Ed Dennis joined Bryant & Stratton College Online in June 2010 to lead the Military Relations Department at Bryant & Stratton College Online.  Prior to this, he served for 21 years in the United States Army, starting as a Private and retiring as a Major. Throughout his career he used the Army Continuing Education System to continuously develop himself personally and professionally.  His extensive knowledge and first-hand experience with the armed forces brings invaluable expertise to Bryant & Stratton College to support the needs of active duty ,veteran and military spouse students.

Tell us about your military background.

ED: I entered the Army as an enlisted military policeman in 1989, and served in four different units before attending OCS (Officer Candidate School).  Upon completion of OCS, I was commissioned as an Ordnance Officer and served as a maintenance officer for four years before attending EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) training.  I spent the remaining 9 years of my career as an EOD Officer both overseas and in the United States until I retired in 2010. In that time, I served in leadership positions from team leader to Commander, with three years as an Instructor/TAC (Trainer Advisor Counselor) for LT’s and CPT’s in the Ordnance Corps. I found joy in teaching others, and now continue utilizing that passion as an Adjunct Professor for Bryant & Stratton College Online.

Upon retirement from the Army, I wanted to enter a career that assisted fellow veterans and provided a sense of fulfillment. I had already served 21 years in the Army, and respect the work that is done by the Department of Defense Civilians, but wanted to apply my skills in the private sector.  Throughout the job search process, I had to choose which path I wanted to take.  My interview with Bryant & Stratton College Online really impressed me and the following dialogue with senior managers reassured me that this was the direction that I wanted to pursue.

Tell us about your work in the Military Relations Department at Bryant & Stratton College Online.

ED: Bryant & Stratton College Online understands that military servicemen and women have unique lifestyles and that they need personalized attention. They looked to me for guidance on how to help meet those needs. I approached this with three goals in mind: continuously improve our internal procedures, provide staff education and training, and form strong relationships with ESO’s (Education Service Officers). Since I served for more than two decades in the military, I know first-hand that career and education are two important (and often challenging) issues for military students and their families.

I first took a look at the internal procedures and policies currently in place and how it related to the process military members use to request tuition assistance, in order to make that process as military friendly as possible for them.  In addition, I looked at the policies for withdrawal, deployment, and any other unique circumstances service members could face. 

I then worked with the senior leaders at Bryant & Stratton College Online, to update the policies to benefit service members, family members, and Veterans. Based on the new changes, classes were developed and staff training began. My goal was to not only inform the staff of the new changes, but also give them a lesson in Military 101. 

Finally, once our internal procedures were in place and the staff informed about military affiliated students, I started to work on building relationships with the ESO’s by attending service level education events to meet with Education Service Officers and share with them the opportunities for service members and families at Bryant & Stratton College Online.

How can you help not only military service members but also their families in their education journey?

ED: With the high OPTEMPO (Operational Tempo), the military focuses much more on families than they did when I started in 1989. This is because it is not only the service member, but the family that endures the hardships of deployment. There is a very valid concern among spouses that they may need to enter the workforce at some point due to family support issues, or they desire to enter the workforce for personal and family goals. I think that in many cases it is harder for spouses during deployments, so I treat them the same as I would a service member or veteran when providing assistance.

Why is Bryant & Stratton College Online perfect for military families?

ED: Bryant & Stratton College Online provides a high level of support to all students and strongly believes in personalized education. This fits well with military families because there is accountability at every level. Students are not referred to a bank of “Academic Advisors,” but instead they are given an assigned Academic Advisor who focuses on guiding that student in achieving their personal career and educational goals while they are enrolled with Bryant & Stratton College Online. In addition, we are a career college that focuses on high academic standards. For students this translates into being better prepared for the career field they want to enter, and a higher degree of success. Finally, we offer several portable degrees that adapt well to the constant moves that military families face every couple of years.

If you would like to ask Ed advice on how to navigate your own educational path, Email Ed at ed@salutetospouses.com . Please explain what information you are searching for and we will post the answers in this column.

