MURFREESBORO — The military historian and academic
researcher in Dr. Hilary Miller tells her the location of MTSU’s new Veterans
and Military Family Center truly is special.
“We are on
hallowed ground,” said Miller, the center’s director, knowing campus property
in and around Keathley University Center was utilized by the military during
World War II. “It used to be a runway. The hangar was in front; the Vet Village
was where the parking lot is; they lived in Rutledge Hall. … The university has
always been dedicated to veterans.”
With plenty of
fanfare — including a $50,000 boost for technology from legendary country music
entertainer Charlie Daniels, a visit by U.S. Veterans Affairs deputy secretary
Sloan Gibson and many others — the university opened the center in grand style
with a ribbon-cutting at the center on the first floor of KUC followed by a
program in front of an overflow crowd in the KUC Theater.
The
2,600-square-foot, $329,000 center will be a one-stop-shop for MTSU’s
approximately 1,000 student veterans and family members.
“It is a
demonstration of the commitment by our faculty, administration and staff to
serving those who have ably served our nation,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee
said. “And it represents, in very real and tangible ways, how we at MTSU will
help our veterans and their families successfully transition from military to
college and from college to career.”
The center
becomes the largest and most comprehensive veterans center among Tennessee
universities, McPhee said.
“Even more
remarkable is the speed in which this center has taken shape,” he said, adding
that when Keith M. Huber accepted the role as senior adviser for
Veterans and Leadership Initiatives in January, no facility of this type was on
the horizon. McPhee said he and Provost Brad Bartel believed “we could, and
should, do more for those who have served our nation.”
The Veterans and
Military Family Center will be “the singular location on our campus where our
student-veterans will find everything they need for success, from scheduling
courses and getting help with paperwork to getting help navigating the array of
veteran benefits and discovering employment opportunities,” McPhee said.
“Most important,
this center will be a place for our student-veterans to study, to gather and
meet and to get help from fellow veterans who will serve as peer advisers and
sponsors,” McPhee said.
The chief
recommendation from Huber and Miller was the creation of the center — “an
ambitious facility,” McPhee called it. He praised Huber, a retired three-star
Green Beret, for leading the charge, and director Miller, a military spouse and
member of the MTSU Veterans Committee.
Gibson told
student-veterans “Americans support you and clearly the people of Tennessee
support you. They want all veterans to be successful.” He said he was impressed
at seeing student-veterans working in the vet center.
“What are you
going to do for yourselves and for each other?” said Gibson, posing the
question to veterans. “Nothing is going to help you unless you seize on the
opportunity. … Future employers, embrace
veterans. It’s both the right thing and the smart thing. … I salute every
veteran seeking an education.”
Unable to attend
in person, Gov. Bill Haslam provided video greetings to those gathered in KUC
Theater.
“Throughout its
more than century of service for our state, Middle Tennessee State University
has expressed a devotion and appreciation to the men and women who have served
our nation as members of our armed forces,” Haslam said.
“Today’s
dedication of the Veterans and Military Center is a remarkable expression by
MTSU’s leadership of the importance of seeing those who wore the uniforms of
our country.”
“It’s the largest
dedicated space on a Tennessee campus for veterans and their families,” Haslam
added. “But it is more than just space. It’s where veterans can visit with
fellow student veterans, celebrate success and serve others.”
Tennessee Board
of Regents Chancellor John Morgan congratulated McPhee, Bartel and Huber in
what he called “a remarkable achievement.”
“This center
establishes a new standard for serving our student-veterans, a population that
deserves our support and respect,” Morgan said. “By providing our
student-veterans with the care and service that they require to reach their
higher education goals, we are also making strides toward the governor’s goal
of 55 percent of our population having some post-secondary credential. We
cannot reach the goal of 55 percent without fully reaching out and encouraging
adults to pursue higher education options.”
Morgan’s remarks
included news that MTSU again was named to the 2016 list of Military Friendly
Schools by G.I. Jobs Magazine, “a national publication with wide reach and
influence,” he said. He praised the university for quickly acting on Huber’s
recommendations “and moved this idea from concept to reality in a matter of
months.” He hinted he would like “to borrow you (Huber) for a few other tasks I
need to get done in the TBR system.”
Russ Deaton, interim executive director
of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, awarded MTSU a second recognition
during the event — presenting a certificate for being a VETS Campus.
The Tennessee Veterans Education
Transition Support (VETS) Act established a program of recognition for higher
education institutions that allocate resources for veterans’ successful transition
from military service to college enrollment.
“As one of the largest educators of
veterans in the state, MTSU has demonstrated its commitment to serving the
students who have served our country,” said Deaton. “Investing in services to
veterans provides these students with resources that reinforce the importance
of veterans as part of Tennessee’s education
landscape.”
In addition to state legislators,
dignitaries included Many-Bears Grinder, retired U.S. Army colonel and
Tennessee Department of Veterans Services commissioner; Terry “Max” Haston,
adjutant general for the state of Tennessee; Evan Cope, THEC chair; Edna M.
MacDonald, director of the Nashville Regional Office for the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs; Mike Krause, executive director of the governor’s “Drive to
55” initiative; and other THEC and Veterans Affairs officials.
The center staff features five full-time
staff, including a mental health counselor, and 17 part-time student-veterans.
Guided tours of the center were held
following the program. Center staff moved in to the facility Nov. 2.
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