Mount Holyoke Joins Yellow Ribbon Program
With the recent graduation of two Iraq War era veterans and the enrollment of another, Mount Holyoke College is taking yet another step forward in its commitment to offer educational opportunities to veterans--a commitment bolstered this summer through new funding to support tuition and other expenses for women who have served in the U.S. military since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Mount Holyoke is among some 500 colleges nationwide that will participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program when it goes into effect August 1.
Considered the most generous veterans' benefit for higher education since the G.I. Bill of World War II, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act creates the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, through which the federal government will match, dollar for dollar, contributions colleges and universities make to help veterans cover expenses above the maximum in-state public college tuition cost. The program will provide assistance toward paying for tuition, fees, housing, books, and supplies for qualifying veterans with at least 36 months of active duty.
Participating institutions enter an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish how the match will be provided, the maximum institutional contribution, and the number of veterans the institution will serve. Mount Holyoke has committed to providing up to $10,000 each per year for 20 veterans.
"Mount Holyoke is working hard to enroll veterans of the Armed Forces and National Guard into our Frances Perkins Program for students of nontraditional age," said Carolyn Dietel, director of the Frances Perkins program. "It's important that leading colleges and universities recognize the extraordinary service of women who have served their nation so proudly."
Last year two Massachusetts Iraq War-era veterans graduated from Mount Holyoke: Marianela Feliu, a biochemistry major from Somerville, and Nicole Darden, a psychology major from Springfield. Both Frances Perkins Scholars came to Mount Holyoke after two years at community colleges. Feliu aims to become a pharmacist; Darden, who came to MHC from Holyoke Community College, hopes to pursue an academic career in educational or social psychology.
This fall the incoming class of MHC students will include another veteran of the war in Iraq, Angela Johnson of Pottstown, Pennsylvania; Johnson, who will also be part of the Frances Perkins Program, previously attended Montgomery County Community College.
"Angela enlisted in the Army right before 9/11 and served in Iraq," Dietel said. "Although the Yellow Ribbon Program is restricted to military veterans who began the service after 9/11, she will receive a Mount Holyoke scholarship that was established by an alumna exclusively for veterans."
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