IU Southeast recently received a $90,250 grant from the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University.

This money was given to help create new opportunities and services for military students, veterans and their families.

It was funded through Operation Diploma, a program focused on educating Indiana institutions about the needs of military students and veterans.

Operation Diploma was established in 2008 with a $5.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Thirty grants were awarded to selected higher educational institutions  in Indiana upon the recommendations of a national panel of experts.

The panel of experts then reviewed written proposals from institutions based on the specific plans they intended for the money.

The grant money will not help pay for any individual student’s education at IU Southeast.

Carolyn Babione, Navy veteran and co-director of the MFRI grant, said it’s an adjustment to go from a military setting to an educational one.

With the money allotted from the Lilly Grant, IU Southeast along with Ivy Tech, will be able to help military and veteran students with the transition.

In August, IU Southeast hosted a picnic for veterans and their families in the area to share the news of receiving the grant money.

The picnic was set-up to educate veterans and their families about what IU Southeast and Ivy Tech have planned to do with it. Plans include setting up a Veterans Resource Center for veterans and families and a series of wellness sessions and help with career services.

The Veterans Resource Center will be set up in the IUS Library, room 125. Babione said it should be completed and opened later this month.

It will be a “hub” for military students and families to ask questions they may have and find any information they may need.

Babione said she hopes the Veterans Resource Center will create a collection of material that will be of interest to military students, which will provide them with resources they may need.

Along with the Veterans Resource Center, Michael Day, IUS personal counselor, said IU Southeast will be hosting a Veteran Wellness Series.

IUS Personal Counseling Services, along with local experts, will offer an informal series of various wellness topics pertaining to veterans and their families. The sessions will be targeted toward veterans but are open to the community.

The next event will be on Sept. 28 and will discuss how to manage traumatic reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

It will be hosted by Karen Grantz, clinical psychologist, and will be held in the IUS Library, room 230, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Babione said the grant will also fund training sessions for faculty members.

The sessions are designed to educate faculty members on how to work with veteran students and help them with their academics to ensure their success.

Babione said another thing IU Southeast is working on is getting veteran students into the classrooms to share their unique experiences with  faculty and staff. The students in that class could then have to write about the veterans.

By JASON RUSSELL

Staff

jasoruss@ius.edu