VSA - MINGA HOUSE FOUNDATION

VSA
A learning and service program for tomorrows leaders.

Executive Summary

The Veterans Study Abroad program (VSA) is a university degree program, undergraduate or graduate level, that takes into account and addresses many of the barriers combat veterans face while learning in more traditional academic environments. By integrating the veteran’s real-world experiences, as well as their military education and training into an intentional, service-learning-based cohort environment, we hope to blend some of the best pedagogical aspects of training in the US military, a program that has been proven successful for generations and is in high demand by employers worldwide, with the hands-on, Service-Learning pedagogy from the IPSL Global Institute at NUNM. The VSA seeks to integrate the veteran-student into the academic setting more effectively by utilizing the IPSL Service-Learning pedagogy and an enhanced cohort-based model similar to the traditional military unit. The goal is to produce not only a more well-rounded, inter-culturally adept individual, but to create a space where the veteran and non-veteran student broaden their perspectives of each other through collaborative Service and guided Reflection. The VSA program will weave the veteran’s educational and training experiences into the curriculum for the benefit of the traditional student as well as the veteran, helping bridge the gap between veteran and civilian students.