Ryan Pithan, senior in business, studied at Iowa State for two weeks when he found out he was getting deployed to Iraq.
“I had just gotten back from boot camp and my training at the school infantry,” Pithan said. “I was just settling down, spending time with friends and family and getting ready for college. When I got the news, it was kind of heart-breaking, but then again, that’s what I signed up for.”
Veterans make up a large segment of students transferring to Iowa State. The number of veterans transferring to Iowa State has increased by 40 percent in the past seven years, according to statistics from the enrollment services center.
Iowa’s deployment rate is also the highest it’s been since World War II. The university developed ways to assist students like Pithan, whose life plans change in an instant.
“[Veteran transfer students] come with a different set of experiences and sometimes a different set of needs,” said Laura Doering, associate director of records and registration.
Read the full story at the Iowa State Daily.
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