Garland Williams

Location: i live in chandler, az, and work in phoenix.

About me

I retired from the Army on Halloween 2009 after having served 28 years on active duty and reaching the rank of Colonel. I was a combat engineer and commanded units up through and including brigade level. My family and I spent 11 of those 28 years overseas in various locations including Germany, Italy, and Japan. Currently I am the Associate Regional VP for Military at the University of Phoenix and have been in this position for just over 3 1/2 years.

Originally from Atlanta, I attended Auburn University for my undergraduate degree in Pre-Law/Journalism and was fortunate to attend graduate school on an Army Fellowship completing my Masters and Doctorate in Political Science at Duke University. I have published three book length manuscripts including Defense Reorganization and Change (my dissertation), Engineering Peace (published by the US Institute of Peace), and Perspectives on Leadership.

Finally, my wife and I have two grown daughters who have both earned their bachelor's degrees and one overgrown cat (who really acts like a dog).

Interests

sports, running, sailing, reading (novels and non-fiction)

Skills

writing for publication, public speaking, leadership and management

Activity

Garland Williams

Discussion Comment

Media Cause and Effect

Hi April, You make a great point. So what should we do to counter that stereotype and what is the best method for us to highlight those that have made great transitions? I agree with you that the emphasis on PTSD creates an impression that all veterans are "broken" in some manner. But we know that the opposite is true. So how can we counter the perception and demonstrate that our veterans have huge levels of talent to offer corporate America? Garland Williams, Ph.D.

Garland Williams

Blog Comment

Career College is a Path to Job Placement and a Better Life

I have had the opportunity to either attend, teach or lead just about every type of higher education institution and I find that working in the career college industry to be the most rewarding. Our students are "at risk" . . . not at risk in that they can't do the required work, but at risk in that they are usually trying to achieve their higher education goals while balancing a full time job and often a family. If a student uses their precious free time to go to school, they have higher ambitions to become more than what they… >>>

Garland Williams

Blog Comment

Military to Civilian Admissions

I work with both groups, both military and civilian students, and find that our military students have some advantages. They come from a culture of mission accomplishment so our advisors can talk to them using that type of conversation. The advisors can work with the military students on a task and mission basis and help the student realize time management using milestones and reverse planning. But most of our civilian students have not had a chance to develop that skill. We find that the lack of time management is the missing skill that our advisors must coach to.

Another… >>>

Garland Williams

Blog Comment

Supporting Veterans in Becoming Gainfully Employed

As you approach a job interview, you are going to be given the chance in your interview to ask questions of the employer. What are you going to ask? What do you really want to know about your target organization that can't be found on their website? And how can your question provide your potential employer with the idea that you have done your homework and are legitimately asking a question to gain more insight into the organization?

First, homework, homework, homework. You have to approach "getting a job" like it is your job. When you are offered that precious… >>>

Garland Williams

Blog Comment

Time Management

A great example of how time management would help every aspect of your life is physical training. Many people say that they don't have time to go to the gym or workout. What I have found both inside the military and now as a retiree is that you put it on your schedule just as you would any meeting at work. If you need to catch up on e-mail, put it on the calendar. If you need to carve time to do some professional reading, put it on the calendar. Otherwise "life" can overwhelm you.

Garland Williams

Discussion Comment

Online Scams and Veterans

Sharon, How can we combat this scam for a broad audience? At my university we have created and use some electronic tools that will help students and veterans specifically create a resume and a cover letter that they can use. We also employ career coaches that will help a veteran create their 30 second elevator presentation for use in interviews. And there is no cost to the students except their time and brain power. Is there a better way, again on a broad scale, that we can do this for veterans?

Garland Williams

Discussion Comment

Making a Match

Sharon, I saw the behavior that you outline above in the federal government ranks and as the Commander of the organization I had to confront inappropriate behavior. Once people understand that the supervisor is going to check the little things and confront those that appear to take advantage of the system, they police themselves and each other. And once you promote those who are diligently trying to do the best they can, it sends a signal throughout the rest of the organization. In the civilian sector a supervisor can also stop this behavior by being aware and making sure his/her… >>>

Garland Williams

Discussion Comment

Foundation of Trust

Sharon, Awesome! And you're right . . . sometimes it is the little things like taking the time to listen. Often when someone comes to me on the open door policy, I really don't have to say very much as the person I'm talking to usually works out their problem as they talk through it. Just the fact that someone took the time to care is sometimes all it takes. Garland Williams, Ph.D.

Garland Williams

Blog

Making the transition

Military transition into civilian life is fraught with uncertainty and sometimes confusion on the part of the veteran. Leaving the relative "safety" of the military causes the veteran to enter a world where there almost too many choices. Key advice to the veteran is that they need to be confident in their skills learned in the military and that they need to practice explaining to others their military background in civilian terms. Getting hired in corporate America requires the Veteran and the civilian HR Manager to meet halfway - the veteran helps to translate his military experience into terms that… >>>

Garland Williams

Blog Comment

Retention

Many of our students are one real world event from dropping out of school. The encouragement that an advisor can offer to a student who is mired in a personal issue can often be the key to keeping the student enrolled. Many of our students are the first ones in their family to ever attend college. Becoming the first family graduate not only lifts the individual but serves as pride for the family. Our front line advisors are instrumental in making this connection and helping the students cross the finish line of graduation.

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