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Board of Regents endorses statewide veteran‑friendly tiers, spotlighting GI Bill outreach
Summary
The Board of Regents received and approved the 2024 governor’s military and veteran‑friendly campus report, establishing bronze/silver/gold tiers for campus services and naming Bossier Parish Community College the state's first gold campus; the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs urged campuses to boost GI Bill recruitment and credit‑transfer clarity.
The Board of Regents on Aug. (August meeting) approved the 2024 governor’s military and veteran‑friendly campus report, which formalizes a tiered recognition program (bronze, silver, gold) for institutions that offer dedicated veteran services.The report’s authors, led by Doctor Denley, told regents that all 28 public institutions plus one private college now hold the baseline designation and that the new tiers will recognize campuses offering additional services such as veteran centers, peer mentoring, dedicated advising, counseling, and flexible course options.
Why it matters: the designation aims to make it easier for veterans and military families to identify campuses that actively support GI Bill recipients and to encourage institutions to compete for higher tiers of service. Bossier Parish Community College was named the first gold‑tier campus — a distinction staff said had already prompted requests for recounts from other institutions.
Secretary Charlton McGinley of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, who identified himself as secretary, urged campuses to market aggressively to GI Bill‑eligible students, saying the GI Bill is an economic spur for communities as well as a benefit for veterans. “It used to be that the value of the GI Bill was about $100,000 over four years,” McGinley said, adding the total federal GI Bill dollars flowing into Louisiana higher education is roughly $166,000,000 in the department’s estimate. He proposed exploring a state database (modelled on Tennessee) and aligning the state designation with the national Purple Star movement to raise visibility for participating campuses.
State approving agency staff reported increases in veteran enrollment: 9,600 veterans were enrolled in 2022–23 and that number rose to about 10,600 in 2023–24, and said they would work with campuses on prior credit evaluation tools to clarify which military courses convert to college credit.
Board action: senior staff recommended the report and tiered designations; a motion to approve was seconded and carried by voice vote.
What’s next: staff said they will continue outreach to campuses, develop clearer credit‑transfer guidance with the state approving agency, and return updates in future board materials.
