Veterans' numbers in college to increase OKLAHOMA CITY (KOSU) - With many service members returning home and enrolling in colleges and universities, higher education officials are being asked to help them transition from the battlefield to the classroom.
About 7,000 veterans attend Oklahoma colleges now, but that number is expected to grow next year because the new GI Bill, which offers financial assistance, will greatly expand benefits.
Major Matt Faubion is a military psychiatrist. Faubion told those attending a conference for Oklahoma higher education officials last week that one in five service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical and mental health issues, like post-traumatic stress.
He says colleges can help service members by acknowledging their special needs and offering counseling. Faubion also says soldiers may do better in smaller classes.
Tulsa Community College has opened a veterans' center at its metro campus where former troops can go relax and find out about programs and services in the area.
Other programs are offered at East Central University in Ada; Cameron University in Lawton, home of Fort Sill, and Rose State College in Midwest City, near Tinker Air Force Base.

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