CR's October 31, 2025 Times-Standard Education Article--Student Veterans

Published on Oct 29 2025

On a recent episode of our podcast Free Speech with CR, Molly Blakemore and I had the opportunity to speak with two College of the Redwoods student veterans and former Marines, Matthew Gillibrand, Coordinator of CR’s Veterans Resource Center, and Marlia Luzier, a staff member in our Admissions Office. With the increased attention our military is receiving since Secretary of War Peter Hegseth convened a meeting of several hundred of our most seasoned military leaders and President Trump decided to send the national guard into our cities under the pretense of reducing crime and squelching protestors, we wanted to focus on student-veterans experiences and talk about their transition back into civilian life, particularly into higher education. 

As a Marine Corps veteran who went back to college to get a master’s degree and later a doctorate, I know the profound impact higher education can have on veterans and their families. Continuing my education after I finished my active and reserve duty service empowered me to lead and live my best life. But I also experienced how challenging it can be to transition from the military to the life of a student. I found myself, as a thirty-something-year-old father with two young children, in classes with students who did not have the same level of life experience as I did. 

According to the Veterans Administration, only 15% of student veterans are of traditional college age. Most are between 24 and 40 years old. Nearly half (47%) have children, and about the same percentage (47.3%) are married. Additionally, 62% of student veterans are first-generation college students, compared to about 43% of non-military-affiliated students. Overall, 57% of veteran students are aged 30 or older (compared to only 21% of non-veteran students), and veterans make up about 4.8% of all community college students.

Unlike our student-veterans who have access to CR’s Veterans & Military Family Services Center, I did not have a university-sanctioned program available to me. My fellow student-veterans and I had to navigate the transition from active-duty service to the academic world on our own. We had deeply internalized the military culture, and we found that the core beliefs and principles we learned through military service often conflicted with some of the principles that underly higher education. Following orders and respecting rank and formality ran counter to the independent thinking and informality encouraged in many classrooms.

My transition from the miliary to the academic world was not unique. The conversation with Matthew and Marlia highlighted that making cultural adjustments to higher education can still be a significant hurdle for veterans today. The shift from a military to a civilian and academic environment can be very disorienting as student-veterans find themselves adapting to new norms and expectations. They shared that moving into academic life, they found themselves navigating a very different environment than the structured disciplined military setting. Many veterans, like Matthew and Marlia, faced adjusting to a less structured schedule, managing academic workloads, and overcoming the psychological impacts of their service. 

They also spoke candidly about how they often felt the need to self-censor in the classroom because of preconceived ideas about the military or differing political viewpoints, whether from professors or fellow students. While this may be difficult for some of us to hear, it is important to acknowledge, especially at a time when free speech and academic freedom on college campuses are under such scrutiny. Their experiences remind me that we, as a college community, must foster greater openness and balance inside and outside of our classrooms, regardless of which side of an issue we may find ourselves on.

Clearly these challenges can hinder the academic success and overall well-being of our student-veterans, making it crucial for CR to do more to support the unique needs of our student-veterans. We believe that our student veterans should be provided with opportunities to leverage their resilience, commitment, and drive to succeed and achieve their degree aspirations, which is the mission of our Veterans & Military Family Services Center. 

I am honored to serve as the president of an institution that acknowledges its pivotal role in facilitating the veterans’ transitions to the academic world and fostering an inclusive environment that recognizes and celebrates the unique perspectives student-veterans bring to our college community. The Board of Trustees and I are proud that our Veterans & Military Family Services Center promotes peer support and mentorship that helps bridge the gap between military and civilian life, creating a sense of camaraderie that is essential for academic success.