Tarleton State University has been awarded the Silver-level Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) by the Texas Veterans Commission, marking a significant milestone in the university’s commitment to serving student veterans and their families. The VEERA designation recognizes Texas public institutions of higher education that demonstrate excellence in education and support services for veterans. A group of representatives from the university formally received the award at the 17th Annual Texas A&M University System Military-Affiliated Symposium on Oct. 13.
“Director of Veteran Services Stephanie Kittelson and her team work tirelessly to ensure that we are creating one of the most robust and comprehensive support systems for our student veterans and military-connected students at Tarleton State University,” said Vice President for Global, Community and First-gen Initiatives Dr. Sherri Benn. “We are so very honored to have received the VEERA Silver designation because of the collective efforts of the Veteran Services team as well as the Veteran Advisory Council, a group of military-connected faculty, staff and students from across campus.”
Tarleton State’s Silver recognition reflects its dedication to fostering a veteran-friendly campus and implementing best practices that meet the needs of military-connected students. “This is our first time applying for VEERA, and earning Silver right out of the gate is a testament to the hard work and collaboration across campus,” said Kittelson. “Receiving this recognition from the Texas Veterans Commission validates that we’re aligned with what the state expects from public universities in serving veterans.”
The application process involved a comprehensive review of university policies, veteran-specific programming and support services. Some of the initiatives and resources highlighted in the application included the Veterans Lounge on campus, veteran work-study opportunities, veteran-specific campus orientation and veteran-friendly office training for faculty and staff. Receiving this award directly reflects efforts to advance Tarleton State’s strategic plan, which includes sustaining military-friendly campus status and expanding standards to better serve veterans. The university is actively working to elevate its recognition to Gold status next year by enhancing career services resources, reestablishing a student veteran organization and improving post-graduation outcome tracking. To find out more about the resources available for military-connected students, visit www.tarleton.edu/veterans/.
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