{"id":842,"date":"2026-05-29T17:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=842"},"modified":"2026-05-29T17:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:16:18","slug":"southern-virginia-university-announces-credit-program-for-religious-military-service-and-parenthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=842","title":{"rendered":"Southern Virginia University announces credit program for religious, military service \u2014 and parenthood"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Southern Virginia University announced this week that students can soon receive credit for religious and military service and caregiving. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=840\">Is \u2018The Mandalorian and Grogu\u2019 the box office comeback \u2018Star Wars\u2019 needs?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For students who are full-time parents or returned missionaries, this means they are a few steps closer to graduation.<\/p>\n<p>SVU President Aaron Hale told the Deseret News the program will enable students to \u201cgraduate sooner, spend less and just get on to the life that the Lord has prepared for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a press release, the university said the Credit for Recognized Experience, Service, or Training (Knight\u2019s CREST) program will begin in the 2026-27 academic year. Eligible students can earn up to 24 credits for religious service \u2014 12 credits for service and 12 credits for language \u2014 and up to 42 credits for military training and experience.<\/p>\n<p>The credit applies to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Formal programs through church or religion<\/li>\n<li>Humanitarian work<\/li>\n<li>Military service<\/li>\n<li>Peace Corps<\/li>\n<li>AmeriCorps<\/li>\n<li>Informal experience as a primary parent or caregiver<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hale said this program allows the university to recognize the considerable work and effort that goes into missionary, military, family and other service. Southern Virginia University is a private institution of higher education aligned with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so many of its students are returned missionaries.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>Related<\/div>\n<div>Southern Virginia University names next president<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hale said returned missionaries shouldn\u2019t be treated like freshmen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost colleges \u2026 treat them like 18-year-olds straight out of high school, even though they\u2019ve had two years of working 60-hour workweeks and leading in districts and zones and teaching and having all these cultural experiences,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we want to recognize them for that service and for the experience that they\u2019ve gained through that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The response from students has been \u201cfantastic,\u201d according to Hale. One SVU student learned the program would allow him to graduate a whole year earlier than planned, so he\u2019ll head to law school next year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a returned missionary who served internationally or speaks a different language, those 24 credits represent essentially a year of their college wiped out,\u201d Hale said. \u201cSo they can graduate in three years instead of four.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those who apply for credits as full-time parents or caregivers record their experience using the NACE Career Readiness Competencies, <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=838\">Will there be a $250 bill? And who will be on it<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey can document in self-development, communication, critical thinking, understanding of cultures, professionalism, digital literacy, leadership, teamwork \u2014 all different areas that are already part of the accredited standards and that most colleges can and do recognize,\u201d Hale said.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018A moment of real reckoning\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>SVU\u2019s credit program comes during a transformative era for higher education. Several universities, including the University of Utah, have begun to offer similar service credits. Others, including Weber State and Utah Valley University, have proposed accelerated, 3-year bachelor\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHigher education is in a moment of real reckoning,\u201d Hale said. \u201cCosts, debt, time to degree are all weighing on families.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>Related<\/div>\n<div>University of Utah to give college credit for missionary, military or humanitarian service<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the same time, SVU emphasizes the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ, which encourages education and preparation for the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo what we\u2019re really trying to do is to bring both of those aspects together to make it easier, not harder, for faithful young people to launch into a meaningful life and career,\u201d Hale said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that in the past few years of educational upheaval, the liberal arts have somewhat gone out of favor. But in the age of artificial intelligence, a liberal arts background adds value to personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re teaching students how to discern truth and how to ask the right questions and craft responses,\u201d Hale said. \u201cThey can oversee AI and manage the results of AI without being automated away by it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=836\">Deseret News archive: \u2018John Stockton sends the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Returned missionaries and full-time caregivers can now receive college credit for their service through the Knight\u2019s CREST program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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