Pima Community College Dedicates New Veterans Center

November 7, 2011

Tucson, AZ – Pima Community College is pleased to announce the dedication of its new Veterans Center at the Downtown Campus on Nov. 10.

With nearly 1,400 veterans enrolled each semester, Pima was recently designated as one of the country’s “military friendly schools” by the website www.gijobs.com. Many veterans now attending Pima have served their county in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Pima Community College is honored to serve the men and women who have bravely served our country,” said Dr. Suzanne Miles, the college’s provost and executive vice chancellor. “Pima’s new Veterans Center represents our commitment to supporting our veterans as they prepare themselves for life after their military service.”

The dedication ceremony, featuring guest speakers and the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Color Guard, will be held at the Downtown Campus Amethyst Room in the Campus Center, starting at 2 p.m., with the ribbon-cutting to be held at the Veterans Center at 2:45 p.m.

“The mission of our Veterans Center is to be bedrock, an anchoring point for the student’s college experience,” said Dr. John Carroll, vice president of instruction at Pima’s Community Campus and also a military veteran.

The center, near Student Life offices in the Library Building, includes space for studying and resources where veterans can seek answers and get referrals to other vet service organizations. A “quiet room” within the center includes comfortable seating and dimmable lights to allow for a calm environment.

“It’s a place vets can use when they need to feel grounded,” Carroll said.

The Veterans Center works closely with a student veteran’s organization formed at the Downtown Campus about two years ago. The club played a role in designing the center and helps staff it with volunteers, making it a true peer-to-peer support service.

CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850
ckaramargin@pima.edu