Voorhees College News March 15, 2019 Voorhees Veterans Resource Center officially opens The first Voorhees College Veterans Resource Center (VRC) officially opened its doors on March 14, 2019. Abraham J. Turner, retired United States Army major general, spoke on the importance and establishment of the VRC. "As a South Carolina native and veteran, this is a proud moment. There are less than ten Veteran Resource Centers within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and now Voorhees has been added to the list," Turner said. He added most colleges around the nation have them but very few HBCUs do. "Voorhees is only the second HBCU in the state of South Carolina to have a Veterans Resource Center. The institution can now compete and offer Veteran Affairs (VA) assistance to students," Turner said. Lee Odom, the director of the Veterans Research Center, said the center is now open and ready to be of service. "As the director, I am excited for this opportunity and to be a part of a new development for Voorhees College. It is important to hit the ground running. We welcome the current and future VA students and we are happy they have a place to call home," Odom said. Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the institution currently strives for academic excellence and distinction. Designing, implementing, and having the official launch of the VRC was a collaborative effort with campus constituents, alongside military professionals. "The center has become a labor of love. We are so proud to have the VRC to provide unwavering and uncompromised educational guidance and academic support for our current and future VA students and their families for years to come," Hopkins said. President W. Franklin Evans said the VRC is one more step in the right direction into building Voorhees into the premier liberal arts institution. "We produce and educate many VA students who graduate and commission as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Now our VA students have their very own center to get the services they need," Evans said. The VRC is established to sustain educational support programs involving application, admission, matriculation, graduation, and professional placement to attract military veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors to pursue their academic and professional development interests and goals. For more information, contact the Office of Communications, at 803-780-1191 or at communications@voorhees.edu. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/