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Committee Hears Support for Military Community Advocate Expansion in House Bill 95
Summary
Witnesses including university veterans offices and program alumni said House Bill 95 would replicate Ohio State’s Military Community Advocate model statewide to improve retention and integration of military-connected students, at modest per-institution cost.
Supporters of House Bill 95 told the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee that campus-based Military Community Advocate (MCA) programs reduce attrition among military-connected students and can be scaled affordably across Ohio institutions.
Michael Carroll, chief operations officer of the National Veterans Leadership Foundation and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, described how MCA-style programs have operated at more than 75 campuses nationwide and called the bill a "companion" to earlier legislation that created single points of contact for veterans on campus. Carroll said the program model can work for two- and four-year campuses, public and private, and estimated implementation costs "for less than $25,000 per school," a figure he said was far less than a full-time hire.
David Hibbler, a Ph.D. candidate at Ohio State and an Army veteran who serves as a long-tenured military community advocate, gave personal testimony on how MCAs helped him and other service members navigate deployments, training and academic responsibilities: "It gave us support, community, a voice," he said. Janet Steinbacher (Military & Veteran Services Office, Ohio State) described program growth at OSU from 12 initial advocates to a planned cohort of 36 advocates across regional campuses this fall and detailed programming including career fair preparation and employer connections.
Committee members asked about accountability and program responsibilities; Hibbler said advocates commit defined weekly hours to serve as touchstones for military-connected students and coordinate with campus offices. Witnesses argued the program would support workforce readiness and keep military-connected students enrolled and engaged.
The committee received multiple proponent testimonies and reviewed written submissions; no final vote on HB 95 occurred during the hearing.
