ODU Hosts 2nd Annual Student Veterans Conference on March 27
President John R. Broderick at ODU's first Student Veterans Conference
This week, Old Dominion University will again play host to student veteran leaders from around the state, to tackle challenges from academic and career readiness, to accessing benefits and housing.
With a theme of "Preparing for Your Next Mission: College, Graduation, and Beyond," the second annual Virginia Student Veterans Conference seeks to build collaboration between student veterans and those who serve them in all of our state higher education institutions.
The event is scheduled for Friday, March 27, at ODU's Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Keynote Speakers scheduled to appear include the Hon. Anne Holton, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the wife of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine; the Hon. John C. Harvey, Jr., secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Ron Capps, founder of the Veterans Writing Project; and Walter Tillman, director of programs for Student Veterans of America.
Capps, an Old Dominion alumnus and author of the book, "Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years," will deliver the lunch address.
The conference also includes breakout sessions targeted toward student veterans or faculty and administrators, including, "Putting Compassion into Action: Assisting the Military Population through Community Collaboration and Creative Problem Solving," featuring the Give an Hour - Wins for Warriors Community Collaborative Group.
This panel will focus on the power of collective impact work to increase networking, identify resources, examine potential gaps and develop creative solutions to assist the military population. All attendees are invited to attend as well as area mental health clinicians and veteran service organizations.
Funding for the conference is being provided through a donation from S.B. Ballard Construction .The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization is providing breakfast and coffee.
For information, visit the Virginia Student Veterans Conference website
On-site conference registration will open at 8 a.m.; the program starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.