Pence Seeks Relief For ITT Student Veterans
(Image courtesy of the office of Governor Mike Pence.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGovernor Mike Pence is asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate GI Bill benefits for veterans who used them at ITT Technical Institute. Carmel-based ITT Educational Services Inc. announced last week it was closing all of its campuses nationwide.
Pence says nearly 300 Hoosier veterans and approximately 700 other students were displaced by the closure. Nearly 700 ITT Tech employees also lost their jobs.
"We owe our veterans a debt of gratitude, and one way we show that is through the post-9/11 GI Bill, which allows these brave men and women to earn an education at the institution of their choice when they return from serving our nation," said Pence. "To assist all students affected, I’ve directed the Commission for Higher Education and the Department of Workforce Development to work together to develop a solution for these displaced students."
Earlier this week, Indiana Wesleyan University announced it would evaluate the transcripts of ITT Tech students and may accept up to 62 transfer credits to students who earned a C or higher. Trine University has offered to accept up to 89 transfer credits with no expiration date.
Pence has asked the DWD and the Commission for Higher Education to find a way to use funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in order for students to take prior learning assessments if their credits will not transfer to a new institution.
"The last thing we want to see is a student, who has worked hard and overcome barriers to attend school, face even more hurdles as they work to find a new path to earning a degree in their chosen field," said Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb. "That is why I fully support Governor Pence’s directive that the state’s lead education and workforce agencies find ways to ensure that these students don’t have to pay out-of-pocket simply to receive the necessary assessment to continue their education."