Center to Help Combat Veterans Now Open in Flagstaff

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) ’ Combat veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars now have a place to go in Arizona to ease their transition from the battlefield to the classroom.

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff opened a new service center last week for combat veterans and other military members who are returning or going to college for the first time. A grand opening is planned for Veterans Day in November.

Among the services at the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success is counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, tips on how to get established off-base, and information on reuniting families and dealing with anger, injury, and depression.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Andrew Griffin, who coordinates services at the center, said student veterans tend to feel lost, anxious and insecure when they come to campus, which is a far less rigid place than their last military assignment.

"To them, the university is almost like a minefield in a way," he said. "They really want to get across and they want to be successful, but they're really leery of taking that first step."

Griffin cited Department of Veterans Affairs data that show that, nationally, 30 percent of civilian freshmen will complete a four-year degree in five years or less. Only 3 percent of veterans do, with most dropping out their first year.

Griffin said he's working with NAU's Residence Life so veterans can room together in the dorms, and he is planning a class for new student veterans that helps them get acquainted with university life.

Before, the only point of contact specifically for veterans was a worker who processed GI Bills in the financial aid office.

Griffin said there are 242 undergraduate veterans on the NAU campus, "and I know that we're going to grow."

Those veterans include Ronnie Foster, a Flagstaff High graduate and a door gunner on a Chinook helicopter over Iraq.

He's now studying to become a physical education teacher and remains in the Army Reserve. He's one of 750 veterans at all of NAU's campuses, and now works at the center.

He said helping veterans find friends with a similar background is one of the most important parts of his job.

"That's a big thing in the military, camaraderie," he said.

The center is collecting tax-deductible donations to outfit the space and provide small grants for veterans and their families for living expenses.