FORT HOOD — Active U.S. military and veterans: Texas A&M University System wants you.

A&M System officials said Monday they are working to better cater to current and past U.S. service members. Distance learning courses and military support groups are among the initiatives A&M is embracing to make obtaining a degree easier for service members, even those on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Michael D. McKinney, the system’s chancellor, said that under Mission Military Friendly, A&M would redouble its commitment to U.S. military men and women.

"This is a recognition that we do, in fact, owe these men and women more than a pat on the back," McKinney added, following a meeting with military advocates at Fort Hood.

The move may prove financially beneficial for the money-strapped university system. A new G.I. bill that significantly enhances veterans’ educational benefits is expected to produce a surge in enrollment of post-9/11 veterans at U.S. colleges and universities. The bill, which goes into effect in August, will cover public education for most veterans who served after 9/11.

A&M University System hopes to have all nine of its universities join the 1,700 universities, college and schools around the country that have obtained a "military-friendly" designation by the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, a label given to those institutions that have catered to students who, in some cases, live and work in a war zone, or return from one.

Lt. Gen. Joe Weber, vice president for student affairs at Texas A&M University-College Station, said his institution recognized that U.S. service members face unique challenges and was prepared to assist them.

"It may mean adjusting our standards, our policies and our rules and adding more counseling," Weber, a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps said. "A lot of them are coming with physical and mental problems, and we need to be ready."

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