TRIP REPORT

CCME (COUNCIL OF COLLEGE AND MILITARY EDUCATORS)

ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
OPENING DOOR. ADVANCING LIVES. A MILITARY MEMBERS AND VETERANS
PATHWAY TO EDUCATION AND CAREER SUCCESS
FEBRUARY 14-18, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016 (Day 1): Departed St. Louis, Missouri and Arrived in San Antonio,
Texas
1. Attended the ACME Presidents Reception (Invitation Only 6-8pm)
a. I was invited to attend this event on behalf of the MOACME President, Michael
Bamber. This evening provided an opportunity to meet with the other ACME
Presidents. This social was fantastic, as I was able to network with experienced
CCME and ACME attendees. I met Joyce Larson, SOC DNS Project Director
(Navy) who took the time to introduce me to the other ACME Presidents as well
as provide me with information and insight on everyone I met. She ensured
introductions occurred for the remainder of the evening.
Monday, February 15, 2016 (Day 2): CA ACME, VA ACME, SOC Workshop, FL ACME,
MO ACME, ACES workshop and JST Business Meeting, ACME Presidents Meeting, Guest
Speakers Reception (Invitation Only)
1. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) workshop:
a. Kathy Sneed discussed the following updates- Working in DNS memberships.
They reviewed several institutions and are now notifying them of their status.
Removal letters have been sent and the criteria included educational needs &
transfer networks. Appeal processes are available through the SOC website. New
Focus: Career and Technical Education Programs (CTE) a new program that
aligns with the DoD Strategic Plan for Voluntary Education 1) promote
educational pathways to career and technical programs focusing on positive
employment options upon completion. 2) to ensure Servicemembers are properly
informed of the array of educational opportunities including type of degrees and
certificates available with an education and career roadmap to successful
completion. The Program Goal- to highlight and promote CTE. Supporting data
shaping the Career & Technical Education Program by evaluating the Tuition
Assistance usage and graduation patterns from previous years. Employment
forecasts by the Department of Labor (bright outlook)

b. National Association of State Directors of CTE Consortium (NASDCTEc)

http://www.careertech.org/ Application phase began Fall 2015 for areas:
Business Management & Administration, Health Sciences, Information
Technology, Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security, STEM and
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.
c. Detailed breakdown: http://www.soc.aascu.org/soccte/CTECertificates.html
Additional solicitations may be released for underserved, high need Clusters
d. Criteria: http://www.soc.aascu.org/soccte/CTEMember.html
e. CTE Resource Guide available at SOC website Spring 2016
http://www.soc.aascu.org/
f. Left Meeting early to attend VA ACME
2. ACE (American Council on Education):
a. Provided sample JST and ACE Recommendations, this session was attended by
Registrars and evaluators.
b. How to read JST transcripts. ACE review team is comprised of Faculty
Evaluators.
c. Currently hiring faculty advisors in math, electronic circuits, bioelectricity,
foreign languages (Arabic, Urdu, Tajiki, Farsi), Homeland Security, Information
Security, Intelligence, Logistics/Supply, Nursing, Medical, Ordinance and
Munitions
d. Submit CV and Evaluator Response Form at www.acenet.edu/evaluatorform
3. Exhibit Hall Grand Opening and Presidents Reception
a. Large opportunity to Network, collected several contacts interested in MO ACME
membership (Attachment I).
4. Attended the following state ACME meetings: Florida, California & Virginia (partial)
a. California- CAACME welcomes all schools no matter their location. They have
had high turnover and have not been as active as in the past or as they would have
hoped for during the 2015 year. They are working on strategic planning, they
searched within their memberships and respective schools for an Instructor with
strategic planning experience to assist them to move forward. They want to
ensure they are an advocate for the military service members. Their current three
year plan is Mission, Vision and Objectives (this is why they need help from a
strategic planner). They believe their greatest impact is working with the nonprofits to create an MOU for reciprocity. Servicemembers loose credits they have
earned too often. Reminded everyone that ACMEs are developed to be an
advocate, non-profits and for-profits need to work to be the voice of our military.
The larger the voice the better advocate ACME organizations can be. They
recommend doing this by having coffee chats, compare notes and share with other
ACMEs. Questions directed to the audience: Who sits on your States Education
Council? Who are the Assemblymen/woman?

