State Senator Jeff Klein, Mercy College President Timothy Hall and students on Tuesday unveiled a new state-of-the-art Veteran’s Center.
Senator Klein provided $200,000 in state funding for the multi-use student activity commons, which includes a Veterans’ Center, general student lounge, and a computer lab.
Three hundred veterans attend Mercy College and 100 of them are based at The Bronx campus. With the new space, our brave service men and women will be able to transition into academic life comfortably, and can socialize or relax in the lounge while enjoying television, video games, and meals. Veterans can also work on assignments using the computers within the lounge or visit the full service computer lab across the hall.
The Student Veterans of America and the Home Depot Foundation also contributed to the creation of the Veterans’ Center. The Veterans’ Center will be supported by PACT Mentor Viviana DeCohen who will ensure that student veterans are aware of all campus resources available to help them with their educational goals.
“I am proud to have provided $200,000 in funding for Mercy College and provide our students with a computer lab, a student lounge, and now a veterans’ center. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who bravely served in our military. The Veterans’ Center will allow these students to have a dedicated area to study, complete assignments, and connect with fellow veterans. We must honor the great sacrifices our servicemen and women have made for our nation. I am proud to have spearheaded a number of programs to help our veterans, such as the Veterans Tax Credit legislation that I sponsored that helps provide jobs for our veterans returning from overseas by offering incentives to businesses as well as our Bronx HIRE program which helps veterans find job opportunities within the community,” said Senator Klein.
“As a ‘Yellow Ribbon School’ designated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mercy’s commitment to our veterans is something special and something that I believe makes a real difference in their lives. Our active service members and veterans come from all branches of the country’s armed forces with one common goal: to transition successfully to civilian life through education and getting a job. Resources such as professional mentors, flexible hours and maximized awards for military training, transfer credits and military exams all make the transition from soldier to scholar smoother, so our students can focus on their studies,” said Mercy College President Tim Hall.
