Military-Affiliated Student Resource Center
JOHNSON CITY (Sept. 27, 2018) – A newly named, renovated and relocated space for military-affiliated students at East Tennessee State University is officially open. A dedication ceremony held Wednesday by the Office of Veterans Affairs introduced the community to the new Military-Affiliated Student Resource Center (MARC).
Located on the ground floor of Yoakley Hall and formerly known as the Veterans Lounge since its opening in 2013, the renovated MARC is more than three times larger and serves close to 700 military-affiliated students.
“The new title more adequately represents what it is. The MARC is a sign of ETSU’s commitment to our military-affiliated population,” said Dr. Bert Bach, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
The MARC features separate study and social spaces where students can connect through academics and shared experiences, as many have lived across the country and the globe. It has a computer lab, study/conference room, kitchen, charging station for devices and space for working service animals to rest alongside their military-affiliated owners.
Enrollment of military-affiliated students who served in the military or are members of military service families has increased 28 percent in the last two years. The Office of Veterans Affairs is over halfway to its goal to have 1,000 military-affiliated students by 2026.
“This space is a sign of continuing growth and the recognition of that growth,” noted
Col. (Ret.) Tony Banchs, director of the Office of Veterans Affairs. “We continue
to recruit students from surrounding military bases and throughout the region.”
Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder from the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs congratulated ETSU for its outreach efforts beyond recruitment, adding, “We know that enrolling in college is not enough. We want to make sure they succeed all the way through to graduation so they can go on and continue to serve our country, our state and our communities in new and different ways.”
To learn more about benefits available at ETSU for veteran and military-affiliated students, visit www.etsu.edu/academicaffairs/veteransaffairs or contact theOffice of Veterans Affairs at 423-439-6819 or va@etsu.edu.
Media contact
Amanda Mowell
mowella@etsu.edu
423-439-4317