The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate the opening of a new center for student veterans on Friday, Dec. 16. 

The ribbon cutting for the UALR Military Student Success Center will be held at 9 a.m. Dec. 16, in Room 111 of the Speech Building.

“The UALR Military Student Success Center was created to facilitate a sense of community for UALR’s military students,” said Kathy Oliverio, UALR director of military student success. “The center will provide a support system for the unique needs of active duty military members, veterans, and military dependents.”

The center will serve as a centralized location where military students can socialize, study, and get information about the many resources available to them. The 1,634-square-foot facility contains a computer area where military students can do homework, as well as a lounge area and a break room.

The center will house a veteran student support team that includes representatives from the offices of admissions, records and registration, transfer student services, financial aid and veterans benefits, academic advising, student health, mental health counseling, career advising, disabilities resource center, and UALR’s military student support organization, Students Affected by the Military.

Earlier in the year, UALR received a $9,963 grant from Student Veterans of America and The Home Depot Foundation to renovate space on campus to create a student veteran center. The grant is part of the Vet Center Initiative, which was created in 2014 to support the Student Veterans of America mission to provide veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and after they graduate.