In February, Gov. Susana Martinez signed a piece of legislation that will make it easier for veterans and service members to earn college credit for the training they received in the military.
Senate Bill 153, which the House and Senate unanimously approved, was sponsored by Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho. Brandt, a veteran himself, said in a press release that SB 153 will help veterans achieve credit towards a degree — whether a bachelor’s or graduate degree — rather than just earning credits towards courses that count as electives.
“This will help our veterans get the core credits towards the education they need to continue to be productive members of our society,” Brandt said.
According to the fiscal impact report for the bill, the Higher Education Department “advises it will bear significant administrative costs in performing its responsibilities under this bill,” but it does not have an estimate for the necessary costs of the bill as of yet.
The same document states that, according to the Veteran Services Department, individuals who have undergone military service training essentially retake classes when they get to a higher education institution, as they take basic college courses through their training, resulting in unnecessary expenditures for veteran students, education institutions and the government.
SB 153 places the New Mexico Higher Education Department in charge of coming up with a uniform policy.
Joseph Cueto, the HED’s public information officer, says the department is currently working on implementing a statewide common course numbering system so that students can easily transfer credits between colleges and universities in New Mexico. The department is working on a similar policy for veterans’ ability to transfer credits used towards degrees.
“New Mexicans have always stood ready to answer our nation’s call to service,” Cueto said. “We have to do everything we can to support them when they come home.”
According to the website for the National Conference of State Legislatures, other states including Alaska, Missouri, Minnesota and Texas have created legislation that helps military experience translate into course credit for education.
The bill stipulates that the HED must have a concrete policy to present to the Veterans Affairs Committee and Legislative Education Study Committee by Nov. 1.
UNM’s current system for granting veterans college credit follows guidelines laid out by the American Council on Education. The bill will help standardize the process of granting credits, not only providing veterans with more educational opportunities, but also ensuring that excess credit that doesn’t go toward a degree does not limit a veteran’s access to benefits by wasting them on transfer credits.
UNM Veterans Resource Center Program Coordinator Stephen Weinkauf, who served six years with the New Mexico Army National Guard, said he has seen multiple outcomes for veterans being awarded credits based on experience.
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“I have seen some come in and actually be applied to a degree program, and that’s really depending on the job and what schools they’ve been to or actual trainings or schools that they have some sort of transcript from,” he said. “But I also know of a student who had a 20-year paramedic career that came to UNM and had to take his EMT Basic, so it goes both ways there.”
Weinkauf said he can see how the bill would help veterans pursuing a degree, such as combat medics using their experience for nursing programs.
UNM Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Terry Babbitt said that the University always looks for ways to support veterans in their pursuit of a degree.
“We strongly support our veterans,and they are deserving of everything we can do to maximize their educational benefits,” Babbitt said. “We look forward to working with the Higher Education Department to implement these improvements.”
Evan Barela is a student in the communication and journalism department. David Lynch contributed reporting for this story. He can be reached at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @RealDavidLynch.
