Dartmouth Partners with Vets Program, Posse to Recruit 12 Top Institutions for Program
In response to a challenge from President Obama and the First Lady, The Posse Foundation will expand its Veterans Program to include a total of 12 top colleges and universities as partners over the next five years. As part of this expansion commitment, The Posse Foundation has partnered with Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
“While it’s true that as a nation we owe our servicemen and servicewomen access to first-rate educational opportunities, Dartmouth has found that far beyond honoring a debt we are fundamentally enriched by the presence of veterans on our campus," says Dartmouth President Philip J. Hanlon. "Student-veterans make concepts such as honor, service, bravery and sacrifice accessible—a living part of our campus life, our dialogue, and our scholarly work. This is why we are so excited by our partnership with the Posse Foundation and greatly look forward to the arrival of our first Posse cohort in the fall of 2016.”
“We were thrilled to announce at the recent White House summit that Dartmouth would be joining Vassar and Wesleyan in this important initiative," says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. "The leadership and perspective that U.S. veterans can bring to fine institutions like these and then to the workforce cannot be underestimated. We are looking forward to the growth of this special Posse Veterans Program over the next five years.”
Dartmouth joins Vassar College and Wesleyan University to become the third institution to partner with the Posse Veterans Program. Through these partnerships with prestigious four-year institutions of higher education, Posse will, at capacity, support the college aspirations of 600 deserving servicemen and servicewomen annually.
Posse’s veterans initiative identifies and supports post-9/11 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who exemplify strong leadership and academic promise. Veterans selected for the program attend college in Posses of 10 and receive four-year financial aid packages that cover the full cost of tuition—-even when GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon, and other government funding runs out. By creating cohorts of veterans, preparing them for the college experience, and supporting them through graduation, the program helps to ensure success in college and, ultimately, in the workforce.
The Posse Veterans Program was established in 2013 in partnership with Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. In 2014, Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, matriculated a Veterans Posse as the program’s second institutional partner. Dartmouth College will enroll its first cohort of Posse veterans in fall 2016.
“Dartmouth has a longstanding commitment to provide educational opportunities to men and women who have served this nation in the armed forces,” says Dartmouth Provost Carolyn Dever. “The College is proud to partner with The Posse Foundation to bring a strong cohort of returning veterans to our campus and support them through their entire college experience.”
