Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of student veterans at an institution of higher learning in Hawaii in an attempt to better assist the reintegration of veterans as students at the institution. The aim of this study was to use the study’s findings to identify the disconnect, if any, between student veterans and the support services staff, enhance services offered by the institution, improve interaction between student veterans who attend the university and the support services staff at the university, and develop alliances among the federal government, private groups, and nonprofit groups to improve veteran students overall experience in college. Data was collected primarily through face-to-face interviews with student veterans. Secondary data collection included field observations. The researcher generated themes for the data analysis. The significant themes were used to write a description of the student veterans lived experiences. Significant themes such as transition, perception by others, faculty and staff support, academic success, and the needs of student veterans revealed deficiencies in services offered by the institution. These findings can be used to develop alliances among governmental organizations, private groups, and non-profit groups for improving the experiences of veteran students in college.|Keywords: G.I. Bill, Institution of Higher Education, Student Veteran, Reintegration, Transition, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran