Tri-C Plans Veterans Services Center at Western Campus

Kohlberg Prize from Kisco Foundation Helps Launch Project

Tri-C Logo_RGBCuyahoga Community College has been awarded $80,000 to help establish a Veterans Services Center at Western Campus and expand existing programs for those who served the nation.

The Kisco Foundation named Tri-C a recipient of its Kohlberg Prize, given annually to increase support for veterans attending community colleges. The grant was announced during a recent ceremony at the White House in Washington.

“This support from the Kisco Foundation will have a major impact on the lives of thousands of veterans,” said Alex Johnson, president of Tri-C. “The Kohlberg Prize enhances the College’s ability to help more veterans secure rewarding careers and position themselves for successful futures.”

The new Veterans Services Center at Western Campus in Parma will offer a full array of support services to help veterans reach educational and career goals as they transition from soldiers to civilians and become contributors to the economic vitality of Northeast Ohio.

The renovated space will include an area for academic advising and counseling; computer access to enable veterans to participate in online courses and services; meeting space; and a resource area providing information on veteran programs.

Plans call for the new center to open in spring 2017. The project currently is entering the design phase.

More than 90,000 veterans live in Cuyahoga County. With the new center, the Tri-C Veterans Initiative estimates the number of veterans and their families it serves will increase from 7,000 to 10,000.

The College also aims to increases veteran enrollment from 750 to 900 within the next two years. Veterans consistently rank among the highest-achieving students at Tri-C.

Tri-C’s Veterans Initiative opens its doors at all veterans and their families, regardless of whether they are students at the College. The goal is for Tri-C to become a home base and beacon of hope for Northeast Ohio’s military community.

The new center will be modeled after the Alfred Lerner Veterans Services Center at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus in Highland Hills. The number of veterans and military family members served at Eastern Campus has increased 15 percent since the center opened last year.

The College also operates veterans services centers at Metropolitan Campus in Cleveland, Westshore Campus in Westlake, Brunswick University Center and the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland.

The Kisco Foundation was established by businessman and philanthropist Jerome Kohlberg. The World War II veteran used the GI Bill to attend Harvard Business and Columbia Law schools and later fought to ensure veterans continued to receive education benefits.

The Kohlberg Prize was awarded to Tri-C through the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation.

Please follow and like us:

Comments

comments