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UCF Student-Veterans Now Have Their Own Veterans Academic Resource Center

February 4, 2011 - The University of Central Florida (UCF) has taken one more step to make their veteran-students more comfortable on campus. UCF constructed a new building for housing academic and military services designed just for veteran-students. The building is known as the Veterans Academic Resource Center (VARC) and opened its doors for the first time 2 months ago.

The VARC was built to give veteran-students all the help they need to guarantee academic achievement. The 3,400 square feet boasts not only study rooms, but offices and a central lounge area.

The services veteran-students can access at the VARC include:

• VA certification;
• Class enrollment;
• Student advising;
• Career services;
• Financial aid assistance;
• Disability accommodations;
• Tutoring; and
• General academic support services.

The idea of the VARC is to give veteran-students a place to be around other veteran-students. Although the VARC aims to be fairly all-inclusive in meeting the needs of veteran-students on campus, it is only one of multiple campus initiatives attempting to help veterans make the transition "from boots to books."

Veterans are not typical freshman, which is they use the VARC. This is an environment where they have other veterans to help them become acclimated to the school environment. The VARC is the home base of the Student Veterans Association, which is a veteran- student organization. Approximately 1,000 veterans attend UCF every semester, and it is the VARC that serves as a bridge between veterans and the UCF environment.