12 Dec 14; Central Georgia Tech held interviews for their brand new Veterans Service Coordinator yesterday and I was honored to be a member of the hiring panel. It’s exciting for another college to see the need to better support military and veteran students and internally agree to fund a full-time coordinator while our budget request makes its way this spring through our state legislature. A huge thank you to CGTC and I look forward to working with the new coordinator!
19 November
Well, after rescheduling a couple of times, I finally made it to Savannah Tech and it was definitely worth the wait! CSM Jeff Ashmen (USA, Ret) introduced me to every campus highlighting the brand new space, Savannah Tech’s president, Dr. Cathy Love, donated for a veterans center. From work with renewable energy to historic preservation and a culinary arts program that definitely left my mouth watering, it is no wonder a quarter of our military students in the Technical College System flock to Savannah Tech. Jeff was able to keep us on schedule until it came to visiting their aircraft maintenance program. My friends at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex should be proud of how much they taught me! It was a great day and I am so excited about all Savannah Tech has planned to support their military and veterans students. To say the school and Jeff are passionate about helping our military transition is an understatement!
Dr. Lloyd Horadan, a USMC veteran himself, hosted the Oconee Fall Line annual Veteran’s Day luncheon in Dublin, GA. About 35 veteran students representing all services, attended the event meant to thank them for their service to our nation. It was a great event and I was fortunate to meet so many of our students and the wonderful staff and faculty who support them every day. As I reflected on the day, perhaps the third and fourth stanzas of America the Beautiful say it best:
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
12 Nov 14
Business Management Instructor Diane Petty’s class took on the organization and management of this year’s Veteran’s Day ceremony in Marietta and I’d unequivocally given them an A+! There were few dry eyes in the crowd when Cassie Wenzler, an Army veteran and student talked about her service as a mental health specialist, specifically in Afghanistan. Her challenge to everyone in the crowd was to take the time to talk and care about those around you…your actions could save someone’s life. In addition, a POW/MIA ceremony led by 1SG (“Top”) Mike Conley USA, Ret, really emphasized how grateful we should be as a nation for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and for those still left unaccounted for. The day of celebration and remembrance could not be possible without Chattahoochee Tech’s phenomenal Veterans Service Coordinator, Dr. Barry Munday (USAF Ret). For more information got to http://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/services/veterans-support/ and http://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/2014/11/chattahoochee-tech-honors-its-veterans-wednesday-in-marietta/
1 Dec 14
Dr. Tina Anderson, President of Wiregrass invited me to meet with her staff to talk military about their military and veteran initiatives. Wiregrass enjoys a tremendous relationship with Moody AFB and offers many diploma, certificate and degree programs on base. See http://www.wiregrass.edu/admissions/military.php for more details. Wiregrass is also one of only two approved technical colleges within Georgia authorized to administer the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) tests for Certified Production Technicians – a program for front-line manufacturing and includes five assessments: Safety; Quality & Measurement; Manufacturing Processes and Production; Maintenance Awareness; and Green Production; & the Certified Logistics Technician – a program is for front-line material handling. A VA-funding approved certification, Wiregrass is able and willing to travel to installations across the state to administer the test. As Georgia is a state with many military logisticians, Wiregrass is poised to help this population gain the certification necessary to move into civilian logistics positions.
Dear Colleagues,
As we approach Veteran’s Day on Tuesday, November 11th, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students and many of our staff and faculty for their selfless service to our nation. We owe a great debt to those who chose to protect our freedoms both here and abroad, sacrificing so much for our nation.
TCSG is honored to have over 9,000 military veterans and their families enrolled in our colleges. It is an exciting year as we expand our services for veterans and their families. This is just one way we can express our deep gratitude toward the men and women who chose our colleges to meet their higher education needs. May we be ever mindful of these heroes who walk among us.
Please take a moment to say thank you to those who have served our nation so well and continue to serve in our colleges and communities across Georgia.
Ron
Ronald W. Jackson, Commissioner
Technical College System of Georgia
6 Nov 14: Led by Georgia’s First Lady, Sandra Deal, the Governor’s Office for Children and Families is committed to reaching, supporting and empowering communities to serve Georgia’s children and families. As we approach Veteran’s Day on 11 Nov, Hayley, the Government Affairs Liaison, called to find out what the Technical College System of Georgia is doing for our Veteran’s and their families. Our schools not only provide academic advisement, but can connect students with community resources. Gwinnett Tech has the most mature Veterans Affairs Office and provides advisement, financial aid assistance as well as counseling services and community outreach. All of our colleges have a military/veteran contact who will work with the servicemember or their family. Especially, at our schools near active duty bases, we have dedicated personnel. If you’d like a list of who to call at each school for veterans issues, go to https://tcsg.edu/military_landing.php and use the scroll bar on the left near my picture.
5 Nov 2014: I had the honor of meeting with LTC (USA) Forsythe from the Joint Chief of Staff on education initiatives within Georgia. Dr. David Snow, the Director of Military Affairs from the University System of Georgia also attended our meeting early Wednesday morning. The Chairman’s three pillars of reintegration are Employment, Education and Health/Wellness. Since the Technical College System of Georgia’s primary focus is Workforce Development, we spoke mostly about our education and employment initiatives for veterans and their families within our system. Additionally, our new Veteran’s center, the joint venture between the Technical College System and the University System was a key topic as we’re defining the wrap-around services needed to support our veteran students. Centrally located in Warner Robins, GA with an estimated completion date of Spring 2016, LTC Forsythe explained how comprehensive care management is essential to supporting our veterans as they transition from military service to the civilian workforce. Additionally, exploring public-private partnerships in support of our veterans and their families will be essential to insuring care. LTC Forsythe left us several great ideas to explore as we define what TCSG and USG will offer in the new veterans center. It certainly was an honor to meet with LTC Forsythe and was extremely informative as we learned what other states are accomplishing in support of military veterans.
3 Nov 14: It’s a beautiful drive through southeast Georgia to a picturesque campus in a place famous for it’s onions, Vidalia Georgia. I see a fountain flowing into a lake and pull up near the entrance to see high school buses dropping students off for dual-enrollment classes at Southeastern Technical College. Dr. Barry Dotson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Melanie Walker, VA Certifying Official, invited me to Southeastern Technical College to help brainstorm ideas to better support military and veteran students. Their passion for veterans was evident as was their commitment to doing whatever they could to make their college more veteran friendly. Southeastern Technical College has a lot to offer as many of its IT and business management certifications are on-line, making it convenient for students across the state. Several instructors I met were military veterans. A former crew chief for the B-52 now trains Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning students, in the warmest classroom on this cool November morning.
Their top programs with military-affiliate students include: Business management, Commercial Truck Driving, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Emergency Medical Services, Early Childcare Education, Electrical construction and Electronics, Welding, Health Care, Nursing and one of the state’s only Dental Hygiene associate degrees.
They’d like to get their current veterans more involved and would like to sponsor a student veterans organization so they can hear first-hand what they can do to better support their veterans students. If you’re interested in getting more involved, contact Melanie at mwalker@southeaster.tech.edu..
tcsgmilitaryaffairs 