News & Events News 2018 May Armed Forces Week

SPC’s Military Support Crew in Armed Forces River Parade

May 1, 2018

Public Information Officer

ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE’S GI COMMUNITY ON THE RIVER: SPC’S 2018 ARMED FORCES WEEK ACTIVITY LINEUP INCLUDES COLLEGE’S FIRST-EVER ARMED FORCES RIVER PARADE CREW

With an agenda as sprawling as Military City USA itself, St. Philip's College has a multi-campus bevy of activities planned to celebrate and support its student GIs during Armed Forces Week in San Antonio May 12-19. One of the many GI student success highlights is a Military Spouse Appreciation Day observance coinciding with the college’s Spring 2018 commencement ceremony May 11 at 7 p.m. in Freeman Coliseum at 3201 E. Houston St. When that ceremony includes a prompt for Military Spouses past and present to stand to be recognized , the college will observe the fifth anniversary of the debut of St. Philip’s College regalia in the form of a red-white-and-blue cord adornment to honor the college’s special population of degree and certificate candidates who are veterans of service in the armed forces. Within academia, cords are a unique from of academic dress worn with cap-and-gown or non-academic attire and consisting of twisted cords with tassels on each end to traditionally designate academic achievements and honor society membership. The cords are one of the means the college uses to elevate respect for the success of special populations of degree candidates. The commencement ceremony will also mark the sixth anniversary of having the special population of female degree and certificate candidates who have graduated from St. Philip’s College degree and certificate programs of study that lead to employment and certification in higher-wage nontraditional occupations where women are a minority honored and visible with cords for completion. A few degree candidates will be among ceremony participants with the honor of wearing both the nontraditional occupations cord and the new veteran cord, and being a military spouse.

And that is just part of the lineup. The informal military barbecue culture will be celebrated twice with barbecue events. A letter writing campaign offering words of encouragement to GIs will last for 30 days. Advisors will double down on advising GI-students on the best path to follow to success in a number of events citywide.

The college announced today its participation in a free patriotic parade dedicated to the people who serve in all branches of the Armed Forces. A few of the college’s representatives who serve the military most---it is a small boat and there are scores of college employees serving the military---will be ceremonial passengers on one of 25 patriotically-themed floats carrying outstanding representatives of the Pentagon in the field on a 2.5 mile parade route on the River Walk during the 2018 Armed Forces River Parade themed Military City USA May 19 at 6 p.m., first at Arneson Theatre and then on the river.

One of the college crewmembers notified this week of her first riverine mission is Alison Joubert, the college’s onsite coordinator at Fort Sam Houston where for decades St. Philip’s College has educated GIs, civilian service members and folks from the community who can access the base.

“I have no previous river barge experience. I'm born and raised in San Antonio. Bucket list comes to mind when I think of actually being selected to ride in the Armed Forces River Parade, so this is special,” said Joubert. “I'm an Army veteran. I've never been in a sorority, but there is a sisterhood in the military where we relate to others without saying... Old Soldiers never die, they never leave it. We have tried to help people maximize their benefits at Fort Sam Houston, very successfully for both uniformed and civilian service members of all ranks and all services at Fort Sam, and it’ a great mission to be part of,” said Joubert.

While the full agenda is shared below, it's best to contact organizers to verify no changes to the schedule. For details, contact Betsy Hamilton, the college’s Military Support Services director, at 210-486-2610, bhamilton@ngskmc-eis.net.

Date 
Event | Time | Location(s) | Map | Who to email for additional information

May 11 (Military Spouse Appreciation Day)

May 14

May 15

May 16

  • Group Advising for current SPC students (Institute 6) | 9 a.m.-noon | Room 108 of the SPC Center for Learning Resources | 1801 Martin Luther King Drive | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-MLK/
  • Veteran and Military Resource Table | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | Bldg. 1 at SPC Southwest Campus | 800 Quintana Road | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-swc/ | bhamilton@ngskmc-eis.net
  • Armed Forces Week BBQ (Outdoor Event) | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Welding and Diesel Entrance Labs of the SPC Southwest Campus | 800 Quintana Road | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-swc/ | bhamilton@ngskmc-eis.net
  • Financial Aid, VA Education Benefits, Military Tuition Assistance (TA), & Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) information and workshop | 1-2 p.m. | Room C223 of Bldg. 1 at SPC Southwest Campus | 800 Quintana Road | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-swc/
  • Group Advising for current SPC students (Institute 3) | 3-6 p.m. | Room 108 of the SPC Center for Learning Resources | 1801 Martin Luther King Drive | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-MLK/

May 17

May 18

  • Group Advising for current SPC students (Institute) | 1:30-4:30 p.m. | Room 108 of the SPC Center for Learning Resources | 1801 Martin Luther King Drive | http://ngskmc-eis.net/spc/imap-MLK/

May 19

June 1

Serving the armed forces is an essential element of St. Philip’s College as a public resource. One original primary mission of community colleges in America was to serve the workforce education needs of servicemembers transitioning back to civilian life in the final months of World War II, such as the Tuskegee Airmen. St. Philip's College owes its most significant enrollment growth period to that special population of veterans of World War II service in the Armed Forces. Today, community colleges educate half of America’s college students, and the college is historically among the area’s top three colleges preferred by local military consumers, with roughly 1,200 benefit–eligible uniformed, civilian, retired, transitioning and family servicemembers attending the college in fall and spring semesters, and approximately 750 during summer terms. St. Philip’s College is one of the 1,900 Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges® Consortium Member Institutions, a consortium of Pentagon–certified “military–friendly institutions with flexible policies that allow mobile servicemembers and their families to complete degrees rather than just accumulate course credit.” The colleges also pledge to be military–friendly and design policies and practices in the student services, admissions, and marketing areas that provide easy access to accurate information about the school, its degree programs, policies, and procedures. The multi-campus institution has operated a campus on a former Air Force base in San Antonio for 31 years.

CAPTION: One highlight of the May 1 Tiger PAWS Publication Event in the Bowden Alumni Center of St. Philip's College's G. J. Sutton Learning Center building at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive in the City's Denver Heights neighborhood was the photo session following announcements of editorial scholarship award recipients and award recipients. At right in the image, St. Philip's College business and entrepreneurship institute student Dana Nault was the only recipient awarded both in the genre and editorial scholarship categories, and her spouse was present in uniform to support her for her unusual achievement. Nault is one of the students celebrated with additional academic and informal support during the college's Armed Forces Week in San Antonio observance May 12-19. (SPC image by Julysa Sosa)
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