This document is the program for the 18th Annual Texas A&M University System Military-Affiliated Symposium, held October 5-6, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. It is intended for higher education faculty, staff, administrators, and veteran service providers who work with military-affiliated students. The program includes a welcome letter from Dr. Monteigne Long, Director of Veteran & Military Services, and…
This document is the program for the 18th Annual Texas A&M University System Military-Affiliated Symposium, held October 5-6, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. It is designed for higher education professionals, veteran service providers, and administrators who support military-affiliated students. The program includes a welcome letter from Dr. Monteigne Long, Director of Veteran & Military Services, and a full schedule of events.
Day one, October 5, begins with registration and opening remarks from Dr. Monteigne Long, Tom Palladino of the Texas Veterans Commission, and Eric Ellenberger of the Wounded Warrior Project. The opening plenary panel, titled 'Built Through Relationships,' features Jonathan Due, Kenneth Heckel, R.J. Jenkins, and Dr. Abby Kinch. Subsequent plenary sessions cover optimizing conference outcomes and the Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) presentations by Commissioner Charles…
The afternoon features four concurrent session blocks. Topics include a purpose-to-impact intervention for student veterans, participatory methods for veteran engagement, on-demand mentorship through cross-sector partnerships, and adaptive horsemanship for veteran families. Other sessions address the Hazlewood Database, campus-wide support for student veterans, and credit for prior learning initiatives. The day concludes with a networking reception.
Day two, October 6, opens with concurrent sessions on Texas policy strategies for veteran education, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), and the Wounded Warrior Project's Warrior Care Network. Additional sessions cover embedded behavioral health, veteran transition to civilian healthcare, and mentorship for long-term success. A solutions exchange offers roundtables and workshops on self-mastery, institutional strategy, and civilian transition.
The program closes with a plenary by Dr. Glenn Phillips and closing remarks by Dr. Monteigne Long. Detailed abstracts are provided for several presentations, including the purpose-to-impact model achieving an 84% success rate, the TexVet Legacy Project using Photovoice and Digital Storytelling, and the Tarleton State University Adaptive Horsemanship Program. The abstracts describe research, outcomes, and strategies for scaling support for military-affiliated students.