Delaware Tech's Wilmington Campus Opens Veterans Resource Center Supported by Navient Community Fund

A group of Delaware Tech staff standing in front of the Veterans Center with large green scissors cutting a large green ribbon

On Wednesday, June 29, Delaware Tech hosted a ribbon cutting for its new Veterans Resource Center at its Orlando J. George, Jr. Campus in Wilmington. The center was funded by a grant from the Navient Community Fund. It will provide a lounge area for students with military ties to study and connect, as well as serve as a meeting space for the Veterans Inspiring Progress (VIP) student organization that offers support and networking for the campus veteran community.

"We are grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Navient Community Fund to help us support student veterans at Delaware Tech," said Delaware Tech President Dr. Mark T. Brainard. "Our military veterans are valuable members of our College community. We greatly appreciate their service to our country, and we are committed to their academic and career success."

"Both Navient and Delaware Tech are committed to providing our service members and veterans with all the resources they need to achieve their academic goals," added Mike Maier, a U.S. Navy veteran and Chief Information Officer at Navient. "We thank Delaware Tech for inviting the Navient Community Fund to support this dedicated space for student veterans. We are proud to support student veterans with a place to study, build lifelong connections, and succeed."

Resources and services offered to veterans at Delaware Tech include:

Academic counselors dedicated to providing assistance through the application and enrollment process
Help with Veterans Affairs and tuition assistance benefits
Priority of services including course registration and placement in competitive programs
A Veterans Inspiring Progress program that connects student veterans with resources to help them succeed and offers support and camaraderie
Significant Veterans Day events at each campus location
Partnerships with military and veteran organizations throughout the state

This is the second Veterans Resource Center supported by Navient philanthropy. In 2016, the fund helped establish a Veterans Resource Center at Delaware Tech’s Charles L. Terry Campus in Dover.

Headquartered in Delaware, Navient supports U.S. military members and veterans through ongoing hiring efforts, an employee-led Veterans Resource Group, and mentoring and development opportunities. A military benefits team is specially trained to assist military customers.

Navient is a member of the Veteran Jobs Mission, a coalition of companies committed to hiring U.S. military veterans and military spouses. For the eighth consecutive year, Navient has been recognized as a Military Friendly® Employer from the publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine.

PHOTO:
Pictured from left to right: Dr. Lora Johnson, Vice President and Campus Director for Wilmington; Brigadier General Earnest G. Talbert, Jr., Board of Trustees; Michael J. Hare, Board of Trustees; Issa Diallo, veteran student speaker, Private First Class, US Army National Guard, Information Technology & Networking; Mike Maier, Senior Vice President and CIO, Navient; Patricia Nash Christel, Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Communications and Chief of Staff to the CEO, Navient; Mike Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Navient; Major General Francis J. Vavala, Veterans Advocacy Specialist, Delaware Tech; Dr. Mark T. Brainard, President, Delaware Tech.