"Search and connect platform:" Company launches tool to help veterans get college degree

MEQUON (WITI) -- A Milwaukee company just launched a new tool to help veterans all over the country get their college degree. It's called CollegeRecon.

Life post-military can be challenging, but CollegeRecon aims to make it a little easier. It's a free website designed specifically for veterans and their families that complies 3,300 not-for-profit schools around the country, and helps match student to school.

"What differs us from say, GI jobs or just a simple Google search, is that not only can you search for different schools, you can also connect directly to them through CollegeRecon," said Garrett FitzGerald, CollegeRecon's founder.

Each school has a contact person. At Concordia University, that is Eduardo Garza.

"We help those veterans wherever they may need to go and understand what benefits they have eligible or coming to them," said Eduardo Garza, Concordia Director of Veterans Services.

CollegeRecon has a "GI Bill Calculator' to help veterans take advantage of all their benefits. Each school has a profile, and each veteran does too. Students can contact schools, and schools can engage with students they want to recruit.

"It's a search and connect platform," said FitzGerald.

Right now, CollegeRecon is partnered with Concordia University of Wisconsin, but they are also working on getting connected with UW-Milwaukee, MATC and Marquette.

"We want to make sure we have veterans going through the system, they`re staying in, the retention is good and they`re graduating," said Garza.

Concordia University of Wisconsin has 250 veterans out of 8,000 students. They're hoping CollegeRecon will help them at least double that, and ultimately shape successful employees for the workforce.

"When they graduate, we are all successful in what we do," said Garza.

All not-for-profit, two-year and four-year schools have a profile on CollegeRecon. Only those who register for a fee with CollegeRecon's "Home Front Alliance" can directly engage with students via the site. Students, however, can access it for free and connect with any school.