ServicemembersSOC Opportunity Colleges Sponsored by American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Association of Community Colleges A Unique Civilian-Military Partnership Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), was created in 1972 to provide educational op- portunities to servicemembers who, because they frequently moved from place to place, had trouble completing college degrees. SOC functions in co- operation with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense, and Active and Reserve Components of the military Services to expand and improve voluntary postsecondary education op- portunities for servicemembers worldwide. SOC was established by civilian and military educators to help strengthen and coordinate vol- untary college-level educational opportunities for servicemembers. SOC does this by: • seeking to help the higher education commu- nity understand and respond to special needs of servicemembers; • advocating the flexibility needed to improve ac- cess to and availability of educational programs for servicemembers; • helping the military Services, including the Na- tional Guard and the Coast Guard, understand the resources, limits, and requirements of higher education; • helping the higher education community to understand the resources, limits, and require- ments of the military Services, including the National Guard and the Coast Guard; and • seeking to strengthen liaison and working rela- tionships among military and higher education representatives. The SOC Consortium consists of more than 1,800 institutional members that enroll hundreds of thou- sands of servicemembers, their family members, and veterans annually in associate-, bachelor-, and graduate-level degree programs on school cam- puses, military installations, armories within the United States and overseas, and through a variety of distance learning methods. Some SOC Consor- tium members, as part of the SOC Degree Network System act as “home colleges” for servicemembers who, by prior agreement, also can earn academic credits elsewhere. SOC operates under terms of a contract between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the fiscal and administrative agent, and the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), the contract monitor for the Department of Defense. The SOC Principles and Criteria To achieve its goals, SOC is founded on principles agreed to collectively by the higher education community through the SOC Advisory Board, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and the Military Services including the National Guard, and the Coast Guard. The SOC Principles are predicated upon such principles as those set forth in the Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the American Council on Edu- cation (ACE), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). They are drawn principally from the cumulative experience of educational institutions and agencies judged successful in their work with servicemembers. Principle 1. In order to enhance their military effectiveness and to achieve their educational, vo- cational, and career goals, servicemembers should share in the postsecondary educational opportuni- ties available to other citizens. Principle 2. Educational programs for service- members should rely primarily on programs, courses, and services provided by appropriately accredited institutions and organizations, including high schools, postsecondary vocational and technical schools, col- leges, and universities. Principle 3. To enhance access to undergradu- ate educational opportunities for servicemembers, institutions should maintain a necessary flexibility of programs and procedures, particularly in admissions, credit transfer, and recognition of other applicable learning, including that gained in the military, in scheduling and format of courses; and in academic residency requirements to offset servicemembers’ mobility, isolation from campuses, and part-time student status. The SOC Criteria create a framework for institu- tions to translate SOC Principles into performance and action. The SOC Criteria stipulate that institutional policies and practices be fair, equitable, and effective in recognizing the special and often limiting conditions faced by military students. Criterion 1. Transfer of Credit. SOC institutions design transfer practices for servicemembers to minimize loss of credit and avoid duplication of course work, while simultaneously maintaining the integrity of their programs. Criterion 2. Academic Residency Requirements. SOC Consortium institutions limit academic residency for active-duty servicemembers to no more than 25 percent of the undergraduate degree program, with courses taken at any time during the program of study. SOC Consortium institutions that offer one hundred percent of an undergraduate degree online may require thirty percent of that degree in residence. Colleges joining SOC only to participate in the Concur- rent Admissions Program (ConAP) are exempt from this criterion. Criterion 3. Crediting Learning from Military Experience. SOC Consortium institutions award credit recommended by the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services for military training and experience when applicable to servicemembers’ degree programs. Criterion 4. Crediting Extra-institutional Learn- ing. SOC Consortium institutions award credit for use of one or more of the nationally-recognized, non-traditional learning testing programs provided for servicemembers by the OSD. These examinations include CLEP, DSST, and ECE whether or not they supplement institutional challenge examinations or test-out procedures. In addition to the SOC Criteria, some operating guidelines can be drawn from the SOC Principles and the experience of educational institutions and agencies that have shown success and quality in their educational offerings to servicemembers. These guidelines should be viewed as desired insti- tutional behavior for SOC institutions. To facilitate admission and enrollment of qualified servicemem- bers, SOC institutions: • Recognize the GED high school equivalency certificate/diploma; • Accept and record previously successful post- secondary study as part of a servicemember’s degree requirements, if applicable; • Recognize learning gained from specialized training and experience in the military Services or elsewhere; • Establish competency by nationally-recognized means, such as standardized tests; • Publicize alternative admission procedures available to servicemembers and waive formal admission procedures for those seeking enroll- ment in course work for transfer to another institution; • Conduct a timely evaluation of the educational records and relevant experiences of service- members. To facilitate the enrollment process and contin- ued student success of qualified servicemembers in postsecondary education, SOC Consortium institutions will: • Outreach to servicemembers using advertising, college recruiting, and admissions information that adequately and accurately represents the programs, requirements, and services available. Military students considering course enroll- ments require adequate time to make informed decisions and consult with education service counselors. High-pressure promotional activi- ties or “limited time only” enrollment discounts are inappropriate recruiting activities by SOC Consortium institutions. • Provide adequate access to the range of student services appropriate to support the programs, including admissions, financial aid, academic advising, delivery of course materials, compe- tency testing, course placement, and counsel- ing. • Ensure that students admitted into college programs possess the requisite knowledge and academic preparation to succeed. Where technology aids (computers, personal digital assistants, or other technology packets) are em- ployed in the program as key instructional com- ponents, institutions must provide assistance to students who are experiencing difficulty using the required technology. • Provide adequate, clearly established means for resolving student grievances. In particular, provide transparent due-process procedures related to tuition and financial aid matters, course withdrawals due to unanticipated deployments, lack of consistent computer connectivity, and changes of duty. SOC Operating Programs SOC operates a variety of programs that give servicemembers opportunities to: • Earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through the SOC Degree Network System while in the Army (SOCAD), Navy (SOCNAV), Marine Corps (SOCMAR), or Coast Guard (SOCCOAST). • Select a college concurrently with enlistment in the Army or Army Reserve (ConAP). • Earn college credits and degrees while in the Army National Guard (SOCGuard). For more detailed information, see: http://www.soc.aascu.org/ SOC Degree Network System SOC coordinates a far-reaching program of as- sociate and bachelor’s degree networks for Army (SOCAD), Navy (SOCNAV), Marine Corps (SOCMAR), and Coast Guard (SOCCOAST) personnel, provided by civilian colleges and universities serving military installations worldwide. Servicemembers may take courses in their off-duty hours in classrooms on or near military installations in the United States, over- seas, or on Navy and Coast Guard ships. They may enroll in distance learning courses offered online, through CD-ROM, PDA, videocassette, television,