Fort Valley State University News June 29, 2011 New FVSU center to help soldiers transition from combat to college June 29, 2011 — President Barack Obama will withdraw 30,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer and order combat operations to cease in the war torn region by 2014. He made the announcement during a press conference this month. Soldiers returning home will be welcomed by Fort Valley State University. A new center on campus for men and women who have served the country will ease the transition from the battlefield to civilian life. On July 8, FVSU’s College of Graduate Studies and Extended Education celebrates the grand opening of the Military Resource Center (MRC) located on the 3rd floor of the Hubbard Education Building. According to college dean, Dr. Anna Holloway, the facility is designed to assist veterans and their dependants with all aspects of college life, from application to graduation. “We’re striving to be a military friendly university,” Holloway said. The MRC will provide counseling, peer support groups, assistance with health services and financial support available to military veterans. “The center is going to be great. We’ve had training to deal with issues that affect veterans, such as post traumatic stress disorder. We are also starting a student veterans organization and opening a veterans lounge as a part of the center here on campus, so I’m looking forward to providing that type of support.” The center is a result of FVSU’s participation in the University Systems of Georgia’s “Soldiers 2 Scholars” (S2S) outreach effort. Fort Valley State is one of nine institutions working with the program, which launched in January 2010. Holloway, principal investigator for the College Access Challenge Grant received $20,000 from the Department of Education to fund the MRC initiative. “The grant is the USG’s way of showing us how important this cause is and FVSU’s administration has shown that they really believe in this mission as well.” For more information about FVSU’s Military Resource Center, contact LTD Eric Shaw at (478) 825-6905. For more information about the USG’s “Soldiers to Scholars” Program, visit http://www.usg.edu/news/release/specialprogrameasespathtocollegefor_military/. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org www.hbculibraries.org 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children.