Special Tuition Rate is Latest Step Forward to Serve Military-Affiliated Students

When John Morris started at Bethel as the first executive director of the Office of Military and Veterans Services, one of his goals was to ensure that well-prepared, mission-driven students would graduate to become “champions for Bethel University and transformative leaders in the marketplace.”

A little over a year later, Bethel continues making strides to intentionally recruit and serve students connected to the military. Starting fall 2020, Bethel will begin offering a military tuition rate of $250 per credit for several programs in the College of Adult & Professional Studies (CAPS) to currently-serving military members. That rate matches the Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) offered by the Department of Defense for currently-serving military members’ tuition, ensuring that those who are serving can receive an affordable education.

In fact, Morris says the tuition rate competitively prices Bethel’s world-class education, making it a bargain for military members who wish to be challenged, grow as leaders, and take the next step in their lives. The credit is available to currently-serving military members of the active-duty Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Space Force, Air Force, or Army—and it’s available to those currently serving in the Reserves or Guard.

Military members can transfer Joint Service Transcript credits—credits earned during basic training or their service—to Bethel CAPS programs to count as elective or general education credits, which helps them earn a degree more quickly. And CAPS programs offer flexible online programs that meet the lifestyles of busy serving and working adults.

Morris sees the tuition rate as the latest important step forward by his office and Bethel. And he sees a common thread in the efforts his office has undertaken in the past year.

The tuition rate closely follows other key steps and initiatives to serve military-affiliated students. Bethel was named to the 2020-21 Military Friendly Schools List, a prestigious guide for veterans that calls out higher education institutions that provide the best opportunities for veterans and their families. Bethel is also a member 2020-21 member of the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), an active proponent for the professional development of those serving in the military education community.

Such designations largely reflect the work of Morris and others at Bethel to cultivate and expand a community for military-affiliated students. This community at Bethel hosted send-off and welcome-home celebrations for soldiers, held its first Veterans Day Chapel service, and included a color guard during two home football games last fall. Morris has connected with Bethel alumni who are veterans, and he has facilitated two trips to Camp Ripley to help staff and faculty learn about the ethos of the military. He also led an orientation for faculty about how to work well with military-affiliated students.

Last school year, Bethel launched its first Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter, which is recognized as an official Bethel club. Airman First Class Annah Chriske ’23, who is serving in a medical unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard, says her involvement in the SVA chapter helped connect her to like-minded students, and she’ll serve as the club’s president this school year. Sgt. Conor Nordmeyer ’21, a chaplain’s assistant in the Minnesota National Guard, echoed that sentiment. “[Morris] helped me know that I'm not alone in the process, that a lot of other people here at Bethel are military-affiliated,” Nordmeyer says.

Both Nordmeyer and Chriske commend Morris for providing support and helping them help to navigate and utilize her military benefits. That’s another key goal for Morris—to synchronize all Bethel’s resources for military-affiliated students to ensure they can utilize their military benefits and financial aid while navigating things like academic support, their spiritual formation, and career/vocational services.

Morris continues leading his office and Bethel toward his ultimate goal—to provide “a space, a place, and a face” for all military-affiliated students and their families. “It’s been awesome,” Nordmeyer says. “I'm very happy that there's actually a Bethel veteran services office for us to utilize.”