The U of M continues history of serving the U.S. military with services for student veterans
May 21, 2008

The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces are on our mind even more this Memorial Day, as the U.S. Senate tries to reach consensus on a new and controversial G.I. Bill. At the University of Minnesota, where more than 600 student veterans are enrolled throughout all university campuses, veterans are not only dealing with the transition from combat to civilian life, but also with funding their education. The G.I. Bill used to cover their education fully but now only subsidizes it by 60 to 70 percent. Many student veterans have been away from home for years and have not had access to income from summer or part-time jobs.

As a result, universities like the University of Minnesota are finding ways to support and retain their student veterans. The U of M has several resources available, such as the newly-created Veterans Services Office that holds veterans orientations and distributes a veterans newsletter. The Veterans Certification Office helps students with the process of receiving their veterans and military benefits. A Veterans Transition Center on campus provides financial information to students and a venue for veterans to socialize.  

As is the case for many students, university scholarships are also available to help veterans fund their education. Lakeville resident John Silva, a student veteran in the College of Continuing Education’s (CCE) construction management program and a combat engineer who served in Afghanistan, credits a CCE scholarship with funding what the federal government didn’t provide.

“Receiving any kind of support and earning recognition for your hard work in life is great and something like this really makes a difference,” said Silva. “It relieves a lot of the pressure and worry about trying to make ends meet and pay tuition.

The University of Minnesota has a long history serving the U.S. Military, having contributed more nurse cadets than any other institution during World War II.

To interview Silva about his experience as a student veteran or someone from veterans services at the U of M, contact Luisa Badaracco at (612) 624-1690 or luisab@umn.edu or Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu.

The secret to the University of Minnesota's green campus
May 21, 2008

Mowing and mulching are just the beginning for how the University of Minnesota maintains its beautiful campus. It is more than just planting Wave Petunia’s every spring and picking up trash - it is using green practices to get the job done.

With 10,000 trees and more than 6.5 million square feet of grass, there are plenty of hands getting dirty every day. In fact, it is the hands of approximately 100 student workers that mow, dig, mix and water from Folwell Hall to River Bend Hill to the St. Paul mall. The green practices they use are a crucial part of the university’s efforts to be sustainable. Recycling organic waste that can be used in plant beds, utilizing waste wood for mulch, running efficient irrigation systems based on evaporation/transpiration rates and driving around on electric carts instead of gas operated vehicles are all part of these efforts.

It takes a lot to keep the wax begonias blooming and prevent the Dog Strangle Vine from taking over - but with an arsenal of dedicated workers, the campus continues to look magnificent under the sun - just in time for graduation.

To interview someone about the university's green campus, contact Elizabeth Giorgi at (612) 624-0214 or egiorgi@umn.edu.