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Thank you for supporting Ole Miss Veterans! When you support the UM Veterans Association, you are supporting Ole Miss students.
While this campaign has ended, you can still make a gift by visiting umfoundation.com/ignite!
You Can Help Welcome Home Ole Miss Veterans
More than 1,400 current University of Mississippi students are military-affiliated, many of them serving their country during wartime. All of them receive services and support from the Office of Veteran and Military Services and the Veterans Resource Center on the Oxford campus.
But until now, those veterans did not have a true home on campus. That will change soon, thanks to your help.
The two offices serving student veterans – now in different, hard-to-access locations across campus – will come together under one roof in the historic George Street House in the center of campus. Right now, construction crews are cleaning up the grand older home to get it ready to serve those who served for all of us.
But much more needs to be done to truly welcome veterans home to Ole Miss.
“I can’t think of a more fitting place to welcome our student veterans than the heart of campus in the George Street House,” said Andrew Newby, assistant director of Veteran and Military Services. “It will be a one-stop shop where student veterans can meet with each other and interact, receive the services that they need, and unwind and connect with their peers.”
Once renovations are completed, the house will have study spaces, computers, printers, a kitchen and a living room, Newby said. In addition, professionals like Newby and others will offer help with VA disability claims, finding housing and employment, and more.
“Anything a student veteran needs to be successful, they can do within our new location,” Newby said.
Among the needs of the George Street House are furniture, rugs, new light fixtures, computers, appliances, office supplies, window treatments, kitchen supplies and many more essentials to complete the renovation. Student veterans need your support to make this older house a real home. Gifts of any size can contribute to finishing the George Street House renovation and creating a welcoming space for students who served.
Jamie King – a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, combat veteran and officer in the Student Veterans Association – said student veterans need the help of their peers to ease the transition from the military to academia. Shared spaces to congregate make mentorship possible, said King, a geology major, which is why the George Street House is so important.
“These veterans sacrificed a lot for everyone else – their blood, sweat and tears. They earned these opportunities available to them at the University of Mississippi,” King said. “To help foster an environment where they’re going to do the best they possibly can is a game-changer. It doesn’t take a lot of support to make a big difference for us.”
From Veteran’s Day through the holidays, please contribute to show UM veterans our deepest gratitude for their sacrifices and our support for their educational opportunities. Please help make the George Street House a true home!
The Student Veterans Association at the University of Mississippi was founded nearly 100 years ago in 1920 to help integrate returning World War I veterans into the community. In 2020, help us celebrate the centennial!
It's been 100 years since student veterans banded together to form the Veterans Association at the University of Mississippi. Through a century of wars and many thousands of students, the association has been there.
The U.S. Air Force was founded just after World War II ended. In the years after World War II, millions of American military veterans were able to go to college through the GI Bill.
The U.S. Army, Navy and Marines all cite 1775 as the year they were founded, alongside the nation's birth. For 244 years, they have protected the country.
More than 1,300 military veterans currently study at the University of Mississippi with the help of GI Bill benefits. Show your support for all of them with your gift!