Eastern Kentucky University will participate in a National Roll Call Reading of Names when it hosts events commemorating Veterans Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Names of fallen heroes will be read continually from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Powell Plaza in front of the Veterans Memorial. A Veterans Day ceremony at 1:40 p.m. will feature remarks from EKU President Michael Benson and Col. (Ret.) Eugene Palka, interim executive director for retention and graduation at EKU. A moment of silence will be observed at 2 p.m., followed by a 21-gun salute by members of the Madison County Veterans Honor Color Guard.
The public is welcome.
Eastern Kentucky University has earned national recognition many times in recent years for the services it provides U.S. military veterans and their dependents.
Home to more than 1,500 military-affiliated students, EKU has twice earned a No. 1 national ranking (2010 and 2012) from Military Times magazine in its annual Best for Vets: Colleges issue. It has been recognized by G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School each of the past five years. Earlier this year, U.S. Veterans magazine ranked EKU among 145 Top Veteran-Friendly Schools for 2014.
In 2010, Eastern launched Operation Veteran Success, a series of initiatives designed to make the university even more veteran-helpful. These initiatives include:
No admission fees for undergraduate veterans.
In-state tuition for all out-of-state veterans nationwide.
Maximum credit hours for military experience.
Priority registration.
Book vouchers and Books for Boots Exchange Library.
Veterans Bridge to College Success cohort classes.
Veterans orientation course.
Veteran-helpful withdrawal and readmission policy.
Vet-2-Vet sponsorship program and active Vets Club.
Recreational and other extracurricular activities.
Specially designated housing for student veterans.
Veteran Studies minor, believed to be the nations first, to help those who havent served in the military to better understand the issues that veterans face, and to help the veterans themselves deal with those issues.
In 2013, EKU partnered with Kentucky River Foothills, a local non-profit organization, to obtain federal funding to help veterans in transition find and maintain suitable housing. Since the grants implementation, the funds have helped more than 100 student veterans.
For more information about the Nov. 11 events or about services available at EKU for veterans and their dependents, contact the EKU Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at 859-622-2345 or EKUVeteransAffairs@eku.edu or visit va.eku.edu.
