Marietta College opens Veteran and Military Student Center

After a year of planning and fundraising, Marietta College officially celebrated the opening of the Veteran and Military Student Center this fall.

Jason Nulton, MC's community engagement coordinator in the McDonough Center for Leadership and Business, said the center is available to all student veterans, service members and military-affiliated students who utilize GI Bill or similar veteran benefits to attend MC.

Nulton and college Trustee Dr. Jim Wilson, a retired Navy captain and naval aviator, officially opened the Veteran and Military Student Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Homecoming in October.

Marietta received the Ohio Purple Star designation from the state in May, highlighting the college as a veteran-friendly campus. Part of having that distinction is offering a dedicated space for student veterans, service members and military-affiliated students. During the college's Day of Giving Campaign in February, funding for a new Veteran and Military Student Center became one of the priorities. About $10,000 was raised to support the new center, which includes a student space, lounge and an equipped kitchen area.

Nulton, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, began working with students who are Marine Corps veterans -- Jon White, '26; Zach Hiserote, '24; and Kyle Jacobs, '23 -- last year to discuss the creation of a new center as well as establishing a chapter of Student Veterans of America on campus. In addition to creating an active chapter at Marietta College, the three student veterans also provided input into the design of the center, located in the McDonough Center.

"We're here trying to work up the support system on campus so we can attract more veterans to Marietta," White said.