MTSU celebrates graduating student veterans, faculty vets at summer stole ceremony

U.S. Army veteran John Farris celebrated an important milestone Thursday, Aug. 6, as Middle Tennessee State University recognized graduating veterans ahead of its summer commencement ceremony.

Farris received the red military stole recognizing his upcoming graduation during the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s Graduating Veterans Stole Ceremony at the Miller Education Center on Bell Street.

Joining him for the occasion was Ellie, the German shepherd service dog he has been fostering and training for about two years.

“I've been fostering her for about two years now and I’ve been taking her to classes with me,” Farris said. Ellie has become a familiar and beloved presence at the Daniels Center.

Farris, an aviation dispatch major from Springfield, served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army before transitioning to civilian life. He said the transition left him uncertain about what his future would hold and whether college was the right path.

“I was just kind of directionless,” Farris said, adding that he initially did not think he was “smart enough to go to school.”

After arriving at MTSU, Farris applied for the aviation program and connected with the Daniels Center. Staff members helped him apply for scholarships and navigate the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veteran Readiness and Employment program, known as VR&E.

“I love the Daniels Center. They're really just fantastic people. I would not be able to do school without them, and I would have probably dropped out, but they guided me through the process,” said Farris, who is graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

Farris was among dozens of graduates recognized during the ceremony. Each received a red military stole to wear during commencement. Family members, friends, university leaders and community partners gathered to celebrate the graduates’ military service, perseverance and academic accomplishments.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, encouraged graduates to remember the people who helped them reach the milestone.

“You didn't accomplish this on your own,” Huber said. “Think about how many people helped you get here and go out of your way to be thankful.”

Huber also challenged the graduates to use their accomplishments as an opportunity to continue serving others.

“Use this achievement as a platform to serve others,” Huber said. “Continue to be a role model of a servant leader and show people what it means to contribute to a team, not to your own ego.”

The Daniels Center’s impact also extends beyond helping student veterans navigate their education.

Marine Corps veteran James Copeland, interim assistant vice president of client services at MTSU, turned to the center for assistance after being diagnosed with cancer last year.

“I’d never really interacted with them much before then, but I went and they were very instrumental in helping me get the help I needed from the VA,” said Copeland, director of classroom technology who has worked at MTSU for eight years.

Copeland said navigating the VA health care system during an already overwhelming period was difficult, but assistance from the Daniels Center helped speed up the process.

“Everything happened so much faster because of the Daniels Center,” Copeland said.

The ceremony highlighted the Daniels Center’s ongoing role in supporting MTSU’s military-connected students and veterans as they transition from military service to college, complete their degrees and navigate life beyond the university.