The public is invited to attend the grand opening of the $329,000 MTSU Veterans and Military Family Center Thursday, Nov. 5, in Keathley University Center in the heart of campus.

The formal program will begin at 10 a.m. in the KUC Theater on the second floor of the facility, located at 1524 Military Memorial Drive near the intersection with Champion Way.

Charlie Daniels

At the conclusion of the program, attendees can tour the 2,600-square-foot center, which is located in KUC Room 124.

Click on the logo to visit the MTSU Veterans and Military Family Center website.

Dignitaries attending the event will include Charlie Daniels, the country music legend whose nonprofit, The Journey Home Project, will contribute $50,000 to help equip the new center; Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan; Tennessee higher education officials; and state and federal Veterans Affairs administrators.

Free parking for the public will be available in the Rutherford Boulevard parking lot. Shuttle buses will be running periodically to bring attendees to and from the KUC.

For those planning to attend, a searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParking2015-16.

Dr. Hilary Miller

Keith M. Huber

The goal of the Veterans and Military Family Center is to assist current military, veterans and family members with two major transitions: the move from military to college and from college to career.

Center staff will move in Monday, Nov. 2. The center will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday to begin serving the student veteran and family population, which averages about 1,000 people throughout the year.

Dr. Hilary Miller will serve as the center’s director. Keith M. Huber, who served nearly 40 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a lieutenant general, is the university’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives.

The staff includes Heather Conrad, a Veterans Affairs counselor with the VetSuccess on Campus program; