group of men.

“They want to learn English so badly that they were willing to kind of put up with me,” said the mother of two. “But they wouldn't look at me.”

To break the ice, she brought her guitar to class and sang a song in Dari that she learned online. “Of course, I was butchering it,” she said of the song.

But soon the students were laughing and asking her where she learned the song—and if she could play Michael Jackson.

“Music was able to break down 3,000 years of cultural differences,” she said. “It took a couple of weeks, but then we could get to the writing.”

After her last deployment, Ruehl and her husband started the nonprofit Parwana LEADership Legacy to honor the friends they lost in the war and the people of Afghanistan. They provide leadership programs to veterans and their families.

She also created a camp curriculum for kids that teaches empathy, active listening and service, often using horses. Each camp session is dedicated to a service member who was lost in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“It felt like the only thing I could do when I came back from my deployment was to find a way to keep saying their names,” she said.

Topics

Students

Tillman Scholars

The Secret’s Out: Mason is a military-friendly institution

Melanie Balog — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:01:21 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is a military-friendly institution Melanie Balog Thu, 07/29/2021 - 10:01

��ӽ紫ý has been named a ‘military friendly’ university for the 10th time by Viqtory, Military Friendly, and other evaluators.

About 4,000 of our students have a military affiliation through dependency, service or a spouse.

Our Military, Veterans and Family Initiative (MVFI), launched in 2020, brings together all of Mason’s military services and benefits and allows veterans and their families to take advantage of a range of assistance that supports their education, well-being and professional development.

It’s a one-stop shop where veterans and their families can apply for scholarships, join fellowship programs and internships, and access resources, including free legal clinics, psychological services and academic counseling.

“A veteran is just like any adult learner pursuing an education, with the exception that they have an incredible skill set from [their] military experience,” said Jennifer Connors, director of Mason’s Office of Military Services.

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Meet Us

Mason named a ‘military friendly’ institution

Colleen Rich — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 20:13:06 +0000

Mason named a ‘military friendly’ institution Colleen Rich Wed, 06/02/2021 - 16:13

File photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

��ӽ紫ý has been named a military friendly institution by Viqtory, Military Friendly for the 10th year, an important distinction for a university committed to veterans and other nontraditional students.

“It definitely shows our commitment to our veteran population and our community,” said Jennifer Connors, director of Mason’s Office of Military Services. “And it affirms our commitment to this population on a much greater scale.”

Mason has about 4,000 “military-related students,” which Connors said includes anyone with a military affiliation, through dependency, self-service or a spouse.

Veterans can take advantage of a plethora of services having to do with their education, well-being, internships, professional development, and guidance through the military’s benefits program. All the services are available through Mason’s new Military, Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI).

“Members of the military and their families make untold sacrifices for the sake of the nation and our freedoms,” said Keith Renshaw, MVFI’s founder and a professor of psychology at Mason. “It is our responsibility to give back to these individuals in whatever way we can.”

Launched in November 2020, the program showcases in one place all of Mason’s efforts and services that support the university’s military-related population.

In that way, Renshaw said, “We can better connect the existing programs, spark creation of new programs, and raise the visibility of all that we do for those internal and external to Mason.”

Directed by Renshaw, and with a philanthropic gift from Technatomy, whose managing director, Nadeem Butler, BS Finance and Decision Science ’91, is a veteran and Mason alumnus, MVFI divides its programs into four “pillars”: education, research, direct services and workforce development.

In that sense, it is similar to portals open to all Mason students. Connors said that is the point.

“A veteran is just like any adult learner pursuing an education with the exception that they have an incredible skill set that they have gained from military experience,” she said.

It is that experience that sets them apart, Connors added.

“Veterans have had incredible experiences, worldly experiences, an awareness of global experience on a different scale,” she said. “And they bring it to the classroom. They bring those leadership traits, the ability to work in a group, lead a team, collaborate, compromise, all the things that are strategic to our relationships. It’s a voice of experience that very few Americans have.”

Topics

Rankings

Serving those who serve: Partnership with American Legion lets M-VETS expand veterans support and student learning

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:33:21 +0000

Serving those who serve: Partnership with American Legion lets M-VETS expand veterans support and student learning Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 02/09/2021 - 15:33

Tim MacArthur

It was post 9/11 when the family of a ��ӽ紫ý student deployed overseas found themselves facing a landlord-tenant issue. The wife came to the law school, asking for legal support and Mason stepped in pro bono. Realizing a need existed to help veterans and their families in similar situations, leaders at the law school established the Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) in 2004.

Since then, the clinic has represented more than 300 clients and provided Mason law students with thousands of hours of litigation experience. A new partnership with American Legion Post 139, which will be standing up a new building in Arlington, will allow the clinic to further increase its impact.

“We’re very appreciative of American Legion,” said M-VETS Director Tim MacArthur, who has also served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. “It’s an exciting opportunity to expand the types of legal services we can provide to the community and our students.”

“What we want to do is put a full-time employee at the M-VETS office at American Legion who will practice in areas that [we currently] don’t practice,” MacArthur said, adding that this would increase the number of students and clients the clinic could take on, as well as give students opportunities to practice more diverse areas of law.

Leigh Winstead

M-VETS Deputy Director Leigh Winstead supervises students with MacArthur. She said a recent survey highlighted two areas of legal need where the clinic could grow: criminal law and employment matters.

“Our biggest areas of practice are domestic relations matters, divorces, step-parent adoptions, and landlord-tenant matters,” Winstead said. “On the military side, our bread and butter are discharge upgrades and Virginia disability benefit appeals.”

The new American Legion building and M-VETS’ expansion into the space is scheduled for 2022. Until then, M-VETS continues to serve those who serve

“It’s the least we can do for the sacrifices veterans have made for our country,” Winstead said. “Two very rewarding benefits from it are teaching the students and preparing them for practice, and being able to give back to the military community.”

M-VETS students handle three to five cases and applicants at a time, and 12 students are enrolled to work in the clinic this spring, MacArthur said.

What’s an average day like?

“We have [students] be the first chair of the case, meaning they’re the ones contacting the client, researching, preparing documents, and making sure their supervisor is up to date on the case,” MacArthur said.

Samantha Lewis

“Tim and Leigh are really great about giving us a lot of autonomy, which is awesome because that’s what it’s going to be like in the real world,” said Samantha Lewis, a third-year law student entering her second semester with M-VETS. “It’s a really unique opportunity for me as a young lawyer.”

Lewis said making an impact in others’ lives has been her favorite part of law school. The clinic has also helped her gain confidence and put classroom learnings into practice.

“[Defending a client in court] was a really proud moment for me because that was my first time standing up in front of a real judge, making real arguments, and acting like a real attorney,” she said. “We’re getting all this great legal experience, and [veterans] often wouldn’t be able to get good legal services if this clinic didn’t exist.”

Topics

Antonin Scalia Law School

Military Mondays series to foster community and give back to those who serve

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:38:10 +0000

Military Mondays series to foster community and give back to those who serve Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 02/04/2021 - 14:38

ROTC cadets. Photo by Evan Cantwell, 2009.

To foster community connections and give back to those who have given their all for our nation, ��ӽ紫ý’s Military, Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI) is hosting Military Mondays, a virtual webinar series from Feb. 8 to May 10.

“Our hope is that we could start to bring together the people who are military connected or simply want to support that community,” said MVFI Director Keith Renshaw, adding that this is of particular importance during the pandemic.

The series, which features moderated discussions, presentations and Q&As, will run every second and fourth Monday of the month at 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“Each presentation is going to have a different angle and different information,” Renshaw said, such as maintaining health and wellness during the pandemic, or making a career transition from the military to the civilian sector.

“Each one will have its own flair, but hopefully all of them will have a little bit of that sense of connection and sense of here’s some things you can be doing to support yourself or support those around you who are in this community,” he added.

Renshaw, who first became interested in supporting the military community after a clinical psychology internship at a veterans hospital, said MVFI was born out of work already taking place at Mason.

“As I’d go around campus, I would always be connected with people who were doing something related to military veterans and families, whether it be services, education or research,” he said. “Over time, we started talking about the possibility of trying to bring all these together and that’s what sparked MVFI.”

MVFI allows each center or program to be a source of learning and inspiration for the others, Renshaw said, and to work together to generate new programs and services. It also ensures people can easily find the resources Mason offers for the military-connected community.

“What excites me most is the untapped potential we have to reach and support this population,” Renshaw said, adding that Mason is unique for its location and its large population of military-connected people.

“Mason is dedicated to using its mission as a university to better everyone who it comes into contact with, and that’s what this initiative is about,” Renshaw said. “It’s about trying to tap into that intersection of the unique type of institution that Mason is, and its ability to serve and give back to this population that’s given so much.”

Topics

webinars

Guest Speaker

Mason alumnus Michael A. Bills reflects on his 42-year career in the U.S. Army

John Hollis — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Mason alumnus Michael A. Bills reflects on his 42-year career in the U.S. Army John Hollis Tue, 11/10/2020 - 05:30

Think about what ��ӽ紫ý students are dealing with right now, Mason President Gregory Washington said.

There is the ongoing pandemic and the daunting task of searching for a first job.

“But they also have to start thinking about what they want to do with their lives,” Washington said. “I want to be able to give them some feedback. Here are some of the big issues out there that you can solve, that you can attack with your Mason education.”

That feedback will come through interviews and discussions Washington will undertake with Mason faculty each month as a guest host on the university’s “Access to Excellence” podcast, available on platforms such as Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

Washington’s first podcast, just released, is with Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell, who talks about the presidential election, how Donald Trump has molded the Republican party in his own image, how to reform the electoral college, and where things go from here politically in this country.

“I’m hoping that a) students will listen, and b) they will use the feedback associated with this podcast to help chart their directions in terms of their majors, in terms of the directions they want to go in their own careers,” Washington said. “That’s the real motivator for me. I’m hoping to give them some clarity.”

Topics

Veterans Day

Veterans

Mason launches Military, Veterans, and Families Initiative

Colleen Rich — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 04:30:44 +0000

Mason launches Military, Veterans, and Families Initiative Colleen Rich Thu, 11/05/2020 - 23:30

Dear Colleagues,

As you may know, November 8 through 14 is National Nurse Practitioner Week 2020. I’d like to take a moment – in the midst of a global pandemic – to recognize and thank the preceptors, students, faculty, and alumni who are members of the Nurse Practitioner community. This is a community that is growing strong across the country – with nearly 300,000 NPs nationwide – as well as here at Mason’s School of Nursing. In fact, just since 2016, our Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program has grown by more than 60%. These statistics are a testament to the integral role that NPs play in ensuring healthy communities and meeting the growing demand for health care.

The School of Nursing has long believed in the importance of NPs and fully support efforts for practice autonomy. Our faculty and preceptors play a critical role in preparing our NP students for practice and we are grateful for their experience, wisdom, and commitment.

We look forward to celebrating our NPs and aspiring NPs and their many accomplishments this week and every week. Thank you for your dedication.

Germaine Louis, PhD, MS
Dean
College of Health and Human Services

Topics

Military Health