Florida is one of 10 states that will receive a collective $9 million dollars to improve services for student veterans and their families on college campuses.
The federal funding will be used to bolster Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS) that address the academic, financial, physical and mental health, and social needs of these students.
The money can be used to “provide academic tutoring for veterans, to promote and foster kind of belonging and connection across the veteran student community on campus, and also build some peer mentoring programs and do some other kind of professional development for the faculty,” said Terri Tanielian, Special Assistant to the President for Veterans Affairs.
The money can also be used to enhance data systems for tracking student graduation and success rates at these centers, hire more veteran success coaches and mentors, and increase outreach and communication to veterans on campus.
Watch President Joe Biden's full press conference on Veterans Day, including an explanation of the funding for student veterans:
Tanielian said the bulk of the money in Florida will go to Miami Dade College, to help build a student success center for veterans on the Kendall campus.
“And these funds, as well as this program, are really designed to support student veterans on campus to ensure that they can be successful in their academic careers,” said Tanielian.
12 other institutions throughout the country will receive the funding.
This year marks eight decades since the Montgomery GI Bill was passed. The law, along with the post-9/11 GI Bill, provides educational benefits for veterans and eligible family members to pursue higher education and jobs training in the United States.
In Florida, more than 15,000 service members, veterans, and their families are enrolled throughout state public universities and colleges.
As of this year, nine public universities are considered Purple Star Campuses by the Florida Department of Education, for the wraparound services they provide to veterans, active military and family members on campus.
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