Northern Ohio Golf Charities grant will benefit UA’s student-veterans
The University of Akron is one step closer to providing its student-veterans with a space on campus to call their own.
Northern Ohio Golf Charities has awarded $40,000 to the University to help complete construction of a Veterans Gathering Place on the third floor of the InfoCision Stadium athletics complex. The grant is in addition to a $10,000 award received from the Charles E. and Mable M. Ritchie Memorial Foundation.
“These two awards are a big step forward in achieving our goal for a Veterans' Gathering Place and recognizing The University of Akron as the premier military-friendly campus in Ohio,” says N. Margaret Wineman, dean of the College of Nursing and co-chair of UA’s Veterans Steering Committee. “We have a campus that surrounds veterans with the resources and support they need to be successful.”
The Veterans Steering Committee was established in early 2009 by President Luis M. Proenza to create a gateway to UA for the growing numbers of veterans who will take advantage of the educational opportunities extended to them through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which took effect Aug. 1, 2009. The committee, composed of individuals from Enrollment Management, ROTC, UA Adult Focus, Student Affairs and other units, is working to ensure that enrolled student-veterans have easy access to the services they need to enroll, adjust, engage and succeed.
With approximately 700 student-veterans on campus, UA already has the sixth-largest student veteran population in Ohio. Those numbers are expected to significantly increase, given the more than 53,000 military personnel deployed from Ohio since 9/11. In the six-county area that surrounds UA, including Summit, Stark, Portage, Wayne, Medina and Cuyahoga, the number of veterans totals approximately 10,500 through December 2008.
Focus on supporting academic success
“Veterans have unique needs, and it is imperative that our plans take these needs into account,” says Martin H. Belsky, dean of the School of Law, who co-chairs the Veterans Steering Committee with Wineman. “We want to ensure we’re doing all we can to ease the transition from combat to the classroom so our student-veterans can succeed academically.”
Currently, there is a temporary space designated for student-veterans on the lower level of the Student Union, where the offices of student organizations are located.
The proposed location for the Veterans Gathering Place in InfoCision Stadium is considered an ideal spot, with its proximity to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Ocasek Natatorium and Stile Athletics Field House. The 1,000 square feet of space, chosen by a committee of student-veterans and campus representatives who work with student-veterans, is in an area designated for offices, classrooms and labs.
The cost to transform the space from steel girders and concrete to a furnished meeting area that includes computer workstations is budgeted at $200,000. Once funding has been obtained, construction will take about seven months.
Plans call for the Veterans Gathering Place to be more than a space for socializing and study. It will be staffed with University personnel who can assist veterans’ readjustment needs. Student-veterans also will be able to meet with representatives of the Veteran’s Center, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The center’s emphasis on “vets helping vets” will add to UA’s veterans’ services.
“We view the efforts we are making to open doors here for veterans as one small way that we, as a University, can express our gratitude to veterans for their service to our country,” notes Belsky.
For more information about UA’s services for student veterans, please visit the Military Services Center. To learn how you can help make the Veterans Gathering Place a reality, contact Ellen Perduyn, director of development, special projects, at 330-972-6056 or perduyn@uakron.edu.