Princeton will also host WSP’s Annual Alumni Conference, 200 veterans expected to attend
PRINCETON, N.J. — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — National nonprofit Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) is thrilled to announce that it has once again partnered with Princeton University to help veterans succeed in higher education, signaling the university’s continued commitment to increase veteran student support. Princeton will host its seventh WSP Humanities and STEM Academic Boot Camp from July 16-28, offering an intensive curriculum designed to help veterans prepare for an academic environment and become better students. The two-week boot camp will be followed by WSP’s Second Annual Alumni Conference from July 28-30.
Each year, approximately 115,000 veterans separate from the military and pursue higher education. While this is an exciting new chapter, veterans can sometimes struggle with acclimating to civilian life or campus culture. The WSP-Princeton Academic Boot Camp helps fill the gap by giving participants the opportunity to learn from university faculty, receive mentoring from fellow student veterans, and begin to adjust to a formal learning environment — all concepts that may seem unfamiliar after years spent away from the classroom.
Additionally, a study found that WSP is the only program of its kind dedicated to veterans that not only provides targeted support for academic success, but also improves social connection.
“This was by far one of the best transitional programs I have ever been a part of. Not only was there an academic focus, but the transition into academia and how to navigate the process was also covered very well,” said Spencer Lopez, an Army veteran and WSP-Princeton alumnus.
WSP is also excited to collaborate with Princeton to host WSP’s Second Annual Alumni Conference. With nearly 200 veterans slated to attend, the event is an opportunity for program alumni to continue to grow as students and professionals via sessions and workshops led by respected leaders in the military and higher education community. Attendees will also hear from keynote speaker Thomas Brennan, founder of The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom exploring the human impact of military service. Attendance is free for WSP alumni thanks to generous sponsors Walmart, A. Friends’ Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, and McKinsey & Company.
“Princeton University is honored to partner with Warrior-Scholar Project to support student veteran success at selective colleges and universities, including on our campus. We are also pleased to host Warrior-Scholar Project alumni on campus as they build community and support each other’s academic and professional journeys through the Warrior-Scholar Project Alumni Conference,” said Michele Minter, Princeton’s Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity.
WSP launched its first boot camp at Yale University in 2012 with nine participants. Since then, the program has expanded to 21 of America’s top schools and helped more than 2,000 veterans get a head start in higher education. Support from Princeton and investments made by foundations, corporations, and private donors cover the entire cost of the program for participants.
About Warrior-Scholar Project
An official partner with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) is a national nonprofit that empowers enlisted veterans and service members to excel at four-year universities. WSP’s flagship program helps veterans gain skills required for college success and support for the cultural shift from the military to higher education via intensive one- to two-week academic boot camps at top-tier schools. During the immersive experience, students are housed on campus and engage in challenging discussions with accomplished professors while receiving tailored instruction on key skills like analytical reading and college-level writing. WSP also offers workshops tailored to address the unique needs of veterans enrolled in community colleges and targeted programming for marginalized veterans, such as its Women Veterans Empowerment Dialogues. Warrior-Scholar Project offers programs at public and private colleges and universities nationwide. For more information, visit www.warrior-scholar.org.
About Princeton University
Princeton University is a vibrant community of scholarship, research, and teaching that stands in the nation’s service and the service of humanity. As a global research university with world-class excellence across the arts and humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and engineering, the University is home to more than 1,200 faculty members who share a commitment to innovation, free inquiry, and the discovery and transmission of knowledge and new ideas. Princeton combines its strengths in research with a distinctive emphasis on undergraduate and doctoral education, preparing its 5,500 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students for positions of leadership and lives of service.
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