THEC awards $185K-plus grant for student
success efforts
MURFREESBORO — Music legend Charlie Daniels and Middle Tennessee State
University’s lengthy association continue to make amazing strides.
With the unveiling of a plaque and
a new logo for MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family
Center named for them, MTSU formally recognized the couple and The Journey Home
Project he co-founded to assist veterans during a Tuesday (Aug. 23) celebration
at the Miller Education Center on Bell Street.
Daniels and his wife, who have
been married 52 years, were humbled and moved by MTSU’s recognition, which
included a presentation of MTSU football jerseys from athletics director Chris
Massaro and senior defensive end Steven Rhodes, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
“It’s an extreme honor having my
wife and myself named for the veterans center,” Daniels said. “I accept the
honor on behalf of The Journey Home Project. We are just the tip of the
iceberg. Thank you. I will carry this with me for the rest of my life.”
Daniels said the center “is where
veterans can obtain so much support — health care, teleconferencing facilities,
job placement, academics, government bureaucracy and a therapeutic place to sit
and talk with others. Any problems they have they can get help at the center.”
In a related development, Mike
Krause, the new Tennessee Higher Education Commission executive director and a
U.S. Army veteran, announced to campus officials the awarding of a nearly
$185,500 grant after THEC accepted the center’s proposal focusing on increasing
veterans’ student success.
“MTSU has led the way in Tennessee
regarding serving student veterans,” Krause said. “We are excited to continue
working with Dr. (Sidney) McPhee and Gen. (Keith) Huber to ensure that after
serving their country, veterans are able to earn a world-class degree and enter
the workforce ready to succeed.”
Dr.
Hilary Miller, the center director, said the grant will fund a full-time
transition manager (assist with enrollment, prior learning assessment,
supplemental academic counseling and coordination with the veterans' employing
agent); a graduate assistant for communications; student travel to conferences
and travel for transition manager/employing agent.
Hazel Daniels said the
university’s acknowledgement of The Journey Home Project’s gifts “are such an
honor — and it’s so close to home (from theirs in Mt. Juliet). We love the
military. It’s a blessing having our names on the center.”
Huber, senior adviser for veterans
and leadership initiatives, master of ceremonies for the event and retired U.S.
Army lieutenant general, said Daniels and The Journey Home Project “provide
genuine support, emotionally and financially, to establish an environment which
provides the comprehensive answers to challenges facing transitioning veterans.”
“His
support to the Veterans and Military Family Center establishes a space of trust
and accountability similar to a military unit,” Huber added. “Nothing can
replace or replicate the bonds forged in combat, but student veterans will
reach out to fellow veterans who share the commonality of selfless service and
sacrifice. We all as veterans dream of finally coming home and continuing to
serve as leaders in our community. This is the journey as we enter this next
phase of our lives.”
Invited
by Huber because they serve on the Nashville Serving Veterans Community Board
together, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said “the
work of the Veterans and Military Family Center changes many lives for the
better, opening new opportunities up to veterans so they have every chance to
reach their potential and continue serving their communities and their country
in new ways.”
“Thank you to Charlie and Hazel Daniels for
everything they’ve given to honor the sacrifices of America’s veterans,” added
Barry. “The renaming of the center is a fitting tribute to Charlie, Hazel and
their many contributions.”
McPhee
said the Danielses “have given substantially to our center not once but twice
and expected nothing in return.” When he informed them of his decision to name
the center in their honor, “they were surprised and appeared stunned. They
simply didn’t expect it. They were and are always humble, always gracious and
always focusing on the needs of others, particularly our veterans.”
The
president said he hopes the “tangible recognition of the two great citizens
that will be displayed in the center will, hopefully, inspire others to follow
their example.”
Journey
Home Project board members David Corlew and Joe and Mercedez Longever joined
Daniels at the event. Ed Hardy is the fifth board member.
The Daniels-MTSU relationship stretches
40 years and five decades.
Daniels’ second Volunteer Jam was
held in MTSU’s Murphy Center. The university presented him with the Joe M.
Rodgers Spirit of America Award in 2009. The Danielses and The Journey Home
Project gave separate $50,000 (for computers and technology) and $70,000 gifts
to the Veterans and Military Family Center in 2015 and ’16. MTSU renamed the
facility the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center in
April.
Daniels
and U.S. Veterans Affairs deputy secretary Sloan Gibson joined other special
guests as the center celebrated a Nov. 5 grand opening in Keathley University
Center.
The
2,600-square-foot, $329,000 center is a one-stop-shop for MTSU’s approximately
1,000 student veterans and family members.
It is a place for student-veterans to study,
to gather and to get help from fellow veterans, who will serve as peer advisers
and sponsors.
Tutoring assistance, VetSuccess on Campus and
more are part of the center’s offerings. The center staff features five full-time staff,
including a mental health counselor and more than 12 part-time
student-veterans. To learn more, visit http://mtsu.edu/military/ or call 615-904-8347.
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About
The Journey Home Project
The Journey Home
Project is a not-for profit organization that assists other not-for-profits in
securing funds to help causes that benefit veterans of the United States Armed
Forces. The Journey Home Project was founded in 2014 by country music legend
Charlie Daniels and board members David Corlew, Ed Hardy and Joe and Mercedez
Longever. Conscious of the need to assist our nation’s veterans, they have set
out to partner with organizations that do the most good, with the least
overhead. Working in tandem with these organizations, The Journey Home Project
is making a difference in the lives of American patriots.
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