Focus Forward Fellowship to help female veterans gain leadership, community skills

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Applications are now being accepted for a new fellowship program that aims to help build skills, leadership and a sense of community among female student veterans.

The Focus Forward Fellowship program, designed by the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University, invites applications from rising military-connected sophomores and juniors who are enrolled in four-year colleges and universities. The program will be held Aug. 11-14 in Indianapolis, with additional Web-based activities scheduled throughout the 2016-2017 academic year.

This is a free, weekend-long residency program. Fellows will work together to increase personal effectiveness, building a potentially transformative community experience that can translate to their home campus and continue to help them throughout their academic and professional careers. The program will build skills and confidence through interactions with other successful students, faculty members and advocates, as participants learn and improve their academic skills so that they can thrive in the university setting.

"Women currently account for 16 percent of active-duty service personnel, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics," said Lauren Runco, MFRI's director of education and employment. "We know that 82 percent of post-9/11 female veterans joined the military to receive education benefits. MFRI is committed to helping these leaders transition to the next phase of their lives by connecting them with resources that strengthen and guide them. We are confident the Focus Forward Fellowship program can do that."

Apply for the Focus Forward Fellowship program by visiting MFRI's website. Applications will be accepted through June 19. For more information, contact Runco at lrunco@purdue.edu, 765-496-3403. Connect with MFRI online at @MFRIPurdue and use #FWDFellows to join the conversation.

Sponsorship opportunities for this fellowship are also available. To learn more, contact Jennifer Shirley, JTShirley@prf.org.

About MFRI

The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) conducts research on issues that affect military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs and practices that improve their well-being. Founded in 2000, MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands the most pressing needs of military and veteran families and collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. This nationally recognized organization is located within Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Contact: Beth Johnson, director of external relations, Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University, 703-927-7429, bethjohnson@purdue.edu 

Source: Lauren Runco, lrunco@purdue.edu