Advising the Whole Student

An Academic Advisor’s Guide to Advising Veteran & Military-Connected Students

Developed in partnership between Columbia University School of General Studies' Dean of Students Office and CVTI, this guide equips advisors to support student veterans using a culturally responsive and student-centered approach. It builds on CVTI’s foundational philosophy: transition is the student’s responsibility; integration is the institution’s. Integration does not mean requiring student veterans to assimilate into existing norms. Rather, it calls on academic advisors and administrators to adapt structures that meet veterans where they are, honoring their histories, identities, and trajectories. This philosophy also acknowledges that not all students who served in the military identify, or are recognized, as “veterans.” Some may avoid the term altogether, while others may identify privately but not participate in veteran-specific communities or present themselves as such in academic settings. Integration allows advisors to support these students without requiring them to perform a fixed “student veteran” identity. Instead, advisors are encouraged to engage each student with curiosity and respect, building trust in ways that reflect the breadth of veteran and military-connected experiences.

Section Structure

Quick Insights →

Synthesized knowledge from those who have advised student-veterans

Practical Applications →

Concrete strategies for immediate use

Questions for Reflections →

Prompts for reflection

Resources and Policies →

Links to helpful resources from Columbia, the VA, and other external entities

Note: The guide below will be revisited and refined annually to reflect changes in policy, student needs, and campus culture.

Purpose and Framing

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in 2018 alone 669,922 veterans used the education and vocational rehabilitation benefits provided by the VA. At Columbia University, during the 2024-2025 academic year, 774 students enrolled using G.I. Bill benefits, with approximately 350 students enrolled in Columbia’s School of General Studies (GS).

On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (the G.I. Bill), which originally provided World War II veterans with financial assistance for college tuition, unemployment insurance, and housing. Today, by way of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, the Yellow Ribbon Program, and the Veteran Readiness & Employment Program over half a million United States veterans are able to attend college, receive a monthly housing allowance, and receive reimbursement for professional licensing exams and training.

Our student-veterans comprise a unique population. Oftentimes they are older than the traditional undergraduate student population, many are married and have children, and even more are balancing full-time jobs with their full-time student status. Given GS’s advising model, where students are equitably “spread-loaded” across all academic advisors rather than assigned to veteran-specific caseloads, every advisor is likely to work with multiple student veterans, as well as other military-connected and international students with military experience. It therefore is imperative that all academic advisors within the School of General Studies become knowledgeable of the unique needs of our student veterans and military connected students.

Oftentimes, the academic advisor is the first person with whom the student-veteran meets. To that end, advisors serve not only as academic guides, but also as institutional witnesses to students’ stories. By embracing this role, advisors create inclusive, affirming spaces that foster a sense of belonging for student veterans and other nontraditional students, spaces that recognize who they are, honor where they come from, and help lead them to where they are going.

This resource draws on CVTI’s courses Supporting Veteran Success in Higher Education and Building Capacity for Veteran Narrative training, GS Dean of Students’ academic advising practices, and decades of experience from seasoned advisors that have worked with the military-connected community at Columbia University. It offers insight into veteran identity and experience, outlines GS-specific policies and resources, and provides practical guidance to help advisors support the veteran and military-connected community.

“Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (1944).” National Archives, 22 Sep. 2021, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/servicemens-readjustment-act. student veterans’ academic success, wellbeing, and professional goals.

Ecology-Based Advising → meets the emergent and ambiguous nature of veteran identity rather than assuming linear narratives of heroism or resilience

This practice considers the relationship between the growth of the student-veteran, both academic and personal, inextricable from the context of their external environment.
→ Avoid boxing-in a student to a predetermined veteran identity.

Story-Centered Advising → cultivates environments where veterans feel comfortable shaping their own representational spaces through story-telling, without institutional filtering, that inform how advisors advise.

This practice allows student-veterans to explain, in their own terms, their worldview, lived experiences, challenges, and successes.
→ To avoid assumptions, allow the student to present themselves as a veteran or military-connected before trying to connect with them about their experiences.

These methodologies enable advisors to meet the student-veteran and military-connected student where they are. They enable advisors to actively listen to the unique narrative the student feels comfortable sharing, to honor the student’s perspective, and to refrain from making assumptions about their identity. Ultimately, they allow the relationship between advisor and advisee to evolve from one that is transactional to one that is transformative.

