Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – The new University of Mississippi Veteran and Military Services unit has one main goal: to support those who have answered the call of duty to their country. Thanks to this unit, veterans, active-duty military members and veterans’ dependents need look no further when they have questions about their college experience.
“I understand what they went through and the sacrifices they have made for our country,” said Michael Howland, UM coordinator of veteran and military services. “My job is to make it easier for them to come to campus and experience college life.”
Howland is no stranger to Ole Miss or military life. The Texas native recently retired from a nearly 25-year career in the United States Army. Besides completing six tours of duty in the Middle East, he served as the senior military instructor for the university’s ROTC program from 2010 to 2013.
Additionally, he understands the difficulties that veterans face while on active duty and even as they return home. In fact, he received all three of his degrees while serving stateside or overseas.
“There’s very little that a veteran student will experience that I haven’t seen or experienced myself,” Howland said. “I can remember completing night missions at 6 a.m. and taking online classes that morning.”
Howland’s impressive military career provides him with the experiences that should make him trusted and respected among the student veteran community, said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs.
“He has lived what our student veterans have lived,” Hephner LaBanc said. “Likewise, his higher education-specific experience provides him with the knowledge to effectively guide veteran students and employees and to advocate for their specific needs when necessary.”
From assisting veterans during the transition process when they return home to faculty outreach and coordinating services tailored to the need of each student, Howland hopes to give back to those who have served. Housed in the new Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience in Martindale Hall, the group is spearheading a recruiting plan to attract more student veterans to Ole Miss.
Kyle Ellis, director of the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience, said he is excited about the new opportunities that Veteran and Military Services will offer.
“Not only will it provide additional resources for veterans and other military personnel, (but) this initiative will ensure that they are successful during their time here and are satisfied with all aspects of the Ole Miss experience,” Ellis said.
While increasing student veteran undergraduate and graduate enrollment and retention is a top priority, Howland also hopes to increase the involvement of the more than 500 Ole Miss students using military benefits in the Student Veteran Organization. “They have a unique leadership skill set that can benefit the overall university experience,” Howland said.
“My focus and goals are completely dedicated to what our students want. Oxford and Ole Miss made a huge difference in my own transition from the military to where I am now, and I feel like we can provide that same opportunity for an Ole Miss experience to our returning veterans.”
For more information on Veteran and Military Services, or for questions about nonresident military scholarships or other military benefits, contact Howland at umveterans@olemiss.edu or stop by Martindale Hall, Room 361B.