b. Florida- (2015) held a workshop vs a Conference, the title was a factor due to
several budget constraints that many organizations are facing. Holding
workshops allowed for shorter visits and few overnight requirements to maximize
cost and spending of the FLACME funds as well as the attendees. It was held on
the military installation that allowed access without having to process base passes
for each individual attendee. Schools requesting access to the Installation must
meet with ESO for access. The workshop provided roundtable discussions and
included both for-profit/non-profit schools. During the workshop they had SOC
in attendance but also offered to teleconference if they were unable to attend in
person for future events. The VA and SAA were also invited and attended the
workshop. They plan to work in all branches of uniformed services in their
workshops. Four scholarships were awarded this year 1) AD Spouse, 2) AD, 3)
Veteran and 4) Wounded Warrior. (2016) they added PDF capabilities to their
website, increased activity on Facebook. Suggests increased relationship with
Education Services Officer (ESO) to discuss scholarship ideas or needs they may
be aware of. ACES can offer the same information/ideas. Officers in the FL
ACME serve 2 years. Membership is $25 per person, NOT per Organization. SN:
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: NAVPA in October 2016 & AVECO June 2016
c. Virginia (partial) - SOC will be presenting at their Workshop in 2016. They are
very established and have provided many scholarships. Other ACMEs have
based their ACME on the VA model. Conflicts in scheduling prevented a full
presentation/attendance. Caught up with others regarding VA ACME and all were
of the same opinion attend VA ACME sessions during CCME in the future,
they are successful and have worked through all the issues discussed in the newer
state ACMEs. It was recommended that I attend by Dale Buckingham, but I was
not aware how much of a learning experience it would have been to have sat in
for the entire presentation.
d. Missouri- Brief Presentation given by MO ACME, Secretary, Nathalie A. Brech
(Park University) on behalf of President, Michael Bamber (Saint Louis
University). Reported information on MO ACME. Presentation is attached to this
report. Job Fair scheduled July 2016 with a possible workshop or conference
following since many representatives will be in attendance. Mentioned
University of Central Missouri may be interested in hosting our annual meeting.
UCM, Jeff Huffman came forward and said his school would love to host. Will
have M. Bamber follow-up. The Real ID Act is recommended as a Coffee Chat
topic for discussion, Missouri is one of 5 states considered noncompliant.
https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs Discussions from members of the MO
ACME included sharing information on how to use the resources within our
organization to be the voice for our service members. Suggestion was given by

Keith Glindermann who is the NAVPA Vice President, Legislative Committee

Chair. He provided his business card with an open invitation to discuss topics and
items to assist MO ACME. a. (recommend invitation to speak at our annual
meeting). Returning Heros Act was also mentioned for coffee chat discussion
topic. http://www.missouristate.edu/veterans/FAQ.htm
e. MOACME Attendees:
i. Susan Martens- susan.martens@ashford.edu
ii. Michael Midura- mmidura@careered.com
iii. Shawn Mann- smann@tesc.edu
iv. Bill Yaeger- William.yaeger@esc.edu
v. Gary Harrah- gary.harrah@phoenix.edu
vi. Patti Hunt- phunt@tesc.edu
vii. Gary Woods- gwoods@hotmail.com
viii. Jean Simmons- jsimmons@ccis.edu
ix. Jeffrey A. Huffman- jhuffman@ucmo.edu
x. Keith Glindermann- kaglindermann@ccis.edu
f. Membership requests (Attachment I)
g. MO ACME slides (Attachment II)
5. ACME Presidents Meeting
a. Get membership by creating a user friendly website with a designated person to
update information as needed. Create the ability to Register Online there are no
fees currently for MOACME, but that might change as did the other ACMEs.
Suggestion for ACMEs if they have a fee for membershipconsider fees per
person or for organization. If using a credit card to pay for registration, fees would
be carried to the registrant. i.e. $25.00 registration fee, $3.60 credit card use fee.
Registration online provides for better communications, the ability to print
reports, labels and name tags. It will also allow for last minute registrations for
immediate access to information for both the ACME and the registrant.
b. Keith Glindermann - NAVPA Vice President, Legislative Committee Chair
(Speaker): The House Committee provides information to Congress on what
students feel using Tuition Assistance. Veterans Service Organizations work on
common goals and the Veterans Advisory Committee on Education has a seat at
the table http://www.va.gov/ADVISORY/Education.asp
c. National Association of Veterans Program Administrators (NAVPA) Relations:
http://www.navpa.org/ Annual Training to be held October 11-13, 2016 in San
Diego, CA.
i. Suggestion to develop a local and state NAVPA- create contact that share
similar concerns, would be good to partner with others. Develop contacts
within your State. NAVPA has 8 regions.

