Second ‘October Surprise’ Planned During CAEL Conference Breakout Session to Support Military-Connected Learners

CAEL already announced that it will unveil a new national CPL resource during its upcoming annual conference. A second national initiative, this one dedicated to supporting military-connected learners, will also help celebrate CAEL’s 50th annual conference. 

The new resource will be unveiled during the conference at a special military breakout session on Oct 31. The session, titled Joint Operations Mentality to Better Support the Military-Connected Population, will be held from 2-4 p.m. CT on Oct. 31. It directly follows U.S. Army veteran and renowned speaker Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, who is delivering Thursday’s keynote event.

The breakout session will focus on ways to leverage CAEL’s ecosystem approach to integrate mission-aligned but often siloed efforts to support military-connected students and their families. “If you have a passion for supporting veterans and their families, I encourage you to attend the session,” said Doug Heckman, vice president of partnerships and development for CAEL. 

The event will bring together higher ed, employers, workforce organizations, chambers of commerce, and CBOs to share best practices. “The speakers were purposefully chosen to bring a variety of perspectives and programming to the attendees,” said Heckman. “We couldn’t be happier to give the stage to such a varied group of veteran-focused organizations.” 

Those organizations include the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, Vantage Point Consulting, National University, the University of Illinois Chicago, Heroes for Healthcare, DANTES, and more. 

Conference attendees can add the breakout session to their agenda at CAEL’s conference website. Those who have not yet registered for the conference can do so here.