Opening address at the August 12, 2016 Student Veteran Transition Day

Friday, August 12, 2016

Opening address, Student Veteran Transition Day
August 12, 2016

Remarks by Sheri N. Everts, Chancellor

Good morning and thank you all for being with us this morning. This is an exciting day on campus as move-in day signifies the beginning of another exciting year.

At Appalachian, we put students first, always, and together we are building a bright future. Ultimately, the reason Appalachian’s stellar faculty and staff come to work every day is to realize this vision.

This inaugural orientation event is a clear example of Appalachian’s commitment to strengthening support for student veterans. As we build on our university’s strong history of working with veterans and their families, new initiatives like early registration and supporting our faculty in their research and grant work are critical to providing support to benefit our student veterans.

I would like to take the opportunity to recognize the work of Student Veteran Services Coordinator Eric Gormly.

It is important to note that successful grant work by our faculty, and some terrific advocacy work by Student Veteran Association President Dan Pegram, resulted in our being able to hire Eric and develop this orientation program.

I am honored to announce the next initiative associated with supporting our veterans: the new Veteran Resource Center. The center will be located in the Plemmons Student Union and will provide support and resources for our veterans. Look for the center to open later this year.

Community is important and I understand that some of you worked on your community skills during a rafting trip yesterday. Appalachian and the greater High Country community have built a strong and collaborative partnership and today I would also like to offer a special thank you to the Boone community for their support of our student veterans.

On behalf of the entire Appalachian Community, I thank you for your service. It is my honor to have the opportunity to welcome you to Appalachian and I wish you the best for an engaging and successful fall semester.