Pictured (from left to right) are Craig Smith, director of Veterans Affairs, Office of Military and Veteran Education at Thomas Edison State University; Jane Kurek, executive director, The Provident Bank Foundation; Misty Isak, associate vice president of Development, Office of Development at Thomas Edison State University; and Louis Martini, associate vice president, Office of Military and Veteran Education at the University at the check presentation.
The Thomas Edison State University Foundation has been awarded a $10,000 grant from The Provident Bank Foundation in support of the University’s Military and Veteran Portal (MVP) Career Enhancement Initiative and overall improvements to the portal.
A recent study commissioned by the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations reported that 48 percent of transitioned service members found their transition to civilian jobs to be more difficult than expected. With the generous support of The Provident Bank Foundation, the University is working to change that statistic.
The MVP’s Career Enhancement Initiative is intended to connect military and veteran users with career advising and specific job opportunities based on their interests and military training. The University plans to partner with 10 community colleges in New Jersey and Pennsylvania within Provident Bank’s service area to successfully actualize the enhanced MVP. The Initiative is expected to provide successful transitions to post-military careers for nearly 500 veterans who are projected to take part.
“The Provident Bank Foundation is proud to support the University’s Military and Veteran Portal Career Enhancement Initiative,” said Jane Kurek, executive director of The Provident Bank Foundation. “The MVP Career Enhancement Initiative provides the support and resources the veterans need for an enriched and successful future in their careers.”
“We are endlessly appreciative of the support of The Provident Bank Foundation,” said Louis Martini, associate vice president, Office of Military and Veteran Education at the University. “With the technical enhancement of the MVP as well as the implementation of career service advising through our Career Enhancement Initiative, we will be able to assist those men and women who have made countless sacrifices in securing a position in a career field that best suits them.”
Launched in 2014, the University’s MVP enables active-duty service members and veterans to better understand how their military training can be transferred as credit toward a college degree, view potential degree programs aligned with their military training and estimate their education costs all before they apply for admission to Thomas Edison. In 2015-2016, 4,632 military personnel used the MVP to validate their prior learning and transition into degree programs, thus helping to create a nationwide best practice educational program. To date, Thomas Edison remains the institution that serves the largest number of military and veteran students in the state of New Jersey, with those currently enrolled representing all 50 states nearly 60 countries.
About The Provident Bank Foundation
The Provident Bank Foundation was established in 2003 with the intent of supporting not-for-profit groups, institutions, schools and other 501(c )(3) organizations that provide valuable services to the communities served by Provident Bank. Since inception, the Foundation has granted more than $21million to not-for-profit organizations and institutions working toward stronger communities. For more information about The Provident Bank Foundation, visit www.ProvidentNJFoundation.org or call (862) 260-3990.
Toni M. Terry, BA