Middle Tennessee State University’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary in providing a decade of service to thousands of student veterans and others since 2015.
The public and MTSU community are invited to attend the ceremony starting at 9
a.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in the Keathley University Theater, 1524 Military Memorial.
Free parking will be available in the Founders Lot near the Stark Agriculture Center,
with attendants on hand to direct traffic.
Those planning to attend should RSVP to [email protected].
Keith M. Huber, senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, will lead the
program.
Speakers will include MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, Tennessee Department
of Veterans Services Commissioner Tommy Baker and Doug Kreulen, president
and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.
“We remain committed to serving our heroes and student veterans into the next
decade and beyond,” Huber said. “They and their families have made many
sacrifices. MTSU’s Daniels Center provides numerous resources for them to find
their path.”
The center opened in late October 2015 and was formally dedicated on Nov. 5, 2015,
in honor of the late country music legend, who was on hand for the opening
ceremony on campus along with his wife, Hazel, who shared in his deep love for U.S.
veterans and active-duty personnel. A Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole
Opry member, Charlie Daniels died in July 2020 at age 83.
The 3,200-square-foot Daniels Center, located in Keathley University Center Rooms
124 and 316 in the heart of campus, assists approximately 1,100 student veterans
and family members annually. It is the largest and most comprehensive veterans
center on any Tennessee higher education campus.
Led by Director Hilary Miller, the Daniels Center’s mission is to provide transition
services for veterans and their families as they return to civilian life after military
service.
“Our first 10 years of helping veterans transition from being in the military to being
college students and then move into careers has been amazing,” Miller said. “We’re
excited to celebrate this anniversary, then look forward to the future.”
Huber, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, and Miller have hosted many
prominent VA, military members and others for tours.
A decade of service Through the years, noteworthy Daniels Center initiatives include:
• Stole ceremonies that honor graduating senior veterans with the presentation of a
red stole to wear at commencement. Eventually, student awards and faculty-staff
veteran ceremonies were added.
• A Transition Office that helps student veterans transition from military to higher
education to career.
• The annual Veteran Impact Celebration that raises critical funding for the center.
• The annual 9/11 Remembrance that commemorates the attacks by al-Qaeda
terrorists on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001.
• The MTSU Veterans Memorial outside the Tom H. Jackson Building that honors
MTSU’s fallen.
• The presence of Veterans Affairs representatives in the center to assist student
veterans with VA-related issues.
• Tremendous veteran-related partnerships with the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville
SuperSpeedway, Nashville Predators and Nashville Sounds.
Additionally, the center provides free tutoring, a veteran speakers’ series,
Newcomers Briefings to welcome new and returning students and their families
each fall and spring semester, partnering with MTSU’s Commercial Songwriting
Program for Operation Song for veterans and is heavily involved with the annual
Salute to Armed Forces football game and memorial service.
The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, whose mission is to help veterans and
heroes reintegrate from service to civilian life, continues to provide financial
support for the MTSU veterans center.
For more information about the Daniels Center, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/military/ or call 615-904-8347.
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