Iowa Supports Education and Resources for Veterans and Enlisted Center (I-SERVE) helps Veterans, enlisted, and military connected individuals’ transition into higher education at the University of Iowa.

The center recruits and retains veterans at the University of Iowa College of Education; provides career development; and helps veterans secure financial, health, and other assistance programs.

Founded in 2013, I-SERVE continues to expand. It works in collaboration with the University of Iowa’s campus-wide Iowa Veteran Education, Transition, and Support (IVETS) to provide more specialized and individualized attention to those veterans and military-connected individuals of the College of Education. I-SERVE is involved in outreach programming to the local and state community, as well as creating a Veterans’ resource center and library for university staff, faculty, and students to better understand military culture and experiences. An active Advisory Board assists the center in developing and monitoring resources and programming to benefit these students and alumnae.

Virtual or in-person appointments can be scheduled by contacting iserve@uiowa.edu

The College of Education is committed to providing resources and materials for veterans and non-military service members to better understand military experience and culture. Towards this effort, the I-SERVE (Support, Resources, and Education for Veterans and Enlisted) office is proud to announce the opening of a Veterans’ Resource Center starting in Fall, 2017 located in the I-SERVE office (N337 of the Lindquist Center). Open to all university students, staff, and faculty regardless of prior connection to the US military, this library will be the largest specialized collection of veteran-related resources on the UI campus. The collection will be initiated with an initial offering of approximately 30 books, 10 DVDs, and 5 guidebooks, and will be supplemented as donated materials and resources become available.

Resources housed in this library are likely to include books, DVD’s, journals, guidebooks, and other relevant veterans’ literature. Topics that are expected to be covered in this library will include basic understanding of the US military culture, transitions from service member to civilian, civilian resume writing for veterans, veterans education benefits, veterans mental health, veterans and suicide research, finding direction after combat, veterans seeking employment, understanding differences between military branches, veteran success in college, and so much more. Resources will have more of an applied/self-help focus rather than a military leisure or scholar reading focus. However, as the resource center grows, we will eventually have books covering most all of these focus areas.

This idea has been in the works for many years and is finally becoming a reality. We are excited for university personnel of all backgrounds to make use of this great resource center on one of the most important and growing subpopulations on college campuses today.

Current Deadline

Nominations are due by Friday, January 21, 2022. Please submit application materials or send questions to Noel Estrada-Hernández (Award Selection Committee chair) at noel-estradahernandez@uiowa.edu.

Description

Professor Emeritus Ernest T. (Ernie) Pascarella is both a highly distinguished scholar and a decorated veteran. He was a platoon leader and rifle company commander with the First Marine Division in Vietnam during 1967-1968, and received three Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star for his service. Professor Pascarella holds the Mary Louise Petersen Endowed Chair in Higher Education and is former director, and currently a faculty affiliate, of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education at the University of Iowa. The Ernie T. Pascarella Military Veteran Promise Award was created to acknowledge veterans who have served in the military, and seek to make contributions through a new career in civilian life through their study in the UI College of Education.

The Ernest T. Pascarella Military Veteran Promise Award is awarded to a graduate student veteran in the College of Education. This award is given to honor a student veteran who demonstrates exceptional career promise. The student’s academic promise/achievement is secondary to the evidence of military service. Special consideration will be given to students who have served in a combat theater in a direct action capacity.

Students may be nominated by any member of the College of Education faculty and staff, or they may self-nominate.

Target Characteristics of Applicants

College of Education graduate students will be eligible for this award with preference given to veterans that have served in direct action units and have been deployed to a combat theater.

Award Considerations

The Ernest T. Pascarella Military Veteran Promise Award is presented during Spring Semester, with formal recognition at the annual COE Awards Ceremony. The Award is a prestigious recognition of military service and promise for a significant career in civilian life and includes a $1,000 award.

Information about nominees that may be collected to inform the selection process would include:

• Minimum of one letter of nomination stating the qualities of the nominee that are consistent with the Award criteria;
• Nominee’s statement of the his/her career goals and how they are related to military/veteran's service;
• Description by nominee of the program or career in which s/he is interested and why;
• Academic performance indicators such as GGPA, UGPA, and GREs; and
• Information about the nature of the veteran’s military service.

Selection Process

The award selection committee shall select the recipient based on nominations submitted by January of 2024. The Award Selection Committee of four individuals shall include two College of Education faculty members and two I-SERVE Advisory Board members. The committee will be appointed by the Committee Chair, and will make the selection of the award winner. If at all possible, the awardee is personally introduced to Professor Emeritus Pascarella so that he may directly become acquainted with the individual.

Past Recipients

• 2023 – Yareli Mendoza, EPLS
• 2022 – Not awarded
• 2021 – Pauline Beazer James, EPLS
• 2020 – Laura Boddicker, RCE
• 2019 – Not awarded
• 2018 – Ashlie Obrecht, P&Q
• 2017 – Jeremy Williams, EPLS
• 2016 – Kevin Yeates, P&Q

Purpose

This scholarship provides funds to assist veterans and military students achieve success in their studies at the College of Education. This need-based scholarship is intended to assist students with educational-related financial needs that go beyond family and personal resources as well as available federal and state aid.

Amount

Award amounts vary ($500-$2,000) and can be used for educational-related expenses OUTSIDE of tuition, such as books, child care, enrollment fees, transportation, and moving expenses.

Criteria

1. Enrolled in a program in the College of Education
2. Students must be in good academic standing as documented by a statement from the Department Executive Officer
3. Students must have financial needs beyond family and personal resources, federal aid, and state aid as documented by their signed statement to that effect.
4. Complete the Larson Military/Veteran Student Scholarship application.

The Needs of Military Families: Understanding Children and Families of Our Military and Veterans

A 5-part focus series sponsored by I-SERVE and the TLC

These workshops will provide crucial information needed by teachers and other helping professionals to understand and address the changing needs of our military and veteran families in our schools and communities. Learners may attend any combination of the five 1-hour live sessions, although viewing all five sessions is recommended. To facilitate this aim, online recordings of the sessions will be available through the TLC and I-SERVE websites after the session dates.

2018 Workshop Series Videos

• Part I: Being in a Military Family
• Part II: Military Service
• Part III: Resources for Military
• Part IV: Divorce Rate Among Military Families
• Part V: Military Children