When I decided to return to school for my master’s degree, I thought I had it all figured out.  My employer was going to pay for it, I had a chance of finishing before we moved (again), and my Army hubby was not only onboard with my decision, but he was willing to put in a lot of extra help with our son so I could go to school at night.  But, as we all know, things don’t always work out in such a neatly tied package for military wives.  In fact, that particular package didn’t stay intact for very long.  Hubby’s job changed to an assignment that was far more demanding of his time, and as a result there were many hurdles that threatened my chances of meeting my back-to-school goal.  But guess what? I took the plunge anyway and eventually, I achieved it.  There I was, 30-years-old, nearly 7 months pregnant, walking across the stage to receive my degree.

I did it and I know you can too.

This is the place to share your concerns with someone who’s been there, done that, and wants to help you get through it.  What are your fears about going back to school and being able to handle the extra work load with your already crazy lifestyle? What do you need to help you overcome some of the challenges of this undertaking? Are you not-so-new to this and have something to share with the rest of us?   Let’s talk about it...

Do you have a specific question about the current job market, military friendly industries, or anything career related? Let us help you find the answers. Email Pamela at pamela@salutetospouses.com . Please explain what information you are searching for and we will post the answers in this column. 

Years ago, I was covering a joint U.S. military exercise in Thailand when the helicopter I was in malfunctioned. Technically, we crashed. To me, it felt more like a rough landing. As we hurried away from the aircraft, I looked at the public affairs officer who was accompanying me, and who I knew well, and said, “You know, I’m going to need a press release on this.” He replied, “On what? I didn’t see a thing.” He was kidding. Kind of.

But the point is, the military can be a difficult beast to wrestle information away from. I’ve even found that a task as simple as registering my daughter for dance class on base can be fraught with difficulty. The information I receive depends on who I happen to catch working the desk that day. And just because they work there, doesn’t mean the information they give me is correct.

When a busy military spouse is keeping the family running during deployment, working a job and attending school, the last thing there is time for is multiple phone calls to multiple government agencies to get answers. We can help.

Do you have a specific question about current events, education benefits, spouse careers, online education or anything military related? Let us help you find the answers. Email Allison at adperkins@bryantstratton.edu Please explain what information you are searching for and we will ask our experts and post the answers in this column. 

I’m about to give you a piece of tantalizing information. You may qualify to pay a lower monthly amount for your student loan, based on your income.

The Income Based Repayment is one of several repayment plan options for student loan borrowers under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

Eligibility is based on income and family size. If you qualify, your required monthly payment is capped and is less than you would pay monthly on a regular payment plan.

It’s exciting information, I know. I about jumped out of my seat at the idea of ditching my $320 monthly payment for a smaller, sleeker model. However, don’t make plans for that extra money just yet. There is a lot of fine print with this program.

For instance, eligible federal student loans that have already been consolidated with a private lender cannot be repaid under this program. That busted my entire eligibility bubble.

For complete details, visit www.studentaid.ed.govor www.ibrinfo.org.

To determine whether you are likely to qualify for the plan, and estimate your monthly payment, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/IBRCalc.jsp.

To officially determine whether you qualify, contact your loan servicer directly. Don’t know who your loan servicer is? Visit the Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System at www.nslds.ed.gov .

It’s tax time and for many military spouses that means not paying state tax! Too bad it’s not that simple. The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act of 2009 allowed military spouses to file taxes in their state of residency, rather than the state they live in due to military orders. Military members have had this benefit for decades. Before you re-configure your tax documents, check the requirements. Military spouses must meet these three qualifications to be exempt from state taxation:

1. Currently lives in a different state than their place of residency.
2. Lives in their current state in order to live with service member spouse.
3. Service member must live in state due to military orders

Those are the first set of requirements. Depending on what state you consider your state of residency, there may be another set of requirements to determine whether you are in fact eligible to be a resident of that state. Often these laws deal with home/land ownership. Check your state’s rules at http://turbotax.intuit.com/support/iq/Where-do-I-/State-Tax-Web-Sites/GE... site lists all 50 states and links to each state’s department of revenue website.