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two veterans in cap and gown with honor cords

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, through the school’s federal grant—Achieving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing: A Veterans’ Initiative Program—provided UH Mānoa veterans with a symbolic red, white and blue honor cord worn at the 104th Annual Commencement Exercises held on Saturday, May 16, 2015. The veterans honor cords represent the sacrifice, service and commitment to excellence that all student veterans share.

This is the first semester that the UH Mānoa nursing department has provided patriotic honor cords to graduating veterans to recognize and support all veterans throughout the UH Mānoa campus.

“The nation will continue to have demand for highly skilled workers in healthcare, and we are fortunate to have the most highly trained military in the world,” said School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene Dean Mary G. Boland. “The school is committed to serving our veterans by helping them successfully transition to the civilian workforce while leveraging their extensive skill set to build a stronger, more diverse, nursing workforce.”

Veterans’ Initiative Program

The Achieving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing: A Veterans’ Initiative Program is a three-year, $342,472 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant. Launched in spring 2015, the grant assists U.S. veterans with military medical experience to receive credit for their training, decreasing the time to graduation and a nursing degree. The program also provides academic and social support services to veterans and dependents and facilitates new enrollment and academic progression.

Said Debra Mark, program director and a U.S. veteran, “One of the exciting outcomes of this grant is the synergy created across campus and the UH system with and for student veterans. Collaborating with UH Mānoa nursing faculty, UH Mānoa’s Office of Veteran Services Support, the ROTC Command and the schools of nursing at Kapiʻolani Community College, Kauaʻi Community College and UH Maui College has increased our collective capacity to support student veterans and facilitate their enrollment, retention and academic progression.”

Added Boland, “In alignment with the Obama Administration, this grant is one of nine federal grants funded this year specifically for Hawaiʻi veterans who wish to build upon their military training and experience. Our program seeks to enroll veterans, give them credit for their military experience and provide them with the support they need to complete their bachelor’s degrees in nursing.”

A School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene news release.

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