Practical Applications

Avoid assumptions about who “is” or “is not” a veteran.: Recognize that not all veterans participate in veteran groups.

Avoid assumptions about who “is” or “is not” a veteran.: Understand that silence about service can be as meaningful as disclosure.

Avoid assumptions about who “is” or “is not” a veteran.: Engage in story-informed advising, centering the student’s goals and experiences.

Questions for Reflection

What are my own assumptions about military culture?
Do I make assumptions about veterans’ needs or perspectives?
How can I serve as a witness to their story without demanding disclosure?

Helpful Resources

Transactional Advising → primarily task-oriented and procedural, with a primary focus on completing requirements

This type of advising often is characterized by relatively brief interactions between the advisor and student that are focussed on addressing the student’s immediate needs and/or concerns. According to Bob Jacobsen, “A transactional approach to advising, such as through a ‘ticket’ system that associates a specific problem to be resolved with each interaction between student and advisor, while potentially operationally efficient for both student and advisor, it is unlikely to assist in creating long-term academic plans and a stable advising relationship.”

Transformative Advising → focuses on fostering genuine relationships with the student that is framed by empathy and care

This advising practice intentionally makes space for deeper personal, educational, and identity growth in students. It encourages each student to connect their academic experiences and goals to their life after graduation, and it cultivates a sense of agency in the act of shaping their educational journeys. Rather than focusing solely on procedural guidance, transformative advising seeks to create a dialogic space in which both advisor and student learn from one another and co-construct meaning.

It is important to note that a healthy advising relationship is not about using one method over the other but critically deciding when to use transactional and when to use transformational interactions with a student.

The advising meeting can effectively double as both an efficient space for procedural transaction and serves as a space for reflection, exploration, and empowerment.

The discernment between the two, where and when to deploy, is a skill that can come from the aforementioned practice of continually building a capacity for veteran narratives by listening to and participating with your veteran and military connected advisees and their communities.

“Transactional to Transformational Practices.” ADVISER EDUCATION PROGRAM (AEP), University of Washington, 2025, https://aepinfo.advising.uw.edu/dei-resources/transactional-to-transformational-practices/. Also see Johnson 2022.

Core Advising Areas

The first interaction can determine the advisor/advisee relationship going forward. It is from here where trust can be built, ignored, or broken.

Building trust from the first connection is important. Trust can often determine whether a veteran follows through on recommendations.

Quick Insights

Every veteran has a different reason for joining and leaving the military. While their service experience is highly structured, their transition can often be a struggle.
Not every former service member identifies as a veteran and not every veteran that identifies as such explicitly shares this identity.
Many veterans avoid the “veteran” label.
Pride can coexist with reluctance to seek needed accommodations and support.
Former service member identities intersect with race, gender, family, sexuality, disability, and class.

Practical Applications

Acknowledge possible commute, family obligations, and prior career experience as part of their academic identity.

Use prompts that invite, not require, sharing. For example:

“If you’d like, could you share how your past experiences influence how you approach learning now?”
“Would you be comfortable sharing what brought you to this program?”
“What experiences, academic or otherwise, feel most meaningful to you right now?”

Acknowledge possible commute, family obligations, and prior career experience as part of their academic identity.: Honor multiple and intersecting identities (race, gender, sexuality, disability, class).

Acknowledge possible commute, family obligations, and prior career experience as part of their academic identity.: Build trust by using culturally resonant language (including acronyms once the veteran presents as veteran and when appropriate).

Questions for Reflection

How do I adapt my advising to veterans who avoid veteran-specific spaces?
How do I recognize and affirm trust when it’s offered?
What acts of trust-building can I integrate into my advising?

Helpful Resource

Quick Insights:

VA benefits are complex and always changing
- Rules, eligibility, and payment processes can shift with legislative updates, VA administrative changes, and student status adjustments.
- Advisors must be aware of current requirements to advise students effectively.
Many veterans experience significant financial stress
- Veterans are forced to navigate multiple benefit systems while managing housing costs, dependents, and traditional financial aid. Delays or misunderstandings can negatively impact academic performance and wellbeing.

Practical Applications

Proactively ask about benefit usage and timelines during early advising meetings.

Understand how VA benefits interact with Columbia’s tuition payment schedules, and how that will affect the student's ability to focus on their coursework.

Help students connect with GS Military and Veteran Educational Financing to map out a term-by-term financial plan to anticipate gaps between benefit disbursement and tuition due dates.

Partner with the GS Financial Aid Office and Veteran Affairs representatives to troubleshoot issues quickly.

Recognize signs of financial strain, such as sudden course load changes, multiple withdrawal requests, or repeated inquiries about work-study, and address them early.

Questions for Reflection

Do I understand how veteran financial support affects academic success—particularly the timing of MHA payments, VA tuition disbursements, and Yellow Ribbon benefits?
Can I identify red flags indicating financial stress in conversations?
How can I connect students to financial counseling or emergency aid resources before issues escalate?

Helpful Resources

Columbia → GS Veteran Educational Financing Overview
Columbia → VA Benefits & GI Bill Overview
VA → GI Bill And Other Education Benefit Eligibility | Veterans Affairs

Also see: Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the GI Bill - Veteran.com

Quick Insights

Columbia’s flexible curriculum can be disorienting for students from highly structured environments.
- Veterans who are accustomed to clearly defined roles, hierarchies, and training pathways may initially find the open curriculum and abundance of choice overwhelming. Therefore, they may benefit from intentional conversations that help them translate their structured experiences into strategies for navigating academic freedom and self-directed learning.
Veterans may face unique credit transfer and degree-planning challenges.
- Determining how prior coursework, military training, or professional certifications fit into degree requirements can be confusing and time-consuming. Advisors can help by clarifying transfer-credit policies early, mapping realistic degree pathways, and acknowledging the academic value of prior experience.
Policy barriers, withdrawals, ROTC scheduling, active-duty call-backs are often unclear.
- Students balancing service commitments or family responsibilities may need additional guidance when institutional policies feel opaque or inflexible. Advisors can play a key role in helping veterans navigate these systems, advocate for themselves, and stay connected to campus resources during transitions or interruptions in enrollment.

Practical Applications

Encourage students to be communicative with professors, mentors, and student services about their current status with the military, whether a veteran, medically retired, or a current reservist/national guard. This will help professors and others meet the student where they are at.: Help students translate military experience into academic, community, and career relevance.

Encourage students to be communicative with professors, mentors, and student services about their current status with the military, whether a veteran, medically retired, or a current reservist/national guard. This will help professors and others meet the student where they are at.: Maintain a referral list of key campus contacts: Registrar, Financial Aid, Disability Services, CVTI.

Questions for Reflection

Have I explained policies in ways that speak to veterans’ contexts?
Am I helping student-veterans connect prior learning to the Columbia curriculum?

Helpful Resources

Quick Insights

Some veterans have experienced camaraderie with a sense of loyalty and responsibility to a community - this can be lost in transition out of the military.
Some veterans have experienced the opposite.
It is well recorded that 90% of presenting veterans engage with a broader veteran and military-connected community within the first 2 weeks of a semester. By mid-semester, that drops to 20%-40%.

Practical Applications

Encourage Peer Support: Communicate how important community is to supporting academic progress

Encourage Peer Support: Asking for help is not a stigma, but a strength

Encourage Peer Support: Story-telling self-authors hints of how and with whom a student veteran can be connected.

Reflective Questions:

Do I bring assumptions to the table on which community a veteran should engage with?
Have I listened to stories to pick up on a student's particular interests - outside of what I expected from them?

Helpful Resources

Quick Insights

For student-veterans this process of transitioning from active-duty to higher education can result in a significant amount of stress and social isolation.
Some veterans equate seeking help with personal weakness.
Many of our student-veterans are unaware of resources available to them.

Practical Application

Normalize mental health check-ins if comfortable doing so.: Share (mental) health resources as a regular part of academic advising.

Normalize mental health check-ins if comfortable doing so.: Note abnormal behaviors such as: missed classes, withdrawn behavior, lack of engagement.

Generative Questions

How do I check-in while allowing for boundaries?
What resources on campus can I partner with if concerns escalate?

