Odysseus Goes to University: Veteran to Scholar Bootcamp
FAIN: AV-271049-20
East Carolina University (Greenville, NC 27858-5235)
Sheena M. Eagan (Project Director: October 2019 to present)
Anna Froula (Co Project Director: March 2020 to present)
The revised reprisal of a 2017 Dialogues
on the Experience of War summer bridge program for a total of 30 student
veterans to explore the topics of homecoming and reintegration through
literature, film, folklore, and medical humanities.
Many military veterans have struggled to make the transition from military culture to university culture. Showing up alone on the first day of classes can be intimidating, especially to student Veterans who might feel out of touch with the traditional undergraduate population, those who might not yet feel that they belong in a university, and those who are unused to being in control of their own schedules. To intervene, East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina, proposes to a “Veteran to Scholar Boot Camp.” This program aims to build community and understanding by cultivating discussions about war experience through the study of humanities texts. Simultaneously, the program prepares these students for academic success through an orientation to student services on campus, while also providing unique opportunities to gain comfort in the classroom setting and develop important scholarly skills (such as reflective writing, critical reading and thinking skills, etc.).