The grand opening of the Veteran and Military Student Service Center takes place on Nov. 11, 2015.

The grand opening of the Veteran and Military Student Service Center takes place on Nov. 11, 2015.

What better way to mark Veterans Day than with the opening of a new center devoted to helping former and current military service members pursue their academic goals.

The College of Charleston and Palmetto Warrior Connection will celebrate the opening of the Veteran and Military Student Service Center on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. The drop-in event will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the President’s House, located at 6 Glebe St. in downtown Charleston. A brief ceremony beginning at 5 p.m. will include an Honor Guard presentation and remarks by President Glenn F. McConnell ’69 and others.

The new center is tasked with creating individualized road maps for veterans pursuing an education at the College and connecting them with the campus and community resources and support they need to be successful students.

The center was made possible through a $24,900 grant from the Palmetto Warrior Connection, and the College added an additional $15,000 to fund a position to oversee the center. The center will be led by Veteran and Military Student Services Coordinator Jessica McMahan, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served for 12 years as a combat videographer and was twice deployed to Iraq.

Read more about Jessica McMahon’s service as a combat videographer.

The College currently serves about 335 students using some form of the GI Bill, including family members or dependents of veterans. Military veterans account for about one-third of that number.