Feature

In Their Honor

By Ann Carney | USF News

In the northeast corner of the John and Grace Allen Building on the university's Tampa campus, a new student center is giving veterans returning to college what they need most — a place to be themselves.

The 3,000-square-foot Veterans Achievement Center opened in September, featuring a computer lab, kitchen, lounge, flat screen TV and offices for counseling and support services.

"It gives us a place to just relax, to hang out and to share our stories," says Kiersten Downs, vice president of the Student Veterans Association. "I think that talking to each other and sharing our stories is the most important aspect of being able to re-integrate to the civilian experience."

Larry Braue, director of the Office of Veterans Services and a retired army officer with 27 years of service, calls the university's commitment to veterans "absolutely huge."

"I don't think there is another university in this country that has put the resources, the time and the effort behind its veterans that USF has," he says.

And those efforts have not gone unnoticed. USF now ranks fourth among the nation's most veteran-friendly universities, according to Military Times EDGE magazine.

The university is one of only a handful of universities nationwide with on-site representation from the Veterans Administration Office, campus personnel dedicated to student veterans, special course offerings, social programs and scholarships focused on easing the transition from military life to campus life.

"With the addition of the Veterans Achievement Center, we now have a destination for this valued group to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow veterans, academic resources and the support of our office," says Braue.

The walls of the new center, which he likens to a "mini USO," are lined with medals and military history murals. The center was made possible in part by the support of Birdies for the Brave Tampa Bay Foundation, the PGA Tour Charity Group's primary vehicle for supporting the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

"These men and women have made sacrifices in their service to our country," says Foundation Chairman Tom Gates. "Our foundation is dedicated to honoring those veterans who are taking a step toward making a better life for themselves and their families."

In the past three years, the student veteran population at USF has nearly doubled. Today, more than 1,700 student veterans are enrolled at the university.

"We take care of one another," says USF President Judy Genshaft. "I feel so privileged to have so many veterans come to the university."