Clark State Community College held an induction ceremony in April for the United States military veteran and active duty students. The students were officially inducted into the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society. These students are the first group of Clark State students bestowed with this honor; three of them graduated May 6.
“The ceremony recognized and honored the academic achievement of military students,” said Dana Kapp, veterans service specialist for Clark State. “All have attained a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. They represent the best of what military veterans and students bring to our campus.”
SALUTE – Service, Academics, Leadership, Unity, Tribute, Excellence - is the only national honor society recognizing and honoring the service and scholastic achievements of student veterans. The SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society is made possible by an ACE/Wal-Mart Foundation Success for Veterans Grant and is headquartered out of Colorado State University.
The students inducted into SALUTE represent all branches of American military and veterans in higher education, at two- and four-year institutions. Members include retirees, disabled veterans, active duty military, National Guard and reservists returning to higher education, starting second careers or helping fund their college careers with military service.
Clark State President Dr. Jo Alice Blondin was presented with the SALUTE Challenge Coin recognizing Clark State’s efforts and successes in working with veteran and active duty military students.
Blondin was surprised and honored to receive the Challenge Coin. “Clark State has really focused its efforts on recruiting and retaining active military and veterans, and this Challenge Coin is symbolic of those efforts,” she said. “Receiving the coin was among the most moving and humbling experiences in my twenty-four years in academia.”
Clark State was designated as a Military Advanced Education and Transition (MAE&T) Top School in 2016. The MAE&T Guide to Colleges and Universities measures best practices in military and veteran education.
In 2015 Clark State was designated as a Purple Heart Campus and was approved by the Community College of the Air Force as a General Education Mobile (GEM) partner. Clark State was the first community college in Ohio to receive this approval. The College also features a Veteran’s Lounge that provides student veterans with a place to unwind, study, hold meetings or network.
2017 Clark State SALUTE Inductees
Michael Allen Berger, U.S. Air Force, Veteran
Denise S. Bloomfield, U.S. Army, Veteran
Scott M. Kustowski, U.S. Air Force, Veteran
Sherri Marsh, U.S. Army Veteran, Graduate
Brian Miller, U.S. Navy Veteran, Graduate
Hector D. Santiago Rosado, U.S. Air Force, Active Duty
Jerron Thompson, U.S. Army, Veteran