California veterans pursuing degrees in science and medicine could lose critical support as federal research dollars remain uncertain, prompting advocates to look to a proposed $12 billion state bond as a potential safeguard.
Jason Williams, a Marine Corps veteran and UCLA chemistry doctoral candidate, and Angel Fulgencio, who works in domestic violence intervention, say programs that help former service members move from military life into higher education are increasingly vulnerable. Both participated in UCLA’s Veterans in STEM program, which connects student veterans with research training, faculty mentors and hands-on lab experience.
The transition from active duty to a college campus can be difficult, they said. Many veterans are older than traditional college students, carry different life experiences and may be dealing with combat-related trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Some also face financial instability, interrupted schooling or homelessness before reaching a classroom.
Those challenges make campus-based support programs especially important, Williams and Fulgencio argue. UCLA’s Veterans in STEM program, housed within the university’s Center for Developing Leadership in Science, helps veterans build research experience needed for jobs, graduate school and long-term careers in science and health fields.
Participants attend weekly training sessions, work in laboratories with faculty and mentors, and may take part in intensive summer research opportunities. Some later mentor other veterans entering the program.
But the program’s future became uncertain after federal officials froze millions of dollars in grant funding to UCLA, affecting research programs across the university. According to the veterans, the uncertainty forced a pause in admissions last spring, and students who completed the initial training were unable to move forward to the next stage.
The situation has drawn attention to Senate Bill 895, the California Science and Health Research Bond Act. The bipartisan proposal, sponsored by the University of California, would ask voters to approve $12 billion in funding for research grants, loans and facilities tied to medicine, science jobs and health-related innovation.
Supporters say the bond could help California maintain research programs and protect training opportunities while federal funding disputes continue. For student veterans, Williams and Fulgencio said, that could mean preserving access to programs that help turn military experience into academic and professional advancement.
Federal officials have described some university research cuts as an effort to eliminate “woke programs,” but the veterans say the impact reaches people who served the country and are now trying to build civilian careers. Although the National Science Foundation grant supporting the program has been reinstated for now, the broader legal fight remains unresolved.
Williams and Fulgencio argue that veterans strengthen higher education because they bring practical, real-world experience and different perspectives to research. Reducing support for those students, they said, ultimately weakens universities and undermines the nation’s broader interest in scientific progress.
California lawmakers would need to place SB 895 on the November ballot before voters could decide whether to approve the bond. For veterans pursuing higher education, supporters say the measure represents a chance for the state to reinforce both its commitment to former service members and its investment in research that benefits Californians.
Original source: CalMatters
