There are more than 22 million military veterans in the United States, including more than 1.9 million in California—your friends, neighbors, and family—and many of them are tragically having a difficult time transitioning into the post-military world. In data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for veterans aged 18 to 24 is more than 30 percent, and there are currently more than one million veterans unemployed, making the need for quality, relevant and adaptable higher education vital. But for many reasons, 88 percent of veterans who enter college do not finish—and so National University is here to answer that call, with programs centered on providing for the educational needs of active duty military and veteran students.

As the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California, National University, established in 1971, is the leader among local universities in educating active duty and veteran military personnel, with current enrollment of more than 6,000 active duty military and veteran students.

• Founded the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success in 2010, focusing on increasing student retention, guiding veteran students in achieving educational and career goals, and improving their quality of life.

• Received the Ray Ehrensberger Award for Excellence in Military Education in 2003.

• Recognized in 2009 by Military Advanced Education magazine as one of America’s Top Military Friendly Colleges and Universities.

• G.I. Jobs magazine recognized National University as a “Military Friendly School” in 2010 and 2011.

Recognizing that the GI Bill and other traditional forms of funding are not enough and these limitations allow too many students to slip through the cracks, National University announced in June that it will establish the Veterans’ Victory Scholarship Fund to benefit students who are veterans of the armed forces. The university’s inaugural dinner on October 27, Visionary Voices, A Tribute to Our Veterans will serve to raise fund for this effort and raise awareness in the community for the need to provide resources for quality higher education for the country’s veterans. The support of local business and community leaders has already been tremendous—to spearhead the campaign, military leader and non-profit founder RADM Ronne Froman, United States Navy (Ret) and entrepreneur and community leader Linden Blue, vice chairman of General Atomics, has taken the helm as co-chairs. With sponsor support from Wells Fargo, SDG&E, Cubic Corp. and Sudberry Properties, among others, National University is well on its way to creating a comprehensive scholarship fund to serve its veteran students. To that end, the university has committed to matching, dollar-for-dollar, all sponsorships at $5,000 or above.

For more information, visit the event website here.

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