Serving Those Who Served

An AmeriCorps program focused on supporting veterans and military families 
is coming to East Tennessee State University and the surrounding seven-county area of Northeast Tennessee. A nearly $70,000 grant from Volunteer Tennessee, the governor’s commission on volunteerism and community service in the state, has been awarded to ETSU. The program will support military-affiliated students and the greater veteran community in Appalachia.

“This AmeriCorps Planning Grant is perfectly aligned with the ETSU mission to improve the quality of life in the region and beyond,” said Dan Bishop, Director of the Office of Military and Veteran Services.

According to Bishop, the program will ultimately have three key features:

• Advise veterans and military-affiliated students with a goal of improving their academic performance and increasing retention and graduation rates.
• Develop a transition assistance program refresher course that assists veterans and their families who have recently left the military. The aim is to help veterans gain access to federal, state, and community services.
• Assist in improving connectivity between the many veteran service organizations and the veteran community.

As the area’s flagship institution, ETSU is dedicated to supporting the Appalachian region by addressing the needs of the veteran community and military-affiliated students.

By Hannah Askew