(SN: helpful to find out if any MOACME members, will be attending NAVPA, AVECO and
WAVES)

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 (Day 3): Opening Ceremony & Welcome, Keynote Speaker,
ACME updates, OSD Update, VA Education Program Updates, Army University, Community
College of the Air Force
1. Keynote Speaker: Brigadier General Robert I. Miller, USA. Director, Education and
Training, Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Commandant, Medical Education and
Training Campus (METC) Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)a. There is a need to QUANTIFY military education training and experience. There
is a disparity between the levels of experience and a lack of detailed information
on military education
b. Medical Education Training Campus- referred to as MET C information is at
www.metc.mil Video was shared https://youtu.be/G_F9ZTZp3w4 there are more
videos available on YouTube. The Medical programs have no issues to provide
course curriculum to Program of Instruction (POI) to the public for greater credit
evaluations. The medical field is able to be a little freer with releasing this
information.
c. Associate degrees are needed for Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) with
consideration of CORE requirements to include ethics.
d. Department of Defense (DOD) and Education need to build bridging programs

e.

Emailing
KeynoteBGMillerBriefCCME 2 2016 pptx.msg

Train for the Missioneducate for a lifetime METC motto

2. ACME Update- Michael Midura, ACME Liaison:
a. State Advisory Councils on Military Education- The ACMEs focus on three
major areas: 1) Evaluating and restructuring policies related to acceptance and
transfer of credit for veterans, military students and their adult family members.
2) Enhancing the educational aspirations of the military populations in the state.
3) Making educational programs accessible in cost, location, and scheduling.
b. Encouraged to become members of local ACMEs. Introduced respective ACME
Presidents and their states. Active ACME: California, Colorado, COMETS Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, Florida, Illinios Iowa, Kansas,
MidSouth - Kentucky and Tennessee, Missouri ACME, New York, SE-COME Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Virginia, Washington

3. OSD Update- Dawn Bilodeau, Chief, Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education
Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Force
Education and Training

OSD Update D
Bilodeau pdf.msg

a.
4. VA Education Program Update- Mr. Robert M. Worley II (Major General, Retired,
USAF) Director, Education Service; Department of Veterans Affairs. Working issues:
a. Graduation Reporting- currently using the process of terminating the last used
certification, but it is not a good process
b. Increase length of eligibility for STEM degrees (needs more than 36 months)
c. House Resolution 3016 sec. 407- VBA needs improved software. It is currently
outdated and has many outages.
d. VAONCE will replace VA Certs next year- working to provide the ability to see
student eligibility through website instead of waiting for Certificate of Eligibility
documents (COEs)
e. Reserve and National Guard- Hospitalization is not counted on eligibility- if
injured during Active Duty, is injured and is hospitalized. The eligibility of
education timeline does not count the amount of time the military member was
hospitalized. It only counts up to the amount of time he/she was hospitalized
(even if the injury caused several months of hospitalization/rehabilitation).
f. Compliance Surveys- if approved, schools with <20 students would have
compliance every 2 years. This would catch any errors sooner. If there is a good
track record of compliance, there will be less compliance visits. These visits are
to ensure that Best Practices are being used. There are some schools that require
more visits than others. This process would help efficiency for all involved.
g. Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation- needs consistency and oversight. These
should be prioritized by accommodations
h. State Approving Agency- unsure of authority for changes in degree programs etc.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs or SAA
i. Guidance is needed on how many School Certifying Officials are needed based on
the amount of students that need to be certified (currently pending)
j. Guidance on Section 702- Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of
2014 (Choice Act)
http://benefits.va.gov/gibill/post911_residentraterequirements.asp Only Veterans
and Dependents (not Active Duty) confusion with policies for State, School and
Section 702. Working to have no OUT OF STATE fees for AD and students
using transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits from a Servicemember still on active
duty.

