Above (L-R): Student-veterans Theo Lumpkin, John Gray, Christian Bruegger and Jabe Danielson. (Photo by Heather Moran)
For the past few years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the College of Charleston as one of the best schools in the nation for veterans.
That doesnโt surprise Jabe Danielson. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Danielson started looking for a place to continue his education. After talking with other veterans, he decided to attend the College.
Now, as the president of CofC’s Student Veterans Organization, Danielson is talking to other veterans about the College. He says the Collegeโs Veteran and Military Student Services is one of the big reasons veterans are looking at the College.
โThey really take care of you from Day One,โ says Danielson, who is majoring in history with a minor in computer information systems. โThey work really hard to make sure it’s a seamless transition from the military to college.โ
Since the Veteran & Military Student Services office opened in 2015, they have seen a sharp increase in the number of veterans attending classes at CofC. Today, over 200 veterans are now enrolled at the College.
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Jessica Wilkes, director for Veteran & Military Student Services, says the goal is to provide a one stop shop for student-veterans.
โWe offer as much as we can when they come in for orientation,โ says Wilkes, who served 12 years in the U.S. Air Force. โWe invite faculty and staff to meet with them. We hold a resource fair where they can meet people from various offices on campus. The whole point is to connect them with each other and other people on campus.โ
That connection continues this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2021. Several College of Charleston events are planned to commemorate Veterans Day and honor veterans who are a part of the CofC community and beyond.
- The Annual Veterans Day Commemoration will be held on Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. in the Stern Center Ballroom. Featured speakers include College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu (pre-recorded message), Tom Danielson, of the Air Force Reserves and the Army National Guard, and Rich Jenkins, of the United States Army (RET). The commemoration is presented by the Student Veterans Organization and is open to the public.
- Veteran & Military Student Services will display photos of student, faculty and staff military veterans.
- Veterans will be honored during the College of Charleston menโs basketball game against South Carolina State University on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at TD Arena. Veterans and active-duty military can purchase discounted $10 tickets to the game. Purchase online at cofcsports.com/tickets using promo code โHEROโ or by calling 843.953.2632.
