Thursday, September 24, 2009
Student veterans organization wins award
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The award was one of seven grants of up to $2,000 and totaling $10,600 that were awarded through Operation Diploma, an MFRI initiative launched through a $5.8 million gift from Lilly Endowment Inc. Operation Diploma empowers Indiana′s higher education institutions and SVOs to better serve student service members, veterans entering college for the first time, and those re-entering college after extended service or deployment. At USI the funds will be used to host a Veterans Day Remembrance event this fall and a fundraiser to benefit HVAF (Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation) in the spring. Funds will also be used to create pamphlets and other printed materials to provide benefit and community resource information to veterans as they transition to college for the first time. USI′s Student Veterans Association President Jason Jolley said, "This grant will allow the SVA at USI to be more visible and provide better support to our vets while attending our institution. We look forward to putting these funds to good use on our campus." "We received a number of excellent proposals from student veterans′ organizations, including the one from the students attending the University of Southern Indiana, and we are pleased to award this particular grant," said Stacie Hitt, director of Operation Diploma. "We believe the mission of this SVO will make a real difference in the lives of student service members and veterans." Operation Diploma is awarding these grants at a time when thousands of student service members and veterans are finding themselves eligible for increased education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which went into effect Aug. 1. The bill, expected to attract more veterans and student service members to campuses across the state and the nation, makes it even more imperative to address the needs of this growing student demographic. Through the new GI Bill, eligible students may have access to benefits such as full tuition and fees for four years at a state university, monthly housing stipends and payments of up to $1,000 annually for books. This is the second round of grants that Operation Diploma has awarded since the initiative was launched in March. In June, Operation Diploma dispersed more than $270,000 to 21 institutions of higher education across the state of Indiana. The Military Family Research Institute is a research and outreach organization based at Purdue University, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., the Department of Defense, and others. Through it, Operation Diploma was created. |
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