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Pepperdine Joins Yellow Ribbon Program for Military Veterans

Pepperdine University is one of the more than 1,000 colleges that have joined the Yellow Ribbon Program, a federal effort to help military veterans attend college, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Under the new program, the government matches the amount of financial aid pledged by participating colleges above the base educational benefits provided by the GI Bill. An institution can contribute up to 50 percent of tuition expenses, and the VA will match that amount.

"For this first year, Pepperdine has committed to awarding up to $2,000 per term, or a maximum of $6,000 per academic year, to 20 veterans on a first-come, first-served basis," says Anne E. Arvin, associate registrar at Pepperdine University. "The VA will contribute matching funds, which will provide up to $4,000 per term or $12,000 per year in tuition benefits for student veterans."

Arvin notes that Pepperdine has a long history of serving veterans. In 1944, the year Congress established the G.I. Bill, Pepperdine enrollment soared from 334 to 824 students. From 1976 to 1981, Pepperdine established the Human Resources Management (HRM) program on military bases around the United States. The HRM program served military personnel and their families, offering the opportunity to earn a bachelor's and/or master's degree off-site.

Currently, the Office of Student Information and Services provides counseling and administrative aid to our enrolled veterans as well as veterans who are inquiring about enrolling at Pepperdine. "Our involvement in this program evidences our long-standing commitment to those who have served our country," says Arvin, noting that for Pepperdine, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program was a no-brainer.

"This new program, along with other VA programs, allows Pepperdine to serve and support students who embody our mission, in that they have already chosen a life of service, purpose, and leadership by serving our country in the Armed Forces,' Arvin says.

Pepperdine University president Andrew K. Benton had similar sentiments. "We owe our freedom to those who have served our country. If, in the grand tradition of the post-World Ware II GI Bill, we can help these men and women with their post-military careers, then we all will be better for the effort," Benton says.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is effective on or after August 1, 2009, and funds can be applied to out-of-state public colleges, private institutions, and graduate programs. For more information on the application process, visit the Pepperdine University Registrar. To find out more about the Yellow Ribbon Program, visit the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Web site.