A ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration of the Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC) at Missouri University of Science and Technology, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 19, has been postponed until the fall semester.

The event was scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, in the SVRC, which is located on the ground floor of the Baptist Student Union, 610 W. 10th St. in Rolla. Due to scheduling conflicts and the annual St. Pat’s Parade and concert in downtown Rolla, organizers have decided to postpone the grand opening until the fall semester.

The SVRC is designed to help all student veterans find the support and resources they need to reach their educational goals. It is part of an outreach and support initiative to the student veterans at S&T and includes a one-stop shop to connect with any needed campus resources, a space to relax and study, access to a student veteran advisor and success coaches to answer questions and assist in academic skills, and a repository of resources and knowledge related to veterans’ transition issues and Veterans Administration (VA) resources.

The Missouri S&T Student Veterans Association (SVA), a chapter of the Student Veterans of America, was founded in 2013 by Garrett Coffey and Stephen Tupper, the S&T Fort Leonard Wood liaison. Membership grew over time. In 2015, Coffey and Tupper were awarded the $10,000 Vet Center Initiative Grant from Home Depot and the Student Veterans of America. The grant helped advance the objectives and partnership of the SVA and campus.

The student veterans and the S&T campus community collaborated to create the first centralized veterans support center. They renovated, furnished and decorated S&T’s first Veterans Center with study areas, a lounge with recliners, campus computers, equipment and Internet service, along with snacks and coffee.

For more information, contact Garrett Coffey at garrett.coffey@mst.edu or call 573-341-6117.