BAYTOWN, TX — For the last four years, the Lee College Veterans Center has been a source of support and community for more than 400 former service members seeking higher education and new civilian careers. It has also been the driving force behind the college’s designation as a national Military Friendly® School — in 2016, as announced this week by Victory Media, and every year since the center was founded.
Victory Media released the newest list of Military Friendly® Schools just as the Lee College Veterans Center prepares to celebrate its fourth anniversary and Veterans Day at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Rundell Hall Conference Center on the Lee College campus. The celebration event is free and open to the public, and local military service members past and present are encouraged to attend and be acknowledged.
Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs and Military Spouse, awards the Military Friendly® Schools credential to the top colleges, universities and trade schools around the country that are doing the most to embrace military students and dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and beyond. The designation process includes extensive research and a data-driven survey of thousands of schools nationwide approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill funding.
At Lee College, the Veterans Center strives to be a warm and friendly home away from home for military students and their families. Under the leadership of Director Ehab Mustafa, the center provides academic advising that includes development of individual education plans for each student; advising about educational benefits, like the G.I. Bill and Hazlewood exemption, and the certification process; and moral and mental health support that includes career guidance, peer tutoring and individualized counseling. The center also works to ensure military students are connected with prospective employers through special job fairs, workshops and networks for internships and other opportunities.
Students are always welcome to drop by the Veterans Center between classes, grab a snack or cup of coffee, study from one of the textbooks in the Veterans Library, use the computer and free printing, and spend time in the company of their fellow veterans. They can join the Student Veterans of Lee College and the nationally recognized Student Veterans Honor Society, and are encouraged to continue their service to others through participation in events like the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visits to local hospice and nursing home facilities and fundraising for veterans in need.
Lee College will be showcased along with other 2016 Military Friendly® Schools in the December issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and on MilitaryFriendly.com.