Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles’ only women’s university, celebrated the accomplishments of its 2022 graduates on May 13. A few weeks prior, the Hispanic-serving institution announced a two-year $200,000 grant from the Carol Moss Foundation to establish an office of veteran and military student services.
According to MSMU, the office will “support and advocate for veterans and military-affiliated students during their transition to the Mount,” said Linda McMurdock, Ph.D., vice president of student affairs. “Our goal is to help them to pursue their intellectual and personal development within an engaging and welcoming environment,” she said in a statement.
The new office will also include a dedicated physical space staffed by a new veteran and military student services coordinator position focused on supporting students with different resources.
“The Carol Moss Foundation is proud to provide MSMU with the financial support necessary to open and operate a new office of veterans affairs to help these students excel in their university careers and to help them continue to make a significant difference to their families and in their local communities,” said Keith Allen-Niesen, director of the Carol Moss Foundation, in the same statement.
In 2013, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) issued a Member Advisory on legislation supporting veteran education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). HACU) commended Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod for her work in introducing one of HACU’s policy priorities, the VET Education Act of 2013.
The VET Education Act of 2013 legislation was introduced on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War and was set up to establish a competitive grant process for Minority-Serving Institutions to obtain funding for programs and initiatives that enable veterans to enroll in and complete their post-secondary education.
According to HACU, the proposal represented a unique opportunity for HSIs since none of the higher education support bills provide meaningful provisions to assist the Office of Veterans Affairs with resources to reach out and identify veterans, and to encourage and support their access to higher education.
The legislation supported the establishment of Centers for Veteran Student Success on campuses to provide a single point of contact for coordinating support services for veteran students; personal, academic, and career counseling services; assistance with special admissions and transfer of credit from post-secondary education or work experience; student financial aid; housing support for veteran students living on campus or commuting veteran students; and academic advising and admissions counseling with military bases and National Guard units in the area.
✨Congratulations, Class of 2022!✨
We are so proud of you and all your accomplishments. We cannot wait to see what comes next in your bright future!🎓💜 #graduation2022 #Idontknowaboutyoubutimfeeling22 pic.twitter.com/OKfoaKwSXb
— #MSMUnstoppable (@MSMU_LA) May 14, 2022
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