The University of Texas at Arlington is known for the intentional emphasis it places on military members and their families achieving their higher education goals. Once again, UTA has earned statewide recognition for those efforts.
UTA is one of just 24 public colleges and universities to be honored with a 2024 Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) by the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC). UTA was placed in the gold level for its efforts.
Established by the Texas Legislature, the award recognizes universities and colleges that provide excellence in education and related services that significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.
"We are deeply honored to receive the Gold VEERA award for a fourth consecutive year," said James Kumm, executive director of Military and Veteran Services at UTA. "Recognition such as this is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the success of our military-connected students."
The TVC evaluated VEERA applicants on a wide variety of criteria that demonstrates institutions' ability to meet the unique needs of military-connected students, including the existence of a centralized place for veterans to find assistance, academic support services, new student orientation and mental health and disability services.
"UTA Military and Veteran Services dedicates itself to meeting our veterans and military-connected students where they are, offering tailored support and resources to ensure their success," Kumm said. "Our goal is to provide outstanding service that empowers each student to thrive both academically and personally."
UTA has long been on the forefront of supporting military students and their family members. It was ranked the nation's top public university and No. 2 overall on the 2023 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges list. It has also been named a top 10 Military-Friendly School the last two years.
About 4,200 military-connected students attend UTA, including 2,000 veterans and about 2,200 children and spouses of military members.
In a press release announcing the VEERA recipients, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott noted that the state is proud to have colleges and univerisites that offer world-class resources and education support to the more than 1.7 million veterans and services members that call Texas home.
"I thank these colleges and universities for their ongoing efforts to provide wide-ranging services for student veterans and veterans' children as they pursue opportunities in higher education," Abbott said in the release. "Texans are forever indebted to our veterans and their families."
