Military Student Stories Elevated, CHEPP Research Unveiled at SNHU Event

Manchester, N.H. — Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP) hosted “Elevating Today’s Military Learners” on Friday, November 7, 2025, at the SNHU Dining Center Banquet Hall. The event brought together educators, policymakers, and military-connected students to honor the service and achievements of those balancing education with duty, work, and family life.

The event, held in recognition of Veterans Day, brought together educators, policymakers, and military-connected students to honor their service and explore how higher education institutions can better support their success.

“Our more than 33,000 military-connected learners are part of the fabric of SNHU both here on campus and across the country online,” said SNHU President Lisa Marsh Ryerson in her opening remarks. “Military learners bring leadership, discipline, and resilience; qualities forged in service, now fueling their academic and professional journeys. Yet, we know the path from service to school, and from classroom to career, can be difficult to navigate. Deployments, relocations, complex benefit systems, and rigid higher education structures often create barriers. This is on top of the other challenges faced by today’s learners, which often include parenting, working full time, and struggling to meet their basic needs.”

A highlight of the program was a student panel discussion featuring military-affiliated learners who shared personal stories about balancing education, service, and family commitments. MaryKate Stone, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves who is completing her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership at SNHU using GI Bill Benefits, shared some of the hurdles she has faced throughout the many degrees she has earned while serving her country.

“My research topic is on: ‘How we can better support veterans who want to become teachers?’ because I’m a 5th and 6th grade teacher,” Stone said. “What can schools do, and what can the military do to support that transition? Many of us experience a consistent theme: it’s a difficult transition in so many ways. Our benefits are a nightmare to navigate and that’s why I’m so appreciate to the team here at SNHU, because you made that process seamless.”

The event also featured leaders in higher education, policy, and military student success to discuss the CHEPP research and identify practices that can better support military-affiliated students.

CHEPP unveiled new research that highlights the barriers military-connected learners face in accessing and succeeding in higher education, along with strategies institutions can use to reduce those barriers through flexible, career-focused learning models.

Federal policy changes proposed by CHEPP include increasing the Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (TA) Program’s reimbursement rate and annual cap to align with current college costs and providing online students with the same housing allowance as in person learners under the GI Bill.

Amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, members of the U.S. military continue to face uncertainty about the availability of their Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds or MyCAA financial assistance. Last month, SNHU announced an initiative to support military students impacted by the shutdown through scholarships equal to what the TA benefit would have been to ensure impacted military learners can enroll and stay enrolled.

“As we approach Veterans Day, we not only honor service; we also recommit ourselves to building systems worthy of the commitment and sacrifice that these military students and alumni have made,” Ryerson said. “We want a higher education landscape where every learner, no matter where they start or what uniform they’ve worn, can achieve their goals and shape their future.”

Read the full white paper, Advancing Access and Success in Higher Education for Military-Connected Learners, on the CHEPP website.