Veterans Services

With an estimated 2.2 million veterans residing in California, the state leads the nation in the number of veterans. That number is expected to increase dramatically as more military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan complete their service.

The majority of these students enroll in a California community college. In 2010-11, more than 44,000 veterans utilized education benefits at a California community college. In addition, there are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 active duty personnel enrolled annually at community colleges across the state, not including dependents.

A college education has become an absolute necessity for veterans returning to civilian life, and community colleges provide the majority of this education, as most veterans are ineligible for direct admission to the University of California or the California State University systems.

What's New

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges (FACCC) and the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC), with generous support from JP Morgan Chase, held the first inagural California Community Colleges Veterans Summit in San Diego on December 2, 2011. This one day conference on serving student veterans was a tremendous success! Videos of each session can be found by clicking here and links to program materials can be found on theFACCC website.

The Chancellor's Office recently completed a report outlining the myriad of programs and services designed to support student veterans throughout the system, an electronic version of the report can be found byclicking here.

The Chancellor’s Office received a second $75,000 grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation (ZFF) to support the continuation of The Welcome Home: Creating a Campus Climate of Wellness for Returning Veterans project. The training program for faculty and staff is designed to increase awareness of military culture and the mental health needs of student veterans with a focus on integration of services.

Governor Brown recently created the Interagency Council on Veterans (ICV) and Chancellor Jack Scott has appointed Vice Chancellor Linda Michalowski to represent California Community Colleges on the council.  The council's mission is "to identify and prioritize the needs of California veterans, and coordinate the activities at all levels of government in addressing those needs.”  The inagural ICV meeting on February 22nd and 23rd marks the beginning of this important project.