Six Reasons Why the Korbel School is a Great Choice for Veterans
Veterans who attend the Josef Korbel School of International Studies find a supportive community and benefit from many resources available to them on the University of Denver’s campus. Here are six reasons why veterans and military-affiliated students considering advancing their education should attend the Korbel School:
- The University of Denver ranks among the Best Colleges for Veterans.
The University of Denver has long been recognized for its services to veterans on campus. This past July, Military Times ranked DU as one of the “Best for Vets” by providing military-affiliated students with the resources they need to excel in the classroom, the community and their professional lives. The University also ranks among the Best Colleges for Veterans in U.S. News & World Report (#53 in 2021).
“We have a long history of serving our veterans and being engaged in the efforts that our military is involved with,” said Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. “Veterans make great students. They offer a diverse global perspective in the classroom and add so much to the character of the University as a whole.”
- The Korbel School is an ‘unlimited’ Yellow Ribbon Program Institution
In 2019, the University of Denver announced an increase to its financial commitment to veterans through the Veteran Administration’s (VA) “Yellow Ribbon Program.” Through this program, post- 9/11 GI Bill users pursuing any bachelor’s degree or graduate degree at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies will have their tuition fully funded.
- Army War College Fellows
Since 2010, the Korbel School has been honored to host U.S. Army War College Fellows, who spend one academic year with us auditing courses, giving lectures and conducting research. Each year, the Army selects 90 distinguished career field grade officers, all with master’s degrees and substantial experience overseas, to pursue advanced education in international studies in preparation for their future assignments.
The U.S. Army War College Fellows who are hosted at the Korbel School act as ambassadors of the U.S. Army, engaging students, faculty, researchers and the public in presentations and a host of formal and informal engagements. The Fellows' experiences in leading educational institutes such as the Josef Korbel School will help prepare them for positions of broad scope in highly complex, ambiguous environments, often dealing with problems that have no clear-cut solutions.
- Ample Veterans Services
The Veteran Services Office offers our veteran and military-affiliated students a variety of services to help navigate their university experience including comprehensive GI Bill and military assistance counseling for current and incoming students, connection to on and off-campus resources for veterans and their families, transition and student engagement assistance, professional development, and employment search assistance. With a permanent home located in the new Community Commons building, the Veterans Services Office is both a place to access valuable resources and connect with other student veterans, military affiliated students, and their families.
The Korbel School’s military and veteran’s student group provides active-duty military and veterans with a social and informational hub, as well as a venue for members to come together to discuss academic topics and provide outreach to other students to discuss military affairs.
- Learn from a General
Since 2012, the Korbel School has been honored to host distinguished alumnus General George W. Casey Jr. (Ret.) for the first two weeks of the spring quarter. General Casey (MA '80, International Relations) served as the 36th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (2007-2011) and, among other positions, was Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq (2004-2007), where he oversaw a coalition of more than 30 countries.
A strong advocate of the importance of effective communications between the military and civilians within the government, particularly during wartime, General Casey began teaching a graduate-level course on civil-military relations. He will return in the spring of 2022 to teach a course in Civil Military Relations. General Casey has a packed schedule while teaching at the University. He guest lectures in classes, meets with veterans on campus, partners with the CENEX planning group, and meets with several local organizations.
- Academic Rigor
The Korbel School is a top-ranked (#14 by Foreign Policy) school for international affairs and public policy. There are many graduate programs that veterans and military-affiliated students gravitate toward at Korbel including MA International Studies, MA International Security, MA Global Economic Affairs, among others.
To complement these programs, students can further engage in experiential learning opportunities, such as the Crisis Engagement and Negotiation Exercise (CENEX), which is a major crisis management exercise executed by a volunteer student organization or the Army War College’s International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE), which is designed to engage and educate participants in the process of crisis negotiation over a two-day period.
“Our student veterans and military-affiliated students are valued members of our community,” says Korbel School Dean Frederick Mayer. “They bring a wealth of experience and strengths unique to their service that contributes to the vibrancy of our school.”
Lewis Griffith, the Associate Dean of Academic Programs at the Korbel School knows first-hand the mutual benefits veterans and military affiliated students bring the Korbel School. “Having worked closely with and taught military members from across the Joint Force and around the world earlier in my career, I know how much the profession of arms values education both in terms of skills and perspectives as part of professional and personal development. You can see that in what our active duty, reserve and veteran students bring to Korbel. We do everything we can to reward their drive, both in and out of the classroom, and help prepare them for their next professional challenge.”
