AUGUSTA -- When a new GI Bill goes into effect in August 2009, the University of Maine at Augusta wants to be in a position to enroll veterans returning from combat.

"It really just makes a whole lot of sense," said Jon Henry, UMA's dean of enrollment services. "This is a great way to do it, and it comes with federal money."

Hosting more than a dozen people who provide services to veterans, UMA officials touted the college Wednesday morning as a place where veterans would feel welcome after they return home. UMA admissions counselors gave the guests campus tours, and academic deans described degree programs.

"We're calling out to veterans," Henry said.

The shout-out might pay off for the 5,000-student college: For every Iraq or Afghanistan veteran UMA enrolls, the college receives a tuition allowance from the federal government.

With Maine's university system facing cuts the next fiscal year, the veterans could provide a budgetary bright spot.

For a Maine veteran who served in active duty for three years in Iraq or Afghanistan, the new GI Bill would cover up to $8,800 in tuition each year, in addition to stipends for books and living expenses, according to information posted at www.GIBill2008.org.

UMA currently charges Maine students $5,700 in annual tuition.

Signed into law June 30, the new GI Bill -- formally called the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act" -- covers tuition at public universities and a portion of private college costs. The new law, unlike its predecessor, counts National Guard and Reserve members among beneficiaries.

As college costs have inflated since the GI Bill's latest passage in 1984, the bill's benefits have essentially covered only community college costs.

The 1984 bill, for example, would provide the veteran who served three years in active duty 37 percent less in federal benefits than the new legislation.

Spc. Joel Pelletier, who attended an information session Wednesday, said the National Guard soldiers he works with at Camp Keyes in Augusta are interested in the educational opportunities available to them.

"We always have soldiers coming in and asking about schools," he said.

Knowing more about UMA's offerings, Pelletier said, would help him as he discusses with military veterans their college-level options and benefits for which they are eligible.

Marine Staff Sgt. Anthony Burrow, who served three tours in Iraq, said he has found a similarly high level of interest in educational opportunities among service members in his Topsham-based company.

"I don't think there isn't a service member who isn't interested," he said. "The purpose of the visit (to UMA) is so we, as the command, can be aware of the opportunities."

As UMA prepares for what could be an influx of veterans, the college has made more than $5,000 in grant money available to boost services for such students, said Henry, the dean of enrollment services.

Among other initiatives, Henry said, UMA officials plan to make additional academic guidance and personal counseling available to enrolled veterans, and to begin a student-veteran campus organization.

UMA currently enrolls 224 veterans who receive the federal benefits, according to enrollment figures.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com