Middle Tennessee State University is one of the first campuses in the nation to take part in a new federal program that’s supposed to help veterans adjust to college life.
MTSU was selected partly because of the sheer number of vets on campus. There are about a thousand who are studying on the GI Bill. The collaboration with the Veterans Administration will bring everything from career counseling to help with medical benefits. Heather Conrad works as a counselor for the VA and will the one leading the outreach. She says vets are often the kind of students reluctant to ask for help.
“Some veterans come out with a bad taste in their mouth. And they don’t want anything else to do with government. I can understand that, but those are the people who I’d want to reach out to most.”
The program is called VetSuccess on Campus. While there’s an emphasis on those who served Iraq and Afghanistan, the program will be available to all students who are veterans.
Officials from MTSU and the VA signed a memorandum of understanding this afternoon. MTSU is the first school in the state to have the program, which will start next month.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM