ASU to open veteran's center this fall honoring Pat Tillman

Arizona State University will open a new veteran’s center on the Tempe campus this fall that will be named in honor of ASU alumnus Pat Tillman, who died serving his country in Afghanistan.

The Pat Tillman Veterans Center will be located on the lower level of the Memorial Union. The 3,340 square foot facility will bring together a number of academic and student support services that serve the university’s continually growing enrollment of veterans and their dependents – currently more than 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students this spring term, an 82 percent increase since fall 2008.

“The center will honor Pat’s legacy by creating a space where veterans can come to receive support during their educational experience at the university,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “The Pat Tillman Veterans Center also will provide a gathering place for our educational community to better understand who Pat was and the influence he had on ASU.”

The center will continue the university’s work with veterans, active-duty military, reservists and military dependents who are current ASU students, as well as those considering attending ASU. The goal is to help student veterans make a smooth transition from military to civilian and school life.

"I am happy to see Arizona State University honoring not only Pat but all veterans and their dependants by establishing the Pat Tillman Veterans Center,” said Marie Tillman, Pat’s widow and founder and chair of the Pat Tillman Foundation.

“This center will offer much needed academic support and resources for veterans returning to school as well as give them a strong sense of community on campus."

The Pat Tillman Veterans Center will be a single point of contact for veterans and will help them connect with other academic support and student services departments. It will assist with certifying students for their VA educational benefits; help with deployment and return to school; and help with providing information and referrals on such things as housing, health and counseling services, career services, disability resources, tutoring resources, and veteran’s rights regarding residency status.

In addition, the center will provide a place where veterans can gather for study groups and social activities.
"As the Pat Tillman Foundation continues to honor Pat's legacy through our mission of investing in veterans and military families, we are honored that Arizona State University - with one of the largest student veteran populations in the U.S. - is joining us in this endeavor," said Hunter Riley, director of programs.

ASU recently was named one of the top 30 “Best for Vets: Colleges 2010” by Military Times Edge magazine, and it also was named as a “Military Friendly School” by GI Jobs magazine. The Department of Veterans Affairs last month also named ASU as one of eight institutions designated as a VetSuccess on campus site.

VetSuccess supports a full-time experience vocational rehabilitation counselor and part-time veteran’s center outreach coordinator who will be housed in the Pat Tillman Veteran’s Center, along with other ASU staff members serving veterans.