k. Reinstatement of the VA Reporting Fee- 2 years ago this fee was reduced from
$12 to $9 this fee is to provide training- AVECO, WAVES and NAVPA. This is
paid based on each Facility Codes Veteran enrollment. These funds are for the
purpose of training to help offset the cost to attend.
l. VA1607 students will be slated to use Chapter 33, 1607 is currently slated to
SUNSET and current use of 1607 should continue. VA is currently unsure of the
process as well and should define by the nest session of enrollment. They are
currently being held and not moving through the VA system- there are no clear
directives on this. NAVPA is forcing an update- it is the students who are
suffering
m. VA Work-Study- there is a delay of processing, all VA Work Study students are
currently waiting for payment
n. Hybrid Definitions need clarification for payment eligibility. Remedial Online
courses a possibility, currently they are only seated.
VA Education
Update2 2016 pptx.msg

o.
5. Army University- Brigadier General John S. Kem, USA.Provost, Army University,
Deputy Commandant, Command and General Staff College
a. Provided breakdown of ArmyU System along with its Vision & Initiatives. The
Integration of Education throughout TRADOC schools will be housed under one
university system. Is currently housed at Fort Leavenworth, KS
Army University Kem
2 2016 pptx.msg

b.
6. Community College of the Air Force, J.R. Breeding, Associate Dean of Academic
Programs
a. AU Strategic Plan Published 9/2015
http://www.maxwell.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-150918-031.pdf
b. Cyber College
c. AETC 2016 Strategic Plan
http://www.aetc.af.mil/Portals/88/Documents/home_accordian/2016%20AETC%
20Strategic%20Plan_24MB.pdf?ver=2016-01-22-143952-833
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 (Day 4): Exhibit Hall visited several tables, exchanged
information/business cards while discussing MOACME and approached by several attendees
with questions on the Job Fair to be held at Fort Leonard Wood. Six concurrent Sessions were
held from 9:00am-5:00pm. The evening concluded with an On-Site Networking Reception. The
following are the sessions attended:

