Discussion 6: Post-WWII HE

1. The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, known informally as the

G.I. Bill, is a law that provided benefits for returning World War II veterans
to include: low-cost mortgages, loans to start a business, tuition and living
expenses to attend college. Since the initial onset of the G.I. Bill, why is it
still important to our veterans some 70 years later? It is still important to our
veterans because many face the same challenges as their predecessors. Many
veterans return home and are unable to find meaningful work. Although not true for
all, many have spent years in the military developing skills that do not easily
translate in to the vocational market of the American economy. Many return with
physical limitations that would keep them from many industrial occupations and are
therefore in need of college educations to open doors to greater opportunities.

2. Higher Education's post-war success was built on three beliefs:

vocationalism, public higher education, and multiple sectors of
postsecondary schooling. What were/are some of the benefits of obtaining
a college degree post-war? The benefits of earning a college degree was and still
is the ability to participate in the workforce and participate in the middle-class.
Although the drivers are different than then, as it relates to the market and
technology, todays global market and continuing technological advancements will
continue to develop as long as the free market is permitted to advance with limited
government restrictions and with that advancement will be new vocational
opportunities and expanding fields of study.

3. When President Truman marked the beginning of a shift in the nation's

expectations with his commission on Higher Education, who did he think
should go to college and what role could these graduates play in the
future of the United States? Truman believed that all able young people should
have the opportunity to go to college, able meaning those who had the capacity to
learn that merited investment. One of the goal was to expand the community
colleges and to provide financial assistance to lower income students whose
families could not afford tuition or the other expenses associated with college. He
believed that they could play a role in the area of international affairs and social
understanding. They could have also been able to enter various other areas of the
work force such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers etc.

Also, please respond to the thoughts and comments of at least 3 classmates.