The Veterans Resource Center, a department within the Division of Arts, Belonging, and Community, celebrates ten years of service on Georgia Tech’s campus this year. Georgia Tech has a distinguished history of supporting active-duty service members and veterans, spanning over a century since July 1917, when the School of Military Aeronautics was established to train military pilots.
In 2012, Georgia Tech established a student veteran workgroup to provide support and a sense of belonging to the student veterans on campus. Their primary goal would be to increase campus involvement and promote awareness of student veterans. As a result of their efforts, the Veterans Resource Center opened on September 9, 2013, under the leadership of Dr. David Ross as the director. With the financial support of two Georgia Tech alumni donors, the Veterans Resource Center opened doors to their new location in August 2020. Today, the Veterans Resource Center, located next to the Molecular Sciences and Engineering building, continues to play a pivotal role in supporting student veterans and dependents.
“It’s truly a blessing for me to witness the Veterans Resource Center grow before my eyes in these past ten years. I aim to always support the student veterans and continue to build this community. I relate to them so much since I am an Air Force veteran and I want to help them achieve their goals while attending Georgia Tech,” said David Ross, director of the Veterans Resource Center.
In previous years, every Veterans Day holiday was celebrated with a small ceremony in front of Tech Tower and concluded with a free meal at one of the dining halls of Tech Dining. Although the ceremonies did not include a guest speaker, President Angel Cabrera provided memorable remarks and thanked the veterans for their service.
To commemorate this year’s ten-year celebration, the Veterans Resource Center will host its annual Veterans Day luncheon on Friday, November 10, 2023, in the Ferst Center. This luncheon allows students, faculty, and staff veterans to fellowship and celebrate their military service accomplishments with a catered lunch. This year’s guest speaker is Major General (Retired) Larry Taylor, B.S. of Industrial Management 1962, a United States Marine Corps Reserve veteran, and a devoted supporter of the Veterans Resource Center. This luncheon is notable this year as it will be the Veterans Resource Center’s first event under the recently launched Arts, Belonging, and Community, a division of Student Engagement and Well-Being.
In addition to the luncheon, the Veterans Resource Center will commemorate ten years of service through campus community events. Student veterans from the Veterans Resource Center will participate in the 42nd Annual Georgia Veterans Day parade on Saturday, Nov. 11, in midtown Atlanta. The parade is open to the public. The Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center welcomes all Georgia Tech veterans and active-duty military personnel to use the facility for free on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11. All military personnel are strongly encouraged to bring their military identification card for proof. Active-duty military members and veterans will be honored during the Georgia Tech Heroes Day football game on Saturday, Nov. 18, as the Yellow Jackets play against Syracuse. Opening late Fall 2023, visit the Veterans Walk of Honor next to the Veterans Resource Center, where four Georgia Tech alumni are acknowledged as Medal of Honor recipients. In the 2024 Spring Semester, the Veterans Resource Center will celebrate and honor Military Appreciation Month (May), Memorial Day (May), and Flag Day (June).