Returning veterans can get free education at Benedictine

To thank the U.S. military, Benedictine University in Lisle is offering Illinois veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan a free education through its First Responder program, the school announced Friday.

The university is the first in the country to offer this program.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama secured a $750,000 federal grant for the first year of the program, which is in the final stages of paperwork in Washington, D.C. Starting this fall, that money will go toward the extension of the program.

Obama could not attend the press conference but sent along a statement of support.

University President William Carroll Carroll said that even if the university does not receive federal grants after this year, the program will continue long-term.

“We will keep this program going no matter what because it is the right thing to do,” Carroll said during a May 9 press conference.

For the past seven years, Benedictine University has offered a free college education program for Illinois First Responders. The program has about 400 participants from more than 60 different service institutions in Illinois.

Benedictine is extending that program to veterans and is the first in the state to offer such a program.

When the G.I. Bill was created in 1944, it covered 100 percent of a veteran’s education. Now, the bill comes nowhere close to footing the costs of higher education.

Currently, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who sign up for the G.I. Bill are eligible to $1,101 per month – or $39,636 over four years – in educational benefits. However the College Board reports that the average four-year public college costs more than $65,000, while a private university costs more than $130,000.

Veterans and first responders will have free tuition for the program and are responsible for paying for textbooks and fees.

The First Responder classes are taught in different classrooms than other undergraduates, and Carroll said the extended program will remain under the same structure. The classes meet in different police and fire stations across the Chicago area, with a few classes taught on the Benedictine campus.

Carroll said the program is open to all eligible Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – they must have Illinois residency and have graduated from high school.

“We have 400 (participants) now, if we get 1,000, we’ll take them.” Carroll said. “I don’t see a saturation problem right now.”

The program offers participants an associate of arts in business administration or a bachelor of arts in management. Participants can spend 26 months working toward an associate’s degree, and another two years to earn a bachelor of arts degree.

Half-tuition benefits are extended to members of reserve units who are not deployed, and to college-aged children of reservists who are deployed while participating in the program.