The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University on Tuesday (May 10) announced a new fellowship program that aims to help build skills, leadership and a sense of community among female student veterans.
The Focus Forward Fellowship program is designed for rising military-connected sophomores and juniors who are enrolled in four-year institutions. The program will be held Aug. 11-14 in Indianapolis, Ind., with additional web-based activities scheduled throughout the 2016-2017 academic year.
Female student veterans and military-connected female students are invited to apply for the free, weekend-long residency program where they will connect with each other, increase personal effectiveness and build a potentially transformative community experience that can translate to their home campus and continue to impact them throughout their academic and professional careers. The program will engage fellows and build skills and confidence through interactions with other successful students, faculty members and advocates. Fellows also will learn and improve their academic skills so that they can thrive in the university setting.
This program will address a unique population of college students, said Lauren Runco, MFRI's director of education and employment.
"Women currently account for 16 percent of active-duty service personnel, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics," she said. "We know that 82 percent of post-9/11 female veterans joined the military to receive education benefits. At MFRI, we're committed to helping these leaders transition to the next phase of their lives by connecting them with resources that strengthen and guide them. We are confident the Focus Forward Fellowship program can do that."
If you are interested in learning more about the Focus Forward Fellowship program, contact Runco at lrunco@purdue.edu or call 765-496-3403. You can also connect with MFRI online at @MFRIPurdue and use #FWDFellows to join the conversation.
Sponsorship opportunities for this fellowship also are available. To learn more, contact Jennifer Shirley at JTShirley@prf.org.
Visit www.mfri.purdue.edu/FWDFellows for most up to date information.