Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has been designated a Military Friendly® School Gold Award recipient in the Small Community College category for having outstanding programs and support for our nation’s veterans and their families. Victory Media, originator of the family of Military Friendly® employment, entrepreneurship and education resources for veterans and their families, published its special awards for 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools at www.militaryfriendly.com.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. Wiregrass was one of two small community colleges in Georgia recognized with this distinction level.
Wiregrass Georgia Tech offers opportunities to take credit, and non-credit classes through an office located at Moody Air Force Base. Active Duty, Veterans and their dependents can utilize the offerings and services at the base or may choose to attend one of the College’s other campuses. Wiregrass has a partnership with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) to provide five CCAF required general education courses. These courses are offered in rotation in a hybrid format at the base in a program called the FAST Track program. The courses are set up so that students can finish the courses in two semesters. The college also coordinates the National Testing Center located on base providing a variety of testing services including CLEP, DANTES, and Pearson Vue required for placement, academia, and certifications. The testing center has been nationally recognized annually for their exemplary service to military members at Moody AFB.
Wiregrass’ Military and Veterans Services Director Tabora Temple shared, “It is awesome to be awarded for hard work, but it is a true honor to help those who have served, are serving, and their families reach their educational goals.” Temple also serves as the Advisor for the college’s Student Veterans population regardless of VA education benefit usage and conducts monthly meetings to ensure they receive the most up-to-date information. Topics covered at the meetings include; VA updates, scholarship opportunities, and support activities.
Over the past year the Military and Veteran services have added a new semester orientation for Veterans, and Mental Health First Aid services. Wiregrass has partnered with the Veteran Center, Disabled American Veterans, Coastal Plains, and 90 Works to provide more services for the college’s Veterans and Military families. These organizations ensure Veteran and Military families receive appropriate medical benefits, cover food disparities, provided monetary assistance during the pandemic, provided housing opportunities for homeless Veterans, processed VA disability claims, job skills, and resume reviews. The college continues to work to improve the Veteran Lounge on the Valdosta Campus that includes a Green Zone (safe zone), Skype capabilities for communicating with deployed family members, and computer access and other features to aid veteran and military students while enrolled at Wiregrass.
Wiregrass is also proud of the college’s chapter of the Student Veterans of America Association. The student organization provides an avenue for veterans and military members to seek assistance from others with a common background, become involved in college life, and give back to the community through various community service projects.
For more information about the Fast Track program and other offerings contact Tabora Temple at 229-333-2100 ext. 3001 or tabora.temple@wiregrass.edu or Marcia Lorden Satellite Services Coordinator at 229-253-9571 or Marcia.lorden@wiregrass.edu Information can also be found about Veterans services at Wiregrass at wiregrass.edu.