The interior of GCU’s new campus Veterans Center includes military antiques that make the space feel more comfortable for vets and their families. Photos by Darryl Webb
A
fter Iraq,
Donterry Colombel
told himself he
would never spend another day in a desert.
Then, after his medical retirement from the
Marines, Colombel realized the best way to
build his post-military career required moving
to unfamiliar Arizona. He joined thousands of
other veterans and active-duty military personnel
currently studying at Grand Canyon University.
The Louisiana native served in the U.S. Marine
Corps for more than 11 years, including as a team
leader of an incident-response platoon during
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Colombel provided
security for high-valued personnel, trained
Marines in everything from hand-to-hand combat
to base defense, and served for most of his adult
life since his parents supported his decision to
enlist at 17.
Colombel, now 30, retired two years ago as a staff
sergeant. He was used to taking and giving orders
and dealing with high-stress combat situations.
Returning home to the comforts and old ways
of his bayou hometown of Larose, La., provided
more culture shock than a two-year assignment to
Okinawa, Japan.
Colombel planned to earn a bachelor’s degree,
setting out with GCU online at first, but was
leery about heading back to campus. Although
he held the rank of staff sergeant and the billet
of police chief for the 24th Marine Expeditionary
Unit, Colombel now volunteers as a crime scene
and weapons instructor with the campus Law
Enforcement Club.
GCU’s burgeoning Military Division and the
calming culture of the private, Christian university
also helped ease him into life as a student.
“It’s that transition phase that’s most difficult,” said
Colombel, who aims to complete his bachelor’s
in criminal justice and work toward teaching
collegiate law enforcement-related courses.
“You feel alone,” he said. “You feel there is no one
to relate to, or to back you.”
The shift out of active duty can be stressful beyond
what many stateside Americans are accustomed to.
With so many U.S. military personnel seeking to
take advantage of educational benefits to offset
tuition and build new careers, GCU developed
a Military Division staff exclusively dedicated
to serving veterans. Dozens of counselors in the
Military Division are also veterans, ranging from
Vietnam vets to active-duty National Guard.
Earlier this year, GCU opened a campus Veterans
Center staffed daily with counselors familiar with
navigating military educational benefits. The
space is reserved for veterans and their families,
giving them an alternative place to study or relax
in between classes.
Colombel described GCU classrooms as comfortable,
with multiple veterans in some of his recent classes.
Many of the young people he shares assignments
with are the same age as many of the Marines he
trained in a more rigorous military classroom setting.
“It’s a little more interactive,” Colombel said of his
new learning format. “(GCU faculty) go far out
to lend tutoring to those who need it. It’s more
helpful than I’m used to. It’s less formal.
“The focus of this school is academic,” he added.
“You can see that as soon as you step on deck.”
‘Above and beyond’
Over the past four years, GCU has grown its
Military Division to include nearly 150 employees,
mostly enrollment counselors who serve as the
primary liaison between the University and
student veterans.
Brett Mitnick
, who is one of nine Military
Division enrollment managers, said his team takes
pride in providing precise assistance to veterans
studying online.
“You’re potentially speaking to them over in
Okinawa or Afghanistan, or you’re dealing with
the spouses of people who are called to service
all over the world,” Mitnick said. “For soldiers
returning from duty, who are now transitioning
into civilian life ... it’s a great feel-good for my
counselors to help someone like that.”
Military Division staff estimated that around 10
percent of military students attending GCU are
active duty. But
Bart Burkert
, the executive vice
president who oversees the division, would like
to enroll more active-duty military and help them
maintain their degrees.
The bottom line is assisting veterans and making
their University experience more fulfilling.
Tyler Davis
, 25, a Marine veteran who lives in the
suburbs north of Chicago, enrolled online at GCU
after his mother – a fellow GCU online student –
suggested he make the switch from community
college. His brother and fellow Marine,
Kyle
Davis
, joined their mother in seeking a degree in
secondary education.
GCU military enrollment counselor
Bill McNally
helped Tyler Davis on the path toward earning
a business degree. Davis said he was pleased
with how McNally helped him make sense of his
education options over the phone, making him feel
as if he were sitting face-to-face with an adviser.
“Bill definitely goes above and beyond his job,”
Tyler Davis said. “I’ve never seen Bill, I don’t know
what he looks like. But when I call and say, ‘It’s
Tyler,’ he already knows who I am.”
Refuge for reflection
Colombel sat outside the Veterans Center patio
overlooking the campus pool. There was nothing
like it in the Marines, he said.
P15
May 2013