Helpful Resources

Quick Insights:

Housing is not a given and going through the process of securing housing can be a first time experience for student veterans.
Many student veterans fell they can "white knuckle" through the fact that they do not have adequate housing for themselves or their family.
A number of students stay in University-owned housing, many live at home, and some secure other non-University housing in the New York area, however, some are unhoused.
Many student veterans have partners, spouses, children, and other family responsibilities - and some of them will care for them while pursing school while others will leave them behind to pursue school. Different situations will cause different stressors and can have great affect on a student's ability to focus on their own academics and health.

Practical Applications

GI Bill Landlord Letter: Qualifying student veterans pursuing higher education in New York City may utilize G.I. Bill housing allowances to subsidize the cost of renting an apartment. The New York City Department of Veterans’ Services and the New York City Commission on Human Rights aim to provide landlords and student veterans with helpful information about legal protections under New York law for tenants seeking to finance their rent with G.I. Bill housing allowances.: Engage directly with a student about their responsibilities outside of school, whether family, job(s), housing, etc. and connect them to the correct resources for support.

GI Bill Landlord Letter: Qualifying student veterans pursuing higher education in New York City may utilize G.I. Bill housing allowances to subsidize the cost of renting an apartment. The New York City Department of Veterans’ Services and the New York City Commission on Human Rights aim to provide landlords and student veterans with helpful information about legal protections under New York law for tenants seeking to finance their rent with G.I. Bill housing allowances.: Be mindful of how family and housing can be stressors for students, and know when to dig-in or back-off a conversation.

Reflective Questions:

Have I considered how family dynamics may affect a student's wellbeing?
Have I assumed that a student has adequate housing?
Do I know where to point a student if they need to secure housing?

Helpful Resources:

Quick Insights

Veterans bring a variety of transferable skills such as: leadership, problem-solving, crisis management, and teamwork skills developed in high-pressure environments.
Many veterans choose new fields unrelated to their role in the military. This requires effectively reframing prior experience in ways that resonate with civilian employers and academic mentors.

Practical Applications

Actively discuss career interests and goals beginning in the student’s first semester.: Connect veterans to student group and graduate school contacts

Actively discuss career interests and goals beginning in the student’s first semester.: Connect veterans to networking opportunities that are both veteran-specific and for the general student population.

Actively discuss career interests and goals beginning in the student’s first semester.: Connect students to the GS Director of Veteran Initiatives and to Columbia Center for Career Education (CCE).

Generative Questions

How can I connect military experiences to a student’s academic and professional goals in ways that honor their service without limiting their possibilities?
What language can I utilize that reflects the value of their prior service to civilian employers or graduate programs?
How can I introduce students to both veteran-specific and broader professional networks?

Helpful Resources

Quick Insights

International former service members bring diverse perspectives shaped by military cultures outside the U.S., which may differ significantly in structure, values, and training.
They may not qualify for U.S. VA benefits, which can create distinct financial and administrative challenges.
Immigration status, visa requirements, and prior academic systems can impact course planning, workload, and access to certain programs.
Cultural differences may influence classroom participation styles, interactions with faculty, and perceptions of authority.

Practical Applications

Partner with the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) to address visa or work authorization questions.

Recognize and validate military experience even if it comes from a non-U.S. context.

For example, you may ask them to share to the degree they comfortable about their roles, responsibilities, and leadership.

Partner with the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) to address visa or work authorization questions.: Connect them with student groups that support international veterans.

Generative Questions

How might my advising change to accommodate the cultural and institutional differences experienced by international former service members?
Am I making space for them to share their service background in ways that honor its unique context?
How can I connect them to both veteran and international student resources without making assumptions about where they will feel most at home?

Helpful Resources

Continue on...

Quick Insights

Best practices for student-veteran advising evolve and change with changes in student demographics, VA benefits, and institutional policies–making regular professional development for advisors important.
Inter-departmental partnerships strengthen the support network for veterans, ensuring consistent messaging and coordinated care.
Engaging in veteran-centered events and initiatives deepens understanding, builds trust, and signals commitment to the veteran community.

Practical Applications

Attend at least one veteran-focused training, workshop, or CVTI session each semester.: Partner with faculty, financial aid, career services, and health services to align support strategies.

Attend at least one veteran-focused training, workshop, or CVTI session each semester.: Participate in veteran-related events, such as panel discussions, storytelling projects, or community gatherings, to strengthen relationships with students and colleagues.

Attend at least one veteran-focused training, workshop, or CVTI session each semester.: Document and share insights from advising cases (respecting confidentiality) to contribute to a collective knowledge base.

Attend at least one veteran-focused training, workshop, or CVTI session each semester.: Advocate for policy or procedural changes when you identify institutional barriers to veteran success.

Generative Questions

How can I continue learning from veterans and my colleagues to refine my advising approach?
What institutional barriers have I observed that need to be named and addressed?
In what ways can I share my learning to benefit the wider advising community?

Helpful Resources

Self-Check Rubric

Scale: 1 = Not Yet Practiced | 2 = Emerging | 3 = Consistent | 4 = Advanced/Transformative

Domain: I. Foundations: Veteran Identity & Context
Criterion: Awareness of Veteran Diversity
Description of Practice: Avoids assumptions; recognizes nontraditional and non-identifying veterans; understands intersections of identity
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Transition & Integration Framework
Description of Practice: Applies CVTI principle: transition = student; integration = institution; avoids assimilation narratives.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Culturally Resonant Communication
Description of Practice: Uses respectful language, clarifies without implying deficit, uses acronyms discerningly and appropriately.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: II. Narrative, Trust & Relationship-Building
Criterion: Narrative-Informed Advising
Description of Practice: Uses open prompts; invites but never demands disclosure; centers student narrative.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Trust-Building Behaviors
Description of Practice: Responds with consistency, follow-through, and respectful listening; recognizes non-linear trust.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Respect for Silence & Boundaries
Description of Practice: Avoids probing; recognizes silence as meaningful; supports comfort levels.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: III. Military Benefits, Financial Aid & Policy Navigation
Criterion: Understanding GI Bill & Yellow Ribbon
Description of Practice: Understands benefit timing, eligibility, red flags, and integration with Columbia billing cycles.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Policy Navigation Skills
Description of Practice: Guides students through withdrawals, active-duty callbacks, ROTC obligations, leaves.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Administrative Clarity
Description of Practice: Explains complex processes in accessible language; anticipates constraints and deadlines.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: IV. Academic & Community Navigation
Criterion: Support with Columbia’s Curriculum
Description of Practice: Helps translate structured military experience into strategies for navigating academic choice.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Connecting Students to Community
Description of Practice: Connects to GS resources, advising partners, academic networks; avoids assumptions about veteran-specific spaces.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: V. Community Engagement
Criterion: Veteran Campus Life Community
Description of Practice: Encourages Student Groups engagement; peer connection; CVTI Community Hours
Rating (1–4): 1-4

Criterion: Other Engagements
Description of Practice: Encourages other engagement-sense of purpose; civic, peer, volunteer responsibilities
Rating (1–4): 1-4

Domain: VI. Health & Wellbeing
Criterion: Normalizing Help-Seeking
Description of Practice: Conducts wellbeing check-ins appropriately; understands signs of isolation or stress.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Referral Competence
Description of Practice: Knows CPS, Disability Services, VA mental health pathways and explains them accessibly.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: VII. Family and Housing
Criterion: Family
Description of Practice: Engages on family and financial responsibilities
Rating (1–4): 1-4

Criterion: Housing
Description of Practice: Ensures student is not unhoused; educates on NYC landlord policies
Rating (1–4): 1-4

Domain: VIII. Post-Graduation & Career Planning
Criterion: Early Career Engagement
Description of Practice: Initiates conversations in first semester; aligns academic choices with long-term goals
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Translating Military Experience
Description of Practice: Helps convert military roles into civilian language; identifies strengths and transferable skills.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Network Facilitation
Description of Practice: Connects students to CCE, GS Career Services, CVTI programs, and alumni networks.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: IX. International Former Service Members
Criterion: Awareness of Distinct Needs
Description of Practice: Recognizes differences in military cultures, visa constraints, and benefit ineligibility.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Cultural Humility
Description of Practice: Recognizes that communication norms are different than with U.S. veterans.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Domain: X. Advisor Growth & Institutional Contribution
Criterion: Ongoing Learning
Description of Practice: Participates in veteran-focused training; stays updated on policies and demographics.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Collaboration & Advocacy
Description of Practice: Identifies institutional barriers; collaborates across departments; suggests improvements.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

Criterion: Contribution to Collective Knowledge
Description of Practice: Shares anonymized insights; supports consistent advising practices school-wide.
Rating (1–4): 1–4

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