University of Maryland News

By Karen Shih

November 7, 2011

Veterans Week Introduction

The estimated 850 student veterans at the University of Maryland come from all branches of the military. They bring to the campus unique experiences—and they face unique challenges. The Veterans Student Life Office, as part of the university's Veterans Initiative, seeks to be a resource and advocate to help student veterans address these challenges, such as securing housing, benefits and financial aid and getting health care and counseling.

This week, as Veterans Day approaches on Nov. 11, we're profiling three student veterans and service members to showcase how they're succeeding at Maryland, and to honor the sacrifices of a valued population at the university. For more information, visit veterans.umd.edu.

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Naval Retiree's New Mission: A Second Career

Andy Hite has worked on the deck of a Navy aircraft carrier in the dead of night, relying only on sound to avoid the fighter jets landing around him. He's sailed from the coast of Africa to the island of Antigua in the Caribbean without seeing land for 30 days.

But "college is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," says Hite, a retired senior chief petty officer now majoring in operations management at Maryland.

A traumatic brain injury he suffered more than 15 years ago while on duty damaged his ability to recall and retain information, forcing him to work longer and harder to succeed in his classes.

Hite joined the military right out of high school, defying his parents, who had wanted him to go straight to college.

"I wanted something more in life," he says. "I wanted to go and travel."

Travel he did: In his 23-year naval career, he's been stationed on three ships in the Pacific Ocean and bases in Puerto Rico (where he met his wife, also in the military, and had his older son), Iceland and the United Kingdom. He received the Meritorious Service Medal, a high-level non-combat service award, in 2000.

After his final tour, Hite tried his hand at everything from teaching to custom stairway construction. At an interview for a civil government position, he was asked if he thought his experience could compensate for his lack of formal education. He didn't get the job.

"That really got the message across that I needed to go back to school," he says.

His injury makes college a particular challenge. In 1994, as he prepared for deployment on his last Pacific cruise, he was in a car accident. He suffered a subdural hematoma, putting him in a coma for four days. After six months of recuperation, he returned to work. But he had to adjust to his new limitations.

"Before my accident, I was a steel trap," he says. "Now I have to use aids. It's just not all there."

Because of his injury, the Department of Veterans Affairs offered him the opportunity to pursue vocational rehabilitation, paying for him to attend the University of Maryland.

It turned out to be a great choice. "At Maryland, they genuinely care about (veterans)," he says. "There's a great system in place here."

TerpVets, the student organization, provides a sense of camaraderie for Hite, giving him a place to go to share his experiences. Disabled Student Services has helped him get audio versions of his textbooks, and classmates have shared recorded lectures and notes to fill in what he may have missed in his own note-taking.

Justin Payne '11, a finance major, worked on a group project with Hite and took notes for him in their supply chain management class.

"He looked at the class from a professional's perspective," Payne says. "Given his experience, he wanted answers to the questions that weren't being asked."

Hite's not the only one in his family at Maryland: his son, Austin, is a senior chemistry major. Father and son have taken two classes together.

With all of this support, Hite is on schedule to graduate in May 2013. He wants fellow veterans to do the same, particularly young, disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There's no reason they should think this is out of their reach," he says.