4 The Policy Liaison Program (PLP), an open network of dedicated, policy-focused student veterans and allies who engage in advocacy campaigns. The team seeks to educate and inform student veterans on the many ways available to them to pursue policy goals at the campus, local, state, regional, and federal levels. More importantly, the team values feedback and input from this network of student veterans. As a result of this, SVA has been successful in fighting for dozens of proposed policy improvements submitted from student veterans who participate in the program. Research The Research Department works to inform the public, stakeholders, policy makers, and others on the topics and concerns of student veteran and military-connected students through empirical research. In 2014, in partnership with the National Student Clearing house (NSC) and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), SVA published the Million Records Project (MRP), a groundbreaking report conveying the postsecondary academic outcomes for one million Post 9/11 student veterans to use GI Bill benefits. In the spring of 2017, SVA leveraged the same partnerships and published the National Veteran Education Success Tracker (NVEST). Focused on the first 854,000 student veterans to use the Post 9/11 Gi Bill, NVEST demonstrated definitively that this generation of student veterans succeed in college at rates above their traditional college peers. SVA employs surveys and program evaluations for data collection and service improvement. The team conducts a census web survey annually and the Veterans Opinion Survey during election years. The team also works closely to develop success metrics and measure outcomes for our Programs and Services and ensures the results of this work are available and accessible to Chapter Leaders SVA enjoys a multi-year grant from the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. in support of the Life Cycle Atlas. This three-year research initiative explores the decision-making process for separating service members, with the intent of identifying potential opportunities and barriers to a successful transition from military service through college and into the workforce. The ongoing outcomes of this project are available on studentveterans.org, a continuously updated collection of data visuals that enumerate the unique paths of thousands of veterans as they separated from the military, pursued higher education, and entered new careers post-graduation. Programs and Services The Programs and Services Department provides tangible Chapter-building and veteran-empowering experiences for Chapter Leaders and Chapter Members that reflect the mission of SVA. While the programs and services offered by SVA have continually evolved due to direct feedback from students, the basis of these programs is rooted in what is referred to as “the lifecycle of the student veteran.” This lifecycle begins with the decision to separate from military service and continues through success in a meaningful and impactful career, where a connection is maintained with SVA as a member of our Alumni Network. SVA Programs and Services include a wide variety of training events and opportunities focused on effective management and outcomes. Our programs, or Chapter training events, are intentional in their design to impact Chapter development as well as the personal leadership development of Chapter Leaders. We focus on professional development, leadership training, networking opportunities, scholarship funding, and opportunities to form genuine and meaningful relationships with other Chapters to strengthen the ties of our global network. The SVA calendar begins in early January with the National Conference (NatCon), the largest annual gathering of Post-9/11 veterans in the world and an exceptional opportunity to learn from academic, policy, industry, and peer experts. The purpose of NatCon is to reframe the possible for veterans, to train on topics salient to our chapters, and to convene student veterans, military-connected students, and their allies as well as SVA stakeholders. Attendees navigate breakout sessions, keynote presentations, and exhibitions alongside thousands of their peers. Additionally, SVA’s corporate partners and other
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