UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State World Campus is partnering with the United Service Organizations (USO) to help service members who are transitioning to civilian life and may be interested in furthering their education.
Through the partnership, Penn State World Campus will participate in two events in 2024 in which the USO community can learn more about the undergraduate and graduate degrees that Penn State offers online.
The USO supports service members throughout their military service, which includes providing career resources and connections for those who are beginning their transition out of the military. World Campus would like to make sure they are aware of their options to learn online and the financial aid available to military learners.
Greg Bond, the director of military education for Penn State World Campus, is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps. He spoke of the impact the USO had on him while he served.
“Being a Marine for 28 years, I had the opportunity to travel to over a dozen countries, and the USO played a significant role in our family’s quality of life and my ability to successfully execute our unit’s mission,” Bond said. “Whether at a U.S. airport, aboard an overseas base, or while cold, hot and dirty in the field, the USO always provided comfort knowing that someone cared, that someone was willing to bring a little piece of America ‘home’ to a foreign land, and that America truly understood the critical service our military and their families provided to our great nation. No matter where it was, the USO was always welcoming, kind and empathetic.
“We are proud that Penn State, with its rich tradition of serving the men and women of our military through educational benefits, resources and more, is partnering with such a professional nonprofit organization as the USO.”
One of the events will be an information session in which World Campus staff will meet with the USO’s transition specialists who help service members. World Campus also will participate in a webinar hosted by the USO that is open to service members and their families. The topic will be determined at a later date, and the event is scheduled for April 23, 2024.
"We’re excited to partner with Penn State World Campus to offer additional online learning and financial aid opportunities for individuals transitioning from military service,” said Lisa Elswick, USO vice president of Transition Programs. “USO transition specialists collaborate with service members and military spouses to identify their personal and professional goals, and this partnership will help them achieve these goals.”
World Campus offers a comprehensive selection of Penn State degrees online, with more than 175 programs in business, health care, the liberal arts, technology and more at both the undergraduate and graduate level. World Campus has been offering online education since 1998 and celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
Penn State World Campus is highly ranked by organizations such as Military Times and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its degree programs and the support services it provides to military and veteran students. The Pennsylvania National Guard also has recognized it as a Guard-friendly school.
Learn more about the awards and affiliations Penn State World Campus has with the military community.