Chemeketa Community College has been awarded $57,416 in Veterans Resource Center (VRC) grant funding from the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA). The Chemeketa Community College Veterans Resource Center provides recruitment, retention and career connection support for student veterans. The center on the Salem campus provides individual and group activities customized to the needs of diverse veterans. The grant will fund the center for about a year-and-a half.
The VRC supports veterans to enroll, succeed in classes, graduate, transfer, or begin careers through leveraging the college’s broad community connections and the campus’ numerous student support services. Veterans’ services are customized to serve the diversity of ages, genders, ethnicities and races of student veterans in the community. Some services offered are a computer lab with free printing, a lounge with amenities, outreach and check-ins, events to encourage collaboration and connection, job fairs linking veterans to faculty, and many events to thank and build a community for veterans. The VRC is open for in-person support and remote engagement.
The communities served include veterans approaching education when transitioning from military service, many years out of the service, and those who left college before completing a degree. Chemeketa partners with a variety of local organizations and agencies to inform veterans not currently enrolled at Chemeketa about the services, and to inform current student veterans of resources available on campus and in the community to ensure they receive wrap-around services to aid their higher education journey.
“I am very excited to continue to serve the veteran population at Chemeketa and ensure they have all the necessary resources and support to reach any of their goals,” says Angela Archer, Veterans Services Coordinator at Chemeketa Community College. “These students have sacrificed so much for this country and I am honored to be able to serve them in any way possible.”