Operation College Promise (OCP) and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Announce Recipients of the 1st

Vision Award
Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex) and Senator Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) Named 2012 Honorees

For Immediate Release

Thursday, May 10, 2012 Contact: Wendy A. Lang, Director, Operation College Promise Office: (609) 989-1100; cell (561) 302-5282 walang@njascu.org / www.operationcollegepromise.com

Trenton, NJ Operation College Promise (OCP) and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey announced the recipients of the 2012 Vision Award on May 4, 2012. The awardees, Senator Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex), were honored during a banquet at the Seaview Resort following Stockton Colleges 3rd Annual Golf Outing. The Vision Award recognizes innovative public policy that supports veterans as they transition back to civilian life. This years recipients Senator Whelan and Assemblywoman Jasey were prime sponsors of the OCP/Stockton College VETeach initiative which was introduced as legislation in January and signed into law last month. This legislation is a win for veterans and a win for the education profession as it recognizes the skills and leadership our veterans will bring to the classroom by establishing a program that will permit them to gain a bachelors degree in education within the 36-month confines of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, said Wendy A. Lang, Director of OCP. We are so thankful for the support we received from Senator Whelan and Assemblywoman Jasey in shepherding this bipartisan measure through the Legislature so expeditiously and for supporting OCPs education-to-employment mission. MORE

New Jersey Association of State Colleges & Universities | 150 West State Street | Trenton, NJ 08608 Phone: 609-989-1100| Fax: 609-989-7017|Website: njascu.org

The legislation, S-1026, will establish a 36-month teacher preparation pilot program at The Richard Stockton College for veterans who have served in the Post-9/11 era. Stockton plans to specifically prepare educators in the high demand STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. VETeach is the first of a number of education-to-employment initiatives being developed by OCP to help veterans optimize their education benefits in pursuit of career plans with the potential for long-term employment. It was an honor to have the opportunity to give back to policymakers who are truly taking the lead in crafting supportive policies to assist our returning heroes, said Tom ODonnell, Assistant Dean of Students at Stockton College. As we continue to understand the need of this unique population, public policy will need to adapt and Assemblywoman Jasey and Senator Whelan have demonstrated their commitment to think thoughtfully and creatively to do just that.

####

Operation College Promise (OCP) is a national education, research, and policy initiative to assist veterans and those who serve them in the Post-9/11 era. The project was founded by the nine ASCU state colleges and universities in 2008 and has worked with 300 institutions of higher learning in 25 states. More information on the project can be accessed at www.operationcollegepromise.com. ASCU is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy advocacy organization chartered by law in 1985. Its members are: The College of New Jersey, Kean University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Rowan University, Thomas Edison State College and William Paterson University.