The transition from military to civilian life can be challenging. To help ease that transition, the Warrior-Scholar Project partnered with Brown University to introduce enlisted servicemembers and veterans to the rigors and opportunities of university life and encourage them to apply with confidence to top-tier universities.
A total of 16 servicemembers and veterans spent the week of June 17-24 at Brown taking intensive humanities courses, learning about academic life, and receiving advice and instruction from student mentors who have already completed the program and successfully transitioned into academic life.
Three of the program's five academic units were taught by Watson-affiliated faculty. Visiting Scholar and former Military Fellow Jonathan Bott taught "The Constitutional Framework," Assistant Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Tyler Jost taught "Contemporary American Democracy," and Professor of International Economics and International and Public Affairs Mark Blyth taught "American Democracy in Crisis."
Whittney Gould, who serves as Warrior-Scholar Project's director of communications and marketing, had high praise for the welcome the program received from the University and Watson. "Our experience at Brown has been tremendous," she said, "We've had a fantastic experience with all the faculty members that have come to facilitate the lectures and seminars."
Geoffrey Byrne, a senior humanities fellow with the program who also serves as a student mentor, noted, "The transition can be very difficult for veterans due to the cultural differences between the military and that which is found in academia." He said it was invaluable having military veterans like Jonathan Bott teaching in the program because they are adept at navigating both cultures and know the differences.