Continuing efforts to extend support to military personnel who seek post-secondary education, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has secured a $14,984 grant from the Military Family Research Institute to examine institutional services and support for military personnel and veterans.

“Operation Diploma: Military Friendly Services & Resources” will look at the five areas of admission, financial aid, academics, student services and network participation. The grant — which was awarded through the Military Family Research Institute, located at Purdue University, with funding from the Lilly Endowment — will focus on improving existing policies and procedures concerning veterans/service members; creating new policies and procedures; and improving campus-wide understanding of issues, policies and procedures regarding veterans' education.

By improving access to information about the services and programs available to military personnel and planning and establishing new services, the grant will better position the College to meet the needs of student service members and veterans, thereby increasing their educational satisfaction and success. SMWC will collaborate with Indiana State University on some aspects of the project.

In addition, the College recently announced that it would be participating in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program on the undergraduate and graduate levels. Effective August 1 for the 2009-10 school year, SMWC’s participation in this program is made possible by the passage of the new post 9/11 GI Bill. Eligible veterans will receive the cost of tuition and fees, up to the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher learning.

Because a private education is more costly than a public one, the Veterans Administration has added a new provision to the GI Bill called the Yellow Ribbon Program. Under this provision, SMWC has entered into an agreement with the Veterans Administration to scholarship up to 50% of the cost of tuition and fees that exceed the standard education benefit. The VA will then match the amount of the scholarship – completely covering the cost of tuition and fees for the veteran.

The College also wants to ensure that a Woods education is accessible to military personnel and veterans, regardless of where they are serving or living. In January 2010, the College will launch Woods Online, a new, completely online degree program, which is designed to provide access to SMWC’s degree programs from anywhere in the world. This online education option will allow military personnel and veterans around the globe the opportunity to further their current career or prepare them for a new one.

SMWC has also extended its support to the spouses of military personnel and veterans. The College’s Military/Veteran Spouse Grant, which is a $3,000 Grant awarded to the spouse of military service members who have served on active duty or are currently serving in the reserves, is renewable yearly for the duration of a degree program.

Founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. Today, SMWC thrives by offering a rich liberal arts education, scholarships and financial aid opportunities to make college affordable, individual attention, a value-centered education in a Catholic tradition, and a wide variety of student leadership activities. In fact, both Princeton Review and U.S.News & World Report rank SMWC as one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest.

In 1973, the College introduced one of the first independent study programs in the nation, the Woods External Degree (WED) Program. Through the WED program, women and men can earn a college degree at their own pace in a wide variety of majors. The College also uses distance education in its six master’s degree programs in education, leadership development, Earth literacy, pastoral theology, art therapy and music therapy.

The College is committed to making private higher education affordable. Approximately 95% of campus-based undergraduate students at SMWC receive academic or need-based financial aid, and, last year, institutional aid exceeded $3 million. In addition, the College has partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to provide Ivy Tech graduates with transfer grants that can be applied toward the cost of tuition for SMWC’s campus-based program or the WED program.

For more information about Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, contact the SMWC Office of Admission at 812-535-5106, 1-800-926-SMWC or smwcadms@smwc.edu. More information is also available online at www.smwc.edu.