Michigan Public Universities Boosting Support of America's Military Veterans

LANSING, Mich., Nov. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan today announced all of the Michigan 15 public universities are providing in-state tuition for all veterans, regardless of their state of residency or active duty status.

In the past, Michigan's universities had provided in-state tuition for all active duty military members and their dependents. Now, public universities are committed to providing a similar benefit to veterans, ensuring that all who have and currently serve our nation in the military, from any state in the nation, can attend any of Michigan's highly regarded public universities at in-state tuition rates.

In addition, the Michigan 15 public universities have joined with the state's community colleges to establish the Consortium of Michigan Veteran Educators. The Consortium shares best practices and provide seamless integration to improve the support and services for our active military and veterans' population, to increase the number of service members and their families who take advantage of the educational benefits that are available to them and increase graduation rates.

"Michigan's public universities are providing valuable services to active duty members of the military, veterans, and in many cases, to their dependents," said Michael A. Boulus, executive director of the President Council. "Michigan's public universities are dedicated to supporting active military personnel, veterans and their families. We will be working around the state as we celebrate our military men and women on Veterans Day to make sure the word gets out: Michigan's universities value veterans and are committed to helping them get degrees that are vital to success in today's knowledge economy."

Among the special assistance Michigan's universities are making available to members of the military and veterans:

• Providing a single point of university service contact for student veterans, from interest in attending through to their graduation.
• Offering a single point of contact for student veterans at job placement offices.
• Working with their community, US Veterans Affairs offices, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, County Veteran Counselors offices and other points of contacts to assist student Veterans with jobs, healthcare and benefits, housing and other needs.
• Offering a Student Veteran Association (SVA) or a student group for Veterans.

"Our universities are committed to doing their part in adopting the right policies and will continue to work to identify and eliminate other obstacles faced by our veterans and their families," Boulus said.

Universities around the state are holding special activities this week in honor of Veterans Day. Some of those events are noted below; contact your local university for more details and for events that may not be in this list:

Lake Superior State University: On Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the university Counseling Center will have a booth in the Walker Cisler Student Center, passing out free yellow ribbon pins for students and employees to wear in support of veterans. They will also be holding a by-donation bake sale to support our newly reorganized Student Veterans Association – which also extends its membership to Canadian veterans, as well.

In the evening, LSSU President Tony McLain will host all LSSU students, employees and alumni who are veterans or delayed early-entry program personnel at his home for a social event.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: A host of activities are planned throughout the week, celebrating veterans in many ways. At 8 a.m. on Nov. 11, U-M ROTC will raise the Stars and Stripes on the Diag. That will be followed by a full day of activities, including student veteran and World War II veteran panels, ROTC volunteer service at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Ann Arbor, and ROTC's ceremonial flag-lowering at 5 p.m.

Members of the university community who have served in the U.S. military, or who are currently serving, will be feted on Nov. 12, at the sixth annual Student/Faculty/Staff Veteran and Military Appreciation Lunch. Later that afternoon, the end of "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" and the future of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals in the military will be the focus of expert discussion at the Michigan League.

The following day, an expert panel will convene to discuss women in the military; and, on Nov. 14, the focus turns to the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. Throughout the week, the "Walk a Mile in Her Boots" exhibit will be installed at the Michigan Union Art Lounge.

Veterans Week 2013 will wrap up Nov. 14 with a discussion and demonstration on service companion dogs, considered by many to be the soldier's best friend. For full details, visit http://record.umich.edu/articles/celebrations-planned-veterans-week-2013.

Central Michigan University: CMU has a full week of activities planned to bring student and area veterans together. On Nov. 10, America's veterans will be saluted by a performance of the Mid-Michigan Area Concert Band at 3 p.m. in Plachta Auditorium.

A Veterans Day Ceremony honoring veterans is set for 11 a.m. until noon, also at Plachta Auditorium. At 6:30 p.m., the movie "Travis: A Soldier's Story," will be shown at Celebration Cinema.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the documentary "Where Soldiers Come From" will be shown free and open to the public at 6:30 p.m. at Plachta Auditorium, followed by a Veterans Outreach Panel at 8 p.m., addressing the transition from solider to scholar.

Two other films, "When Women Come Marching Home" and "The Welcome" will also be screened during the week, followed by panel discussions. For full details, visit http://media.cmich.edu/news/cmu-hosts-veterans-day-events-welcomes-veterans-to-campus.

Northern Michigan University: Members of the NMU Veteran Writers Group will be reading their work on Nov. 11 on WNMU-FM at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The readings will be available on the WNMU-FM website afterward.  The featured video on the NMU You Tube channel for Nov. 11, will also highlight the creative works of veterans who are Northern students.  Special refreshments will be available for veterans in the NMU Veterans' Lounge in the C.B. Hedgcock Building throughout Veterans Day.  For more details, go to www.nmu.edu/veterans.

Western Michigan University: Veterans Day activities started Nov. 7, and run through the week. A Veterans Appreciation Hockey Game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Lawson Ice Arena, when WMU takes on Northern Michigan University. WMU fraternity Phi Gamma Delta will hold a raffle at the hockey game for a special-edition camouflage hockey jersey. Raffle tickets are $5 each or three for $10 with proceeds going to the WMU United Way campaign.

Veterans also will be recognized at the Veterans Appreciation Football Game at noon Saturday, Nov. 16, at Waldo Stadium, when the Broncos take on Central Michigan University. For more information on any of the events, contact Shaun Keith at [email protected].

