By John Robert Morton, Student and Alumni Affairs Liaison, and Rob Hassinger, AMU Graduate
For military servicemembers, getting a diploma from a higher education institution has its challenges. Servicemembers and their families move frequently from state to state or to foreign countries. Also, servicemembers may find that they are deployed during the middle of their courses.
Our University was founded with the mission of making it easier for servicemembers and other adult learners to obtain a degree. U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate Rob Hassinger, the University’s Director of East Coast Military Outreach, aids that mission every day. He focuses on helping servicemembers who are currently on their own educational journeys.
Moving from Student Services to Military Outreach
Rob started working at the University in 2009, a few years after he separated from the Marine Corps. He started in Student Services to gain foundational knowledge of the student experience. Later, Rob joined the Academic Advising Team.
Rob has earned an impressive four degrees from the University. He currently holds a bachelor’s degree in legal studies, a bachelor’s degree in information technology management, a bachelor’s degree in space studies and a master of business administration degree.
Eventually, Rob became a coordinator for the Military Outreach Team and has been helping individual military students ever since. Now, as the Director of East Coast Military Outreach, Rob aids thousands of military students.
Rob says that he enjoys this line of work because it allows him to support the servicemembers in a way that he wished had been available during his time in the Marines. “For my first college class, I received basically no advising and only took the courses I took because of guidance from my NCOs. My role now allows me to provide the guidance that was not available 20 years ago,” he says.
“It’s very important to me to provide education guidance to servicemembers because there are so many options and it can be very overwhelming, especially when selecting a more terminal degree. It was really no question in my mind that I wanted to join this team.”
Advice to Graduates Who Want to Enter the Military Outreach Field
In the military outreach field, you can meet a lot of people. Communication and building strong networks are key to maintaining good relationships.
Rob advises, “Be genuine. It is just easier to be yourself and network with those people who gravitate toward you, rather than try to present yourself differently just to expand your personal and professional network. This job is about relationship building and to be successful, it requires a high degree of authenticity.”
It’s also important to understand that educational experiences are not the same for everyone.
“Empathize with the student. This part is easier for me as I used to be the person on the other side of the table.
“Even if you don’t have that experience, it is important to understand the constraints and experience of each student. It’s essential to get that information so students can focus on the target that furthers their goals. Your mission should be to help students do what is best for them first,” Rob says.
Rob observes that it’s important to maintain a proper work-life balance. But in any outreach position, keeping that work-life balance is a challenge.
“In my role, I have a lot of client/account-style relationships. The people I serve don’t know my schedule.
When everyone needs action at the same time, it is tempting to go all out and take care of everything without regard to taking any personal time. If you cannot find the time to disengage and pursue private interests, then you are going to experience burnout and that isn’t productive for anyone,” Rob adds.
The Satisfaction of Military Outreach
During the Commencement ceremony each year, hundreds of graduates walk across the stage. of Rob derives professional satisfaction from seeing those graduates and knowing that many of them earned their diploma with his assistance or with the help of his team.
Rob says, “Since I have been here, I have learned so much more than I ever knew about the struggle our servicemembers face when trying to complete coursework. It is seriously rewarding to help them see it through.”
About the Author
John Robert Morton is a Student & Alumni Affairs Liaison and has been with the University for 15 years. His bachelor’s degree in European history is from Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He also completed master’s degrees in political science and sports management from American Military University. As a liaison, John Robert enjoys helping students and alumni achieve their personal and professional goals.
About Our Department
The AMU and APU Alumni Affairs Office is dedicated to sustaining lifelong relationships with university alumni by providing engaging opportunities to stay involved and connected. We work closely with various stakeholders to strengthen the alumni experience and offer numerous benefits, services, activities, and events throughout the year.
As a team, the Alumni Affairs team works to build and sustain relationships with alumni along their personal and professional journeys. We actively look for ways to recognize and showcase alumni, telling their stories to motivate and encourage students to pursue their goals.
If you are an alumni community member and looking for ways to remain actively involved, please get in touch with alumni@apus.edu and speak with a team member.
