Roundtables to explore education, credentialing
At the 95th National Convention in Houston, The American Legion’s Economic Division figures to again cover important ground in the areas of veterans education and credentialing. The division will welcome government officials, experts, lawmakers and important figures in the veterans community to discuss issues affecting both areas with its Credentialing Roundtable and Education Roundtable, held annually at national convention.
The Education Roundtable will be held on Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hilton Americas Houston, and the Credentialing Roundtable is at the same venue the following day from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Education Roundtable will welcome an array of speakers, including Student Veterans of America Executive Director Michael Dakduk; Conway Casillas, associate vice president of University of Phoenix; Paul Fain, senior reporter for Inside Higher Education; and many more. The Credentialing Roundtable will feature Marion Cain from the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Defense, American National Standards Institute Senior Director Roy Swift and Ed Kringer from the Department of Defense, and many other speakers.
Since the mid-1990s, the Legion has been at the forefront of the veterans credentialing issue - a pragmatic effort that aims to create across-the-board certification for veterans who qualify for professional licenses and certifications based on their military training. After earning passage of several key federal credentialing bills, the focus has shifted to the state level, where the Legion is lobbying state legislatures to allow military training to be the civilian equivalent of training required to earn state certifications.
Veterans education is also an issue that has long been a focus of the Legion’s lobbying efforts. Most recently, the Legion has taken the lead on fighting for passage of the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act, which currently sits with the 113th Congress. The measure would require state schools to charge in-state tuition rates to all veterans regardless of their state of residency.