College-bound GIs can expect a helping hand from Wesleyan now that the University is setting up a scholarship program specifically for student military veterans. The scholarship, which will be funded by the donations of two Wesleyan alumni, will allow there to be up to 10 scholarship-recipients on campus at any one time, although Vice President for Public Affairs Justin Harmon said, “we can spread it as far as it goes depending upon the needs of the individual students.” Although the specifics of the scholarship are still being discussed, Harmon hopes it will be in place by the next academic school year.
Frank Sica ’73, one of the donors, will be building an endowment with his donation so that it can create permanent funding. In a University press release, Sica described his vision for the scholarship.
“I want to enable young men and woman who have performed a service for our country to attend a premier liberal arts university,” he said. “The government-provided college aid and pay scales for enlisted personnel are such that, unless these people received substantial aid, they could not pay the expenses associated with attending a place such as Wesleyan.”
According to the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, certain veterans can apply for free tuition at any State University or Community College. For this reason, Harmon said that community colleges are one of the places where Wesleyan will actively recruit veterans interested in applying for the scholarship.
“We anticipate it’s likely we’ll find many [veterans] who are already enrolled,” he said.
RJ Schmidt ’08, a serviceman for the Connecticut Air National Guard and the only Wesleyan student who is currently enlisted in the military, transferred to Wesleyan for his sophomore year after attending Manchester Community College. There, he said he knew many other servicemen and women.
“It pleases me to hear that 10 other servicemen, while undergoing a rough transition, will have less to worry about in terms of finances,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt described his transition to Wesleyan as a difficult one, especially when he first arrived on campus.
“With all the anti-war rhetoric, I had a sense almost on a daily basis that I was being attacked,” he said.
After serving six years in the Air Force and two years in the New York Air National Guard, Schmidt says that his military style didn’t quite fit in on campus at first.
“[I] internalized the military mindset in terms of character and work ethic,” he said. “When I arrived at Wesleyan, I realized, ’this isn’t going to work at all.’”
Schmidt suspects that the servicemen on campus will probably “band together” because of their similar experiences of transitioning from military life to campus life.
Jonathan Soros ’92, the other donor backing the need-based scholarship, will provide what is called term funding.
“We identify the individuals, we admit them and determine their need, and then Mr. Soros gives us as much as we need to fund them on an ongoing basis,” explained Harman
Soros hopes that his gift will provide Wesleyan students with opportunities to meet people with backgrounds different from their own.
“For many at a liberal arts college, interacting with the men and women of the military is not part of their experience,” Soros said in a University press release. “I see a real educational opportunity in which veterans benefit from a liberal arts education, and the community benefits by learning from people of different backgrounds and confronting realities they wouldn’t otherwise directly encounter.”
For Schmidt, sharing his background with others in this way is one of the reasons he came to love Wesleyan.
“The open liberal-mindedness of the Wesleyan culture has allowed me to articulate my experiences in every context,” he said. “While students may carry notions of demonizing the military, I will say that they are also predisposed to ask questions and are open to hearing the other side.”
Ultimately, Schmidt finds it necessary to “appreciate the servicemen regardless of the political context in which [they] serve,” and he also says that he is ecstatic about the scholarship.
“It’s a way to show support to people who have been carrying a heavy load,” he said. “I’m joining the chorus.”
Leave a Reply