*Slide Presentation Downloads are available for many of the CCME Concurrent Sessions here:
http://www.ccmeonline.org/2016_concurrent_session_list?Session=All&Room=All&Track=All
1. Providing Quality Education Opportunities; Automated Tuition Eligible Programs and
Rate Updates to the DoD MOU by Candice Rice, M.Ed., Education Programs Specialist,
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).
a. Recent changes to the DoD Voluntary Education Partnership MOU website and
software application process. In accordance with DoDI 1322.25, Voluntary
Education Programs, educational institutions are required to provide tuition
charges for each degree program to the Services on an annual basis. Recent
modifications to the application require all participating institutions to upload
Tuition Assistance approved programs, tuition rates, fees, room and board, book
policies, and provide specific programmatic information. After a review of the
latest DoD MOU website and software application enhancements, institutions will
be aware of the process for submitting and signing an accurate, complete,
software application to prevent delays in approval.
b. Notes: Institution Rates- Tuition rates for a school may be less than the current
$250 per credit hour the DoD MOU will require an annual update of information
(not currently required). There will be a verification process. In the DoD MOU
go to Update Tab for tuition rates/changes/updates. Schools must be compliant
in all parts of the DoD MOU Application. Ensure that fees are not included in
tuition rates. Changes done in DoD MOU will also be reflected in TA Decideeach school must have four (4) points of contact listed.
c. Other related items: unearned TA report Nov1- Jan 1st, submitted rates will be
cancelled. Review the Unearned Tuition Assistance Policy regarding refunds and
add/drop periods to make sure you are compliant. Should be completed by Spring
2016. Changes in Executive Staff at schools must be updated in POC Tab. There
is also a dashboard to change the name on the Signature Page for the DoD MOU.
2. Strengthening the Integrity of the DoD Tuition Assistance Program Through Improved
Oversight, Evaluation, and Enforcement Efforts by Anthony Clarke, Education Program
Analyst, Department of Defense Voluntary Education Programs within the Office of the
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
a. The DoD is committed to enhancing oversight of its Tuition Assistance (TA)
program through a myriad of tools including the memorandum of understanding
(MOU), centralized complaint and feedback systems, third-party education
assessment/compliance reviews, program assessment and outcome measures, and
information sharing among federal agencies. By signing the MOU with DoD, all
educational institutions, whether traditional or online, "for profit" or "not for
profit," must agree to the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. The
DoD will review its efforts to transform oversight and enforcement activities

ensuring compliance with the over 100 specific MOU provisions with the more
than 2,700 educational institutions participating in the DoD Ta program.
3. GoArmyEd VIA Making Smart Education and Career Choices by Ela Karczewska, MA
Psychology/BA Business Management, Program Analyst/Contracting Officer's
Representative, Headquarters, Army Continuing Education System (HQ ACES); Bree
Charlot, M.Ed Counseling Psychology/MS Human Resources Management, Counseling
Program Manager, HQ ACES; Jeffrey Carpenter, Masters Business
Administration/Masters Public Policy, VIA Product Owner, IBM
a. At the last CCME Symposium, the Army presented a prototype of VIA, a new
decision support tool designed to help Soldiers explore and make informed
decisions about their career, degree, and school choices. VIA launched in
December 2015 and since then hundreds of Soldiers and Army Counselors have
used VIA. This presentation will provide a demo of VIA's functionalities and
share feedback based on data and testimonials from Soldiers and Counselors that
have used VIA.
b. Used to create goals for the Soldier with objective information that is supplied by
the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Counseling sessions
are now more informative and it helps to create a better dialogue between the
Soldier and the Counselor. The VIA tool is used to justify Tuition Assistance
usage. It requires a greater investment in time for more informed decision
making. IT WILL NOT REPLACE ARMY COUNSELORS. School names
are in the VIA Tool in the way they were reported to the Department of
Education. It is designed to provide an organized manner and cause pause for
their choices.
c. New/ Changing degrees? Must be completed in VIA. Updates to catalogs requires
schools to update the changes and information in VIA. Schools should enter the
Degree Management Tool and provide MORE data to make degrees more
accessible for Soldiers.
4. Quality Assurance: Tools for effective oversight of academic institutions performing
services on military installations by Laura Dean, Chief of Education and Training
Operations Branch, HQ Pacific Air Forces
a. Education personnel play an important role in ensuring on-base universities
provides high quality education programs. The process of managing quality
education programs has undergone extensive and continuing change. Therefore,
education personnel must be aware of these changes and be actively involved in
maintaining quality programs and services for their customers. Education center
staff should be involved in the assessment and improvement of quality through
the application of quality assurance tools and techniques.
5. Best Service Practices: An Integral Part of a Full Service Education Center

