UNC Core brings education to military

CORRECTION: The original version of this story misrepresented Amber Mathwig's position at UNC. She is the student veteran assistance coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students. The story has been updated to reflect these changes.

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Thousands of miles away, deployed U.S. military members are doing UNC coursework as Friday Center students.

This is made possible through UNC Core, a program that allows active military members, reservists and veterans to complete parts of their education regardless of their locations.

Jim Gregory, spokesperson for UNC, has a military background as an Army officer.

“I think it’s an important program for active duty ... as well as veterans to take part in because it just allows them that flexibility that they need if they’re deployed to a location where they would not be able to take classes,” he said.

Gregory already had obtained a degree before joining the Army, but he emphasized the importance of the program for enlisted personnel who have not already had the opportunity.

“These individuals are looking for what is next. Higher education is very much a possibility. This allows them to prepare for it beforehand while in the military or once they leave the military,” he said.

UNC Core helps make this hope of higher education obtainable, said Friday Center Director Robert Bruce.

“It’s a responsibility for us,” Bruce said.

“The way that online technology and particularly online classes have evolved, we can do it very well.”

Through the program, military members take online classes to complete general education requirements through self-paced or semester-based courses.

Once these courses are complete, the student can apply to UNC-system schools and then complete their major requirements.

Bruce also said he sees the program as an important duty, considering the number of military personnel in the state.

“We’re a public institution ... (N.C. has) one of the highest populations of active duty military. There is over 100,000 in the state, how is it that we are serving that population?” Bruce said.

Bruce said the program has a lot of interest but faces a key limitation — only two branches of the military include UNC Core as part of their military assistance plan.

Without the program, military members must pay tuition for online classes.

Amber Mathwig is the student veteran assistance coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students. She assists veterans’ transitions and helps with resources and benefits.

“I think that any time a service member or veteran has the opportunity for their education to be paid for via their benefits, that is always going to be an enticement to utilize the program,” she said.

Mathwig said she sees an increase in the number of military branches that cover UNC Core as an important goal for the program.

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