To Our ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Community,
As the country celebrates Veterans Day today and this weekend, we also honor the members of our ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ community who have served in the armed forces. We are grateful for their service and for their sacrifice to defend and uphold democracy and freedom.
Our community of faculty, staff and student veterans contribute a great deal to the richness and diversity of daily campus life, and we’re proud that the number of student veterans, in particular, is growing. This week, The Daily has included profiles to recognize some of these students—I encourage you to .
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ is committed to supporting veterans, military personnel and their dependents through scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and outreach programs.
This academic year, we welcomed our first cohort. They are a group of nine veterans who have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force and who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees. Along with Texas A&M University and University of Virginia, we are one of only three Posse Veterans Program in the country. This veterans Posse is ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s third Posse cohort, joining our and our groups.
The University Registrar’s Office provides service to veterans and their dependents who are eligible for various Veterans Education Benefits, including the Montgomery GI Bill, the Post 9/11 GI-Bill and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program. This fall, the Registrar’s Office certified 120 students to receive these benefits—a 20 percent increase from last spring.
Similarly, ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ has been enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement program since 2009. This program allows U.S. colleges and universities to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs to help fund tuition expenses for veterans. We are proud to support this initiative to help make education more affordable for our veterans.
As part of Veterans Day outreach at the School of Dental Medicine, veterans and military personnel are eligible to receive at the dental school clinic. Since the Veterans Day program began in 2018, it has provided nearly 100 free exams.
This weekend, we encourage you to express your gratitude to the people in your life who have served in the military. Their commitment to protecting our country and our values is exceptional, and we are grateful to them for it.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President