Military Community
May 2017-Ashford University Newsletter
Military Development and Engagement
The Military Community Newsletter at Ashford University was created for you to learn about and share community events, resources, and key topics relevant to service members, veterans, and their families nationwide. Please contact Ashford's Military Development and Engagement Specialist if you have questions or additional resources you would like to share with your fellow military community.
IN THIS ISSUE
- May is Military Appreciation Month
- Career and Alumni Services
- Military Education Outreach Team and Events
Ashford Celebrates Veterans Center
Companies Doing Great Things for Veterans
10 Things You Might Not Know about Memorial Day
Free Premium Grammarly Account for Ashford Students, Faculty, and Employees
- Get Connected with Military CHAMPS
- Using LinkedIn to Land Your Next Job
Nationwide Conference Calendar by Month: US Veterans Magazine
- Previous Editions
May is Military Appreciation Month
Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999 to ensure the nation was given the opportunity to publically demonstrate their appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our servicemembers - past and present. Each year the president makes a proclamation, reminding Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history and development of our country.
May was selected because it has most days set aside for celebrating and commemorating our military's achievements. These days include Loyalty Day, which was established in 1921, Victory in Europe (VE) Day commemorating the end of WWII in Europe on May 8, 1945, Armed Forces Day created in 1949, Military Spouse Appreciation Day established in 1984, and of course the best known of the May holidays, Memorial Day. Learn More
Career and Alumni Services
As an Ashford University student or alumnus, you are given every resource you can use to navigate the challenges of today’s job market. By working with Career Services, you can search for jobs, plan your career, and reach your greatest potential.
You can also contact Career Services at 866.974.5700 ext. 20057, or email careerservices@ashford.edu to take advantage of these features:
- Career guidance
- Job postings and job search assistance
- Resume and Cover Letter reviews and guidance
- Resume Builder
- Interview preparation and practice
- Individualized career coaching
- Networking skills and strategies
- Professional development webinars
- Skills and personality assessments
Military Education Outreach Team and Events
Ashford Celebrates Veterans Center
The university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday (March 15) for the new Veterans Center at the campus in Clinton, Iowa, which will allow Ashford to shine a light on veterans who wish to receive, or continue, their education after their service has concluded.
Ashford's Clinton campus president Charles Minnick is excited to kickstart the location's emphasis on those who have served.
"First of all, this is all about recognizing the service that veterans have given our country, as well as our institution," Minnick said. "The Veterans Center will be available for students to be able to set up appointments. They can meet in person to talk about enrollment, financial aid, academic advising, transfer records, and things like that."
The center aims to focus on veteran-specific issues, such as questions regarding veterans' benefits and military tuition assistance. The new wing will give the students extensive Information and technology equipment and assistance as well as a collection of military publications and veterans' service documents, according to Minnick.
Online students who don't live in the Clinton area also have the opportunity to receive the services through Ashford's online military and veteran student center, university officials have said.
Though he's not sure exactly how many new students the Veterans Center will draw to the Ashford Clinton campus, Minnick is excited to get students into the building and utilizing the services.
"I love interacting with everybody here, so I'm anxious to hear some of their stories," Minnick said. "Fundamentally what this boils down to is that our veterans have done such a fine job of representing our country and our institution, we just want to make sure we can support them as best we can with their personal, professional and academic goals, no matter what those may be."
Companies Doing Great Things for Veterans
Can a company do well and do good? The 50 firms on PEOPLE’s first annual Companies That Care list do just that. In partnership with the research firm Great Place to Work, they surveyed workers at nearly 1,000 companies across the United States. With charitable giving, community outreach and some very creative perks, these firms prove you can make a profit and make the world a better place.
Some of the things these companies are doing are:
- Creating a deployed Pen Pal Program
- Honoring military spouses on Military Spouse Appreciation Day
- Setting up Military Support Resource Group
- Military Culture Training (up to 88 paid hours to complete)
Click here to view a list of 6 companies doing great things for veterans.
10 things you might not know about Memorial Day
As Veterans and service members we know that Memorial Day is not about a BBQ or beach trip. We also know it is not about thanking us or each other for our service. This day is to remember, to memorialize those who lost their lives in defending our country and freedom.
However I found an interesting article that captures some interesting facts about the holiday that falls on May 29 this year. Some of those facts include:
- The birth place of the holiday
- When it was turned into a federal holiday
- How many casualties we have lost in each war
- The original name for the holiday... and many more
Free Premium Grammarly Account for Ashford Students, Faculty, and Employees
Ashford has recently changed how students and employees set up their free premium Grammarly accounts. Instead of using an access code, students and employees will now sign up using their university email address (ex. first.last@student.ashford.edu).
As a reminder, if you don't know your Ashford email address, you can check the My Ashford Email & MS Office 365 Applications section of the Student Portal.
To learn more about this new process, watch our Grammarly Guide video, or follow these instructions:
- Go to https://www.grammarly.com/edu/signup
- Enter your name, university email address, and password
- Click "Sign Up"
- Open your university email account to find the verification email sent to you by Grammarly
- Click on "Verify Email"
- Once you verify you can now enjoy your FREE Premium version of Grammarly
For any questions on how to set up or use Grammarly, email the Writing Center at writing@ashford.edu.
Get Connected with Military CHAMPS
Ashford understands the challenges of being a military affiliated student while pursuing higher education. We have developed a program dedicated to addressing those unique needs. It is our goal to pair up Military Mentees with Military Mentors so there is common ground and cultural understanding where the pair speaks the same language.
Deployments, frequent moves, and field exercises can all be distracting when you are attending classes. Connect with a Mentor who can help navigate those overwhelming waters, provide resources, tips, and personal experience to help you be as successful as possible while also building a relationship with another peer.
Top Reasons Mentees Join CHAMPS:
- To get to know another student on a personal level
- For support and guidance on managing time and other commitments
- For advice and encouragement as you begin your academic journey
- Tips to navigate Ashford Writing Center, Library and student Portal.
Using LinkedIn to Land Your Next Job
Many professionals update their LinkedIn profiles only when they are actively searching for a job. That's a mistake, according to best-selling management author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch.
Recruiters are constantly mining LinkedIn's 467 million profiles to identify top candidates. Having a sub-par profile, which is essentially your online resume, could mean you're missing out on job opportunities.
"If you maximize your LinkedIn profile," Welch says, "you may not be looking for your next job. It could come find you."
Here from Suzy what she says are the 7 LinkedIn hacks that will help you get noticed by recruiters.
Nationwide Conference Calendar
Previous Editions
* The newsletter may contain now or in the future links to other websites, such as links to military charities, discounts or offers, or other third parties that may provide services or products to you. These links and this information is being provided to you for your convenience and as a resource. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, the content of, or any other actions of such other websites or their owners or operators, information they may collect or information they may share. Further, the inclusion of an organization on this newsletter does not indicate an endorsement of such organization (or of any religious or political point of view promoted by such organization) by Ashford University or its affiliates.
Citations and URL Image Retrieval
Memorial Day Image. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenbarnes/7287537238/in/photolist-c6YwVL-9VZKda-86CcLn-86qMXD-6qQrye-MR6Ch-MGm9v-6ufUcW-6sk9D2-
LinkedIn Image. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hansbrouwer/4929145358/in/photolist-8vzabN-aitUjh-dXDEwv-oC3Uv-vnuHKi-yQKKt-beKTxv-nPzLWU-jqeZqH-eUxXj3-
Ashford Celebrates Veteran Center Image. Retrieved from: http://www.clintonherald.com/news/local_news/ashford-celebrates-veterans-center/article_9ef1b42c-6797-59d5-a8bc-29bc458f5994.html
Kudos Image. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/99223104@N06/9335231060/in/photolist-fdVuXE-7JfvWC-boem4a-aKpfj-xog6-8Aond3-aKpfi-bQztYZ-ouLBCC-6KaBuH-aKpfh-
Editor: Stephanie Kinman: Military Development and Engagement Specialist
Stephanie Kinman is a six year Navy Veteran. She spent two of those years attached to a Marine unit. Her personal and professional experience provides understanding to unique challenges military students face. She achieved her undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of Phoenix and her MSW with a focus on Military and Veteran Populations from University of Southern California.
Stephanie is dedicated to the military student population and brings her education, social work background and personal experience, both in the military and in the classroom, to provide resources, community events, and hot topic webinars to the military students at Ashford University.
She is the creator of the Ashford Military Community Newsletter, oversees the CHAMPS Peer Mentor Program for military affiliated students, and recently kicked off the Military Speaker Series as a means to elevate military cultural competency university wide.
Please connect with her if you are interested in being featured in the newsletter, making a contribution, or looking to mentor other military students.
Email: stephanie.kinman@ashford.edu
Website: http://www.ashford.edu/military/military_resources.htm
Location: 8620 Spectrum Center Blvd, San Diego, CA 92123, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshfordMilitary