COC awarded $598,718 federal grant for veteran student success

College of the Canyons has received a $598,718 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS) at the college’s Canyon Country campus.

Starting in October, the three-year grant will allow the college to establish a CEVSS at the college’s second campus, expanding vital services and resources for veteran students, the college said in a prepared statement.

“This grant will help us deliver the high-quality and nuanced support resources that veteran students need at the Canyon Country campus,” Renard Thomas, director of the Veteran Resource Center at the college, said in the release. “We are very excited to be able to operate a center that mirrors the services offered at the Valencia campus.”

As a single point of contact, the CEVSS will work to address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of veteran students through a veteran student services support team and the enhancement of online services.

The project will also support a full-time program coordinator, as well as engagement activities, such as veteran cohort events and tutoring services, to help position veterans for social and academic success.

“Establishing a Veterans Resource Center at the rapidly growing Canyon Country campus will play an essential role in helping student veterans reach their academic and career goals and further enhance their ability to secure their place in an everdeveloping workforce,” COC Chancellor Dianne G. Van Hook said in the release. “In applying for and receiving this grant, the college again demonstrated its commitment to securing the resources that expand services to students.”

Since 2010, COC has operated a Veterans Resource Center at its Valencia campus, offering a wide range of services such as student services advisement, academic counseling, VA benefits information and veteran peer support.