University of Michigan-Flint:  This year's Veterans Day ceremony will be held November 11 at 10 a.m. in the Michigan Rooms.  Major General Michael Lehnert,  a Central Michigan University graduate and now-retired 37 year member of the  U.S. Marine Corp, will speak to the assembly, followed by a special presentation to Chancellor Ruth J. Person and a luncheon at the UM-Flint Student Veterans Resource Center.

Grand Valley State University:  Students, faculty and staff members will gather on Nov. 11 at 7:30 a.m. for a breakfast reception to dedicate the new Student Veterans Lounge in the Kirkhof Center, Room 2204. Grand Valley President Thomas J. Haas, who is a retired captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, will speak. For more information about Grand Valley's Student Veterans Network, visit www.gvsu.edu/veterans. 

Saginaw Valley State University: SVSU is joining more than 600 colleges and universities across the nation in honoring our Veterans at a school athletic event closest to Veterans Day – in this case, the football game against Northern Michigan University at 1 p.m.  In addition to a Color Guard made up of Cardinal Military Association members participating in a pre-game ceremony, active duty and reserve service members and Veterans of our Armed Forces will be asked to stand in recognition of their service. The campaign for recognition has been led by Robert Beresford Williams, 92, of Menlo Park, California, a US Naval Academy graduate and World War II Veteran.

Michigan Technological University: MTU student and employee veterans will host a Veterans' Day Celebration Reception on Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Michigan Tech student and employee veterans will be on hand, and participants will be able to send a Michigan Tech postcard to recovering wounded warriors, pin on a yellow ribbon in support of veterans and learn about developments in the Moving Vietnam Wall coming to Houghton County in 2014.

University of Michigan-Dearborn: The university will formally open its new Veterans Affairs Office on Nov. 11 with an Open House from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The office is located in room 2174 of the University Center. It  will serve UM-Dearborn veterans and service members as a hub for resources, with staff to provide students personal attention, orientation packets give clear information on resources available, services to help students learn early if they are falling behind – along with a comfortable space to allow students to study or gather.

Michigan State University: On Nov. 11, Spartan Battalion Army ROTC cadets will visit retirement homes in the area to conduct brief ceremonies. At 2 p.m., the cadets will be at Burcham Hills, 2700 Burcham Dr., East Lansing; at 3:15 p.m. at Edgewood, 200 W. Edgewood Blvd., Lansing and at 3:30 p.m., they will be at Independence Village, 2530 Marfitt Rd., East Lansing.

On Nov. 12, The College of Human Medicine will host a Joining Forces presentation by 1st Lt. Stephanie Boltrick called "Understanding Our Veteran Population: Unique Considerations for Health Professionals." The live presentation starts at noon in Room A133 of the Life Science Building. Because the talk will be video cast, an event will be held simultaneously in Room 130 of the Secchia Center in Grand Rapids.

On Nov. 14, at 3 p.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony mark the designation of space for the new Veterans Resource Center will take place in Room 8 (lower level) of the Student Services Building. At 4 p.m., MSU's Air Force ROTC Detachment 308 cadets will lead a march from the Alumni Chapel to the flags at the Administration Building where they will participate in a flag-lowering ceremony. For more details, visit http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/msu-to-celebrate-veterans-day-with-campus-community-events/

Eastern Michigan University: The university will host a reception to allow student veterans, faculty, staff and other students to meet on Nov. 14 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 300 of the Student Center. The reception will allow EMU veterans to learn more about the network of services available to veterans on campus and in the local community.  Refreshments will be available.

Ferris State University: On Nov. 10 the university's Williams Auditorium on the Big Rapids campus will host a performance by the West Central Concert Band, featuring music from all five branches of the service. Veterans, active military personnel and their family members will be recognized.

On Nov. 11, the university will host a special Veterans Day breakfast and recognition for veterans at the Granger Center for Construction and HVACR Atrium, starting at 8 a.m. The Ferris Military Support Group will host its weekly meeting at 8 p.m. that evening in FLITE, Room 133.

Oakland University: Student Veterans of Oakland University are partnering with the Red Cross and Mission Kindness to collect clothing and toiletry donations on Nov. 13. Contributors, whose donated items will be distributed to veterans by the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, will also have an opportunity to write holiday cards to our nation's active duty military heroes.

Wayne State University: On Nov. 9, Wayne State Warrior Football hosts Grand Valley State University at Tom Adams Field. There will also be a Salute to Armed Forces tailgate. Tailgate at 10 a.m.; Game at 12 p.m.

On Nov. 11, there will be a Veterans Day lecture titled "Citizen-Soldiers and a Grateful Nation: Veterans and the Postwar Politics of Obligation and Care" from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the David Adamany Undergraduate Library. Elizabeth Faue, an internationally known scholar of gender and working-class history and professor of history at Wayne State University since 1990, will explore both the historical context of veterans' benefits and consider the current state of veteran affairs in the context of America's longest war.

From Nov. 14 to 23 , Wayne State's Studio Theatre will present American Soldiers by Matt Morillo, a story about Angela, an Army veteran who returns to her home in Long Island after deployment in the Middle East. Tickets for American Soldiers range from $10 to $12. Veterans are offered discounted tickets for $5 with military I.D. Call 313- 577-2972 or visit http://wsushows.com/.

For more information, go to http://media.wayne.edu/2013/11/06/veterans-day-tip-sheet

The Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan serves as a forum for the presidents and chancellors of the Michigan 15 public universities to discuss and frame positions on key higher education finance and policy issues.

SOURCE Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan