Providing a welcoming atmosphere for veterans involves more than a thank you and a pat on the back.
To successfully integrate veterans into a community calls for strategy, planning, and, most of all, an understanding of their experiences and needs.
To help better integrate veterans into the local community, West Virginia University is hosting Veterans’ Summit II, “Building a Veteran-Friendly Community,” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Erickson Alumni Center’s grand ballrooms. The event is sponsored by WVU’s Division of Human Resources, Office of the Veterans Advocate, Student Affairs and President’s Office for Social Justice and Academic Affairs.
The Summit, which debuted in 2009, is another step in WVU’s plan to welcome and engage veterans. Last year, G.I. Jobs magazine named WVU a 2010 Military Friendly School, and “Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, chose Morgantown and WVU as a site for one of his select visits on a “Conversation with the Country tour to promote veteran integration this past spring.
“We’ve been recognized as having one of the most veteran-friendly campuses in the U.S.,” Patricia Gyurke, WVU director of employment services said, “and we’re partnering with the Morgantown community to make our town, as well as our university and state, a place where veterans can thrive and succeed.”
Gyurke is one of about 10 guest speakers from the University, including a presentation by WVU master of public administration students who will present best practices of how public institutions, including land grant universities, are integrating veterans into their work force and community. The event also features comments from Terry Miller, WVU’s veterans advocate, and three local veterans who will share their experiences of returning home.
Miller said WVU offers a host of programs and support systems to help veterans make the transition to being a student, including special course sections, faculty contacts and a veterans’ payment plan. WVU participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a program designed to help students with tuition and fees associated with education programs that may exceed the Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition benefit.
“These students have sacrificed to serve our country,” said Miller, “WVU wants to do everything we can to support them through their academic careers.”
Lt. Col. Lisa Rosser, consultant with The Value of a Veteran, will present, “Best Practices and Integration,” an overview of what communities are doing to integrate veterans back into the community.
Rosser, who served for 20 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and has a master’s degree in human resource management, was the keynote speaker at WVU’s inaugural Summit. She created the website TheValueofaVeteran.com and a companion brochure detailing the benefits of recruiting veterans to an organization.
Last year, she said WVU was “ahead of the curve,” among institutions seeking to better accommodate veterans.
Members of veteran service organizations, deans, faculty, directors and professional staff who have an interest in advancing veteran initiatives are encouraged to attend the event. If you want to attend this event, register at http://employment.hr.wvu.edu/veterans_summit_ii.
For additional information contact Amanda White at 304-293-7894 or ALWhite@mail.wvu.edu
—WVU—
ds/10/27/10
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