To strengthen the lives of veterans, military personnel, their families, and the community - that's the Veterans Center mission at Iowa State University. As a Certified Higher Academic Military Partner (CHAMP) institution and the only land-grant university in the state, Iowa State University explores ways to best serve veterans community-wide.

 

The Veterans Center is a place where veterans, military personnel, and family members can go for veteran-related questions and connect with others in forming a greater sense of camaraderie around a shared common experience. The Veterans Center helps with the unique challenges associated with transitioning into a university setting.

 

On August 22, the ISU Veterans in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Conference will take place in the Great Hall of Iowa State's Memorial Union, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The conference, titled Common Ground: Creating Dialog and Action,will provide veterans, their families, service providers, and policy makers an opportunity to learn and network.

 

"Veterans in agriculture and entrepreneurship are longstanding trends, but today we're seeing a much younger generation of Veterans entering these fields,"  said Jathan Chicoine, Iowa State Veterans Services Coordinator and 2016 Iowa SBA Veterans Small Business Champion of the Year .

 

The conference will include a resource fair, workshops, and a panel with policy makers. The resource fair will highlight services and support providers involved in agriculture or entrepreneurship. 

Workshops will explore new ideas and identify public policy and program strengths and weaknesses. The sessions will focus on three sectors: veterans in agriculture and entrepreneurship, veteran's families, and the service-provider network.

 

Public policy representatives will form a panel to discuss programs available to veterans. Cathann Kress, Vice President of Iowa State Extension and Outreach, will facilitate the discussion. Special guests include U.S. Senator Joni Ernst; Major General Tim Orr, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard; Alexis Taylor, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; and Barb Carson, Associate Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Veterans Business Development.

 

For veterans interested in enhancing their business skills, the Iowa State Veterans Center and the Small Business Administration will host the Boots to Business Reboot Conference on September 6. For more information, contact VeteransCenter@iastate.edu.

 

Did you know? Iowa State University has again been named a  2016 Military Friendly School  by Victory Media,  2016 Best for Vets College by Military Times, and a 2016 Top School in the 2016 Guide to Colleges & Universities by Military Advanced Education & Transition.