Vet graduation rates mischaracterized, charges Student Veterans of America

PRESS RELEASE October 31, 2012 False Stats Mischaracterize Student Veteran Graduation Rates WASHINGTON, DC - Last Thursday, October 25, 2012, The Huffington Post published an article that stated 88 percent of newly enrolled student veterans will drop out of college by next summer. This statistic is unfounded and simply not true. No organization, including the federal government, is currently able to accurately track the national graduation rates of student veterans. "I was incredibly disappointed to read yet another story citing an erroneous figure as a fact," said Michael Dakduk, executive director of Student Veterans of America. "These baseless claims are an insult to the talents, abilities, and dedication of every veteran succeeding in America's institutions of higher learning." SVA's own research found that an NBC News article from July 2, 2012 was the first known media report this year citing the 88 percent dropout rate as fact. The source for NBC's "statistic" is not a report, but rather a presentation published by the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado State Office of the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). The presentation cites reports from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee and the book Combat Leader to Corporate Leaderby Chad Storlie as the sources for the data. Not only are these documents void of such numbers, but officials for the three groups have repeatedly stated that they did not provide the information. Chad Storlie highlighted the dangers of such mischaracterizations: "We need to see veterans with a degree as the future business, government, and civil leaders of this country. This type of incorrect information misrepresents the value that veterans bring to organizations everyday with their military and higher education skills." Unfounded reports about low student veteran graduation rates are particularly heinous as the federal government tries to reduce spending. "Billions of taxpayer dollars have funded the education of over 800,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries," said Michael Dakduk. "Untrue claims of low-dropout rates could be used as evidence for cutting the Post-9/11 GI Bill. This is a grave injustice to the hard-working veterans that have decided to better themselves through higher education and one that SVA will not tolerate." # # # About Student Veterans of America SVA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit coalition of over 500 student veteran organizations on college campuses globally. SVA's mission is to provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation.