#macrb

Bloomsburg University Father-Daughter Benefit from the PA Family GI Bill

BLOOMSBURG — When Army National Guard Master Sgt. John Paul Karpovich of Hunlock Creek, Pa. learned of the new Military Family Education Program (MFEP), also referred to as the PA Family GI Bill, reenlisting for six more years to the Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) was a no-brainer for him. MFEP allows spouses and children of PNG members to attend college at no cost or a reduced cost. For Karpovich, it would help his daughter Georgia with her tuition to attend Bloomsburg University, so he signed on the dotted line.

The program provides for 10 semesters of tuition-free education for family members, which must be at a Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency-approved educational institution, and at the tuition rate set by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Karpovich is no stranger to BU as both he and his brother attended the school in the mid ‘90’s. “At BU, I majored in sociology/criminal justice,” said Karpovich. “My plan was to become a police officer or work with law enforcement in some capacity. As it turns out, I left BU to become an active-duty soldier with the PA Army National Guard.”

“I had joined the PA Army National Guard as a junior at Hanover Area in Luzerne County and took a leave of absence from BU to serve with the Guard in Germany. “My plan, when I got back home, was to go enroll again at BU, but the semester had already started. After being offered a full-time job with the PA Army National Guard and due to multiple duty positions and starting a family, I just couldn’t find the time to continue my education.”

Fast forward to 2018, when Karpovich’s oldest daughter, Georgia, was going through the college search process.

“I encouraged Georgia to attend Bloomsburg University," said Karpovich, who has served in Germany and now the Middle East. “I was overjoyed when she said it was one of her top choices after attending an open house. The faculty treated us great and gave us the type of information we were looking for during our visit. We even got to tour the floor of the dorm that my brother stayed in during his freshman year.

Georgia Karpovich is a sophomore at BU, majoring in education in dual early childhood/special education.  

“A major factor in my decision of BU were the special education clubs the university has to offer,” said the younger Karpovich. “I am on the executive board for the Trinity Learning Community, an organization that works with adults and individuals with disabilities who live in an independent living home in Bloomsburg. Many schools I had toured did not have clubs specifically for special education or any educational clubs at all.”

“My dad has always talked my ear off about Bloomsburg,” said Georgia. “When I told him I was applying to BU, he was thrilled. He came on my tour of campus and was most excited to show me was the tonal sculpture outside of the Haas Center, due to the auditory distortion that happens when standing between the two large discs.”

One of the surprise outcomes of Georgia attending BU was her father deciding to re-enroll at BU, taking advantage of the University’s Military Academic Credit-Review Board (MAC-RB) program. The MAC-RB process determines appropriate, but only academically justifiable, BU credit equivalencies for military training.

“I first heard of MAC-RB when I took Georgia to meet with the Veterans

Affairs representative, Bob Heckrote,” said Karpovich. “It was exciting to learn that BU would consider my military training toward academic credits. I now have a path to completing my degree, which I would not have had without MAC-RB.”

Georgia was naturally thrilled for her dad.

“His decision surprised me when he said he would resume his education,” said Georgia. “I think it’s a really fun opportunity to go to college at the same time as my father, even though he is not on campus with me to experience it together. I found it humorous that we both have BU email addresses.”

Of course, none of this would be possible without the PA Family GI Bill.

Ian Whelan, a May 2019 graduate of Bloomsburg University with a BA in Russian/Eastern European Studies, sat for an interview on Tuesday, 28 May 2019 about his experience with the BU Military Academic Credit Review Board (MAC-RB), experience that helped to speed his degree completion.  Mr. Whelan is a senior Airman and member of the Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) based in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. He spoke with William V. Hudon, professor of history, and co-chair of the MAC-RB. Hudon: Since it didn’t exist when you arrived at BU, I presume the MAC-RB was not part of your decision to enroll.  What attracted you to Bloomsburg? Whelan: Yes, I arrived in the fall of 2017, and I never heard about the MAC-RB until a year later, in the fall of 2018.  I came to BU because of the bachelor’s degree program in Russian and Eastern European Studies.  It fit with the work I was doing in TACP, with the Pennsylvania State Partnership for Peace. My Russian language skills meant a bump in pay, and those skills, plus my growing knowledge of eastern European cultures, helped a great deal on my deployments in Lithuania, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic in the summer and fall of 2018. I chose BU over Westchester and Slippery Rock, but for the degree program.  Oddly, they both offered more transfer credit hours for my Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) courses than BU did, at least initially. Westchester offered fourteen hours, and Slippery Rock sixteen, while BU offered only six. Hudon: But in the end, MAC-RB made an important difference in your degree completion? Whelan: In making a difference for finishing the degree?  Well, if you figured it on a scale of one-to-ten, the positive difference MAC-RB made for me was a twelve.  It was the best thing that happened to help me complete the degree. I gained 19 credits through the MAC-RB. I had already done a lot of general education requirements in community college courses, so these nineteen credit hours were a big help. Hudon: We’re always seeking to improve the MAC-RB process.  What were, from your point of view, the best and worst things about the review process? Whelan: The best part was working with Bob Heckrote. He was really clear about what he needed from me to make the process work. The bad part was that there seemed to be a lot of administrative red tape. The first layer was Bob, and there was a lot to do. It shouldn’t all be on him. We got started in the fall term [2018], and the final approval from the administration didn’t come through until three days before graduation [spring 2019]. Hudon: What advice would you give to other military students considering review through the MAC-RB?

MAC-RB enables Air Force vet to graduate ahead of schedule 

My name is Pat Fleishauer, and I would like to provide a bit of insight into the importance of MAC-RB and how it has impacted me. I am a twenty-year veteran of the United States Air Force retiring in 2004. During my twenty years of service I traveled the world. I served two years in Germany, one year in South Korea, and combined about one and a half years in the middle east. My career culminated when I was deployed for six months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Since my retirement, I have always wondered why certain aspects of what military members have done for our country could not be considered for college credit.  I have been enrolled in the BASTL program at Bloomsburg University since the 2017 spring semester.  About a year ago I read an article in the Press Enterprise newspaper about the MAC-RB program being implemented at the university.  I immediately applied to the program and the process was well managed. I met with Mr. Heckrote and provided requested documentation.  After that I corresponded with Dr. Hudon who asked me many questions about my service.

When the process was completed I was absolutely shocked to learn that I was awarded 16 credits for my military experiences over 20 years of service.  For someone like myself who works full time and goes to school at night, this was truly a pleasant surprise.  My plan was to graduate in the spring of 2020; however, with these credits I only need two more classes and will graduate after the next semester.  

The MAC-RB process is truly a great benefit to anyone who has served in the military and is looking for a great school to attend. The people who worked with me to reward me with this credit were true professionals and really care about veterans.

Sincerely,

Academic credit for military training

Like many young men and women, Joseph Bennett’s desire to join the military grew from the events of 9/11. A 2000 graduate of Athens High School, Bennett, joined the United States Army in 2001 and served multiple combat deployments before moving on to flight school. Right now he is an aviator for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard where he has piloted AH-64D Apache helicopters as well as the LUH-72, light-duty helicopters tailored for domestic missions.

Bennett had attended BU many years ago (2004), but multiple combat deployments and flight school training conflicted with his academic schedule so he did not complete his academic degree. Recently though, his desire to finish his degree in history with a minor in Middle East Studies he started years ago became stronger. That’s where Bloomsburg’s Military Academic Credit Review Board (MAC-RB) came into the picture.

“Having the opportunity to get academic credit for my military training was such a benefit,” says Bennett. “The MAC-RB program allowed me to gain 18 credits which reflected the advanced training I had received as a leader and an aviator in the Army. Due to my unique experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, I was given credit that was in commensuration of that background. This program has given me the ability to graduate earlier than initially anticipated.”

After graduation Bennett plans to continue his education by pursuing a graduate degree in either history or international relations as well as continue his advancement in the Arabic language. “These next steps are only possible because of the progressive nature of the MAC-RB program that was vital for me and will no doubt be importantfor countless others in the future.”

Bennett wants to make a difference in government after he is finished with his education. “I would prefer to find myself in a position where I’m helping our politicians making better-informed decisions on foreign policy and helping to craft that policy for our elected officials to deliberate on,” he says. “I could also see myself teaching in some capacity.”