Enhancing military veterans’ access to mental health services and commemorating the 13th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. will be the focus of a symposium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Jackson State University Student Center on the main campus.
Co-sponsored by the JSU Veterans and Military Center and the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center the event aims to strengthen the collaboration between colleges and the VA. It will include discussions on best practices for helping students transition from military life to civilian sectors.
The event coincides with the anniversary of that fateful day when suicidal terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. using hijacked passenger airliners claiming the lives of nearly 3,000 victims, including those in Pennsylvania. The forum on the September 11 Day of Remembrance, also called Patriotic Day, will ask people what they were doing on the day of the terror attacks; how their lives were shaped by the tragedy; and include a moment of silence during each hour of the breakout sessions.
Timothy L. Abram, director of the JSU Veterans and Military Center, hails the event as a life-changing opportunity for veterans who have returned home to enroll in school for the next phase of their lives. “The JSU counseling center assists with career services to get veterans job preferences off campus,” said Abram, acknowledging the growing list of employers offering preferences to servicemembers who bravely defend the nation. Currently, the JSU center serves 325 veteran and active duty military students, with that number projected to surge via a collaborative recruitment plan with state and regional military bases.
Abram says breakout sessions will include dealing with readjustment counseling for returning veterans; an overview of available mental health services; and topics on establishing military-friendly campuses to bolster assistance to our nation’s heroes. For two consecutive years, G.I. Jobs magazine ranked JSU in its annual list of Top Military Friendly Schools, and Abrams says the university is poised to continue that distinction.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information about Thursday’s event, contact the JSU Veterans and Military Center at 601-979-1365.