Military Student Center
Among other initiatives, the Center coordinates the Texts for Vets program, which
was created to assist APSU students overcome the financial burden of purchasing textbooks.
This year the Center loaned 176 textbooks in fall and 170 in spring with a total of
346 for the year.
Visits to the Center increased 11.5% from 2015 to 2016 from 4,643 to 5,249.
POINTS OF PRIDE
» Raised over $16,430 in partnership with the Military Alumni Chapter for the CSM® Sidney Brown Scholarship Endowment
» Helped the Military Alumni Chapter raise over $20,206 for the original Military Alumni Chapter Scholarship Endowment
» Conducted a school supplies drive which assisted 60 military affiliated students
VETSUCCESS ON CAMPUS
» VetSuccess provides a dedicated, full-time VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor located on campus. VSOC served 530 students during the year who are active duty service members, veterans or dependents by providing services such as mentoring, academic tutoring, personal and career counseling. Assistance was also provided in accessing educational and other benefits, filing claims, assisting with employment and making referrals to other campus offices or community agencies. Working closely with the Military Student Center, Office of Student Disability Resource Center and the APSU Office of Veterans Affairs, VetSuccess On Campus helps ease the transition from the military to higher education for many students. The Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and APSU was renewed for an additional four years.
“Transitioning out of the military to the classroom was scary. I felt out of place. It was the welcoming environment on campus that allowed me to succeed.”
Christy Allan
Military Student Center Graduate Assistant
The Military Student Center implemented Green Zone Training in the fall and received a $5,000 grant from the Aurora Foundation to continue training through the spring semester.
The goal is to make APSU a more veteran-helpful campus. A total of 174 faculty and staff participated in training offered during 12 sessions. Transitioning from military life to student life can be difficult for student veterans, especially if they have recently returned home from a deployment or just completed active duty service. Unlike the structured atmosphere in the military, universities have areas that can be challenging to navigate.
The Green Zone program is designed to give students a way to recognize staff and faculty who have been trained to be a resource and ally for student veterans and active duty service members.