By Brian McNeill

Organized by the American Council on Education and supported by the Imaginable Futures Foundation, the event was the kickoff of a new series, “Building Pathways in Virginia: Bridging Education and Workforce for All,” focused on amplifying state-led initiatives that advance student success. 

The VCU-hosted event at James Branch Cabell Library focused on student veterans and student parents, two groups that often face specific challenges as they pursue their higher education goals. 

“This inaugural convening brought together state elected leaders, employers and higher education institutions – two-year, four-year, public and private – across the commonwealth to address current challenges and reiterate our shared commitment to advancing student access and success across the continuum of education and workforce,” Heidi Tseu, assistant vice president for national engagement at ACE, said following the event. “We are so grateful to our partners at VCU for sponsoring this event. Led by the voices of Virginia’s student-parent and student-veteran leaders, today embodied the best of the higher education and workforce ecosystem.”

Tseu moderated a panel discussion focused on the continuum of higher education into the workforce. The panelists included M. Kirk Cox, former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and the president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council; Bob Pryor, vice president of the VCU Student Veterans Association; and Danielle Pearles, senior associate director, employer and experiential development for VCU Career Services.

“Education is incredibly important for veterans as they transition into civilian life,” said Pryor, a Navy veteran who graduated from VCU with a political science degree and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs while interning at Dominion Energy. “My pathway, I got out of the military and went straight into the workforce for about seven years. I would say I kind of botched my transition and decided to go back to pursue my degree and make a career change.” 

Another panel discussion featured student parents and student veterans from Virginia Peninsula Community College, Old Dominion University and VCU. And researchers provided presentations on data related to topics including college affordability, work-based learning and employer alignment, as well as how supporting student parents can benefit not only the students, but the state as well.

Del. Betsy Carr, whose district includes much of the city of Richmond, also gave remarks at the event.

“We’re very proud of our commonwealth’s higher education system, and we’re always pleased to share our learnings, as well as eager to learn from others on how to improve our continual goal of providing affordable access and expanding workforce development opportunities,” she said. “We’re so pleased with today’s focus on workforce initiatives that benefit student parents and veterans as they balance family responsibilities and education.”

Notably, VCU is designated as a Military Friendly School, earning a gold award for being in the top tier of institutions based on factors including retention, graduation, job placement, loan default rates and more. Including dependents along with veterans, VCU enrolls one of the highest populations of military-affiliated students in Virginia. 

“We serve our veterans and we’re very proud of that,” Hernan Bucheli, Ed.D., vice president for strategic enrollment management and student success at VCU, said at the event.  

Samara Reynolds, executive director of VCU Career Services, helped coordinate the event. She said VCU was a natural fit for the conversation about supporting student veterans and student parents because of VCU’s “recognized commitment to student success and transformative work-based learning, including directly supporting the unique educational and career pathways of our students from all backgrounds.”

“It was a specific point of pride to have VCU students, alumni and staff members serve as panelists and presenters,” Reynolds said. “Each individual was able to share their enthusiasm and expertise related to the student-veteran and student-parent experience, as well as emphasize how internships and employer partnerships can help open new doors to both post-graduation opportunities for all students and the ability for higher education to meet evolving industry needs.”