a. Given the current budgetary climate in military education programs, we use best
business practices to maximize and streamline delivery. However, Business
models typically do not address the customer's experience. Their experience,
given the cuts to military forces projected for FY16 and 17, will become more
important to a streamlined operation. In this presentation we will explore the Best
Service Practices to maximize customer's positive experience, encourage their
continued educational journey, and engage them as partners.
Thursday, February 18, 2016 (Day 5): Final Day of CCME. Morning Keynote Speaker,
Roundtable Sessions 1-3
1. Keynote Speaker- Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel A. Dailey
2. Round Table 1 : A Soldier for Life: Start Strong, Remain Strong with the Army's Career
Skills Program. Moderator: Margaret Reed, Sr. Director Webster University, Colorado
Springs. Speakers: Amy Moorash: Chief, Army Continuing Education System at HQ
IMCOM G1, Fort Sam Houston, TX; Jean Pegram: Career Skills Program Manager for
the Army Continuing Education System at HQ IMCOM G1, Fort Sam Houston, TX;
Ursula Waldrip-Miller: Installation Army Continuing Education System (ACES)
Education Services Officer
a. http://www.ccmeonline.org/sites/default/files/2016files/MY Roundtable CCME
Presentation Feb 2016 v2.pptx
b. http://www.ccmeonline.org/sites/default/files/2016files/Roundtable1_Soldier for
Life.docx

3. Round Table 2 : Occupational Credentialing: Civilian and Military Initiatives.Moderator:

Ed Davin, Principal Analyst, SOLID, LLC Presenters: Roy Swift, Executive Director
WorkCred, an affiliate of American National Standards Institute and a recipient of
Lumina Foundation's Credential Transparency Initiative grant funding (also, former
director of ANSI Personnel Certification Program); Lisa Lutz, President, SOLID, LLC,
Subject Matter Expert in Civilian Credentialing for Service Members; LTC David
Johnston, Director of Strategic Planning and Partnerships, Medical Education and
Training Campus (METC); Mark Haskins, Executive Director of Military Programs,
Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
a. http://www.ccmeonline.org/sites/default/files/2016files/CCME Roundtable 2 - Ensuring
Marketplace Relevancy_Rev2.pptx
b. http://www.ccmeonline.org/sites/default/files/2016files/CCMEcredentialrndtble2016re
v1dj.pdf

4. Round Table 3 : Multi-State Collaborative; Partnering between Institutions and States

5. Round Table 4A: The Potential Impact the Reduction of F2F Counseling Has on Service
Members - Research on this topic. Moderator: Janice Neal, Webster University, Director
- Los Angeles AFB Campus. Panel: Ela Karczewska - Program Manager/Analyst at
Headquarters of Army Continuing Education System (HQ ACES) at Ft. Knox, KY;

Donna Malone, a member of the 11th Force Support Squadron, as the Chief, Education
and Training Section, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Sean Coleman Webster
University, Associate Vice President for Military and Governmental Affairs and Regional
Director in the National Capital Region; Esmeralda Silva Trident University
International, Vice President Outreach & Strategic Alliances
6. Round Table 4B: NAIMES - Institutional Collaboration: Looking for Opportunities for
Improvement. Workshop Facilitator: Angela C. Albritton, Director of Military and
Government Relations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Co-Facilitator: Elane
Seebo, Vice President of External Campuses and Graduate Services, Wayland Baptist
University
7. Round Table 5 : Educational Institutions - Improving and Updating Degree Programs to
Ensure Worthiness, Versatility, and Alignment with the Needs of Today's Employers at
the Corporate, State, and Federal Levels.
a. http://www.ccmeonline.org/sites/default/files/2016files/CCME Panel - Combined
Sessions.docx

8. Round Table 6 : Tracking the Success of Service Members and Veterans Who Are Part
Time Students
Friday, February 19, 2016 (Travel Day): Departed San Antonio, Texas at 5:30am to return to
Missouri.
General Comments: This was my first CCME Conference. I was so impressed by the
information and knowledge sharing that was involved. I brought back even more of an
appreciation of our Servicemembers who balance their education while maintaining their
commitment to serve our nation. My gratitude goes to Park University for their support in
sending me to this event. I would also like to thank our MOACME President, Michael Bamber
for ensuring I was included in all areas that he, otherwise, would have attended himself. I would
be remiss if I did not encourage others to attend.
Respectfully,
Nathalie A. Brech
Park University- Fort Leonard Wood
Campus Center Director
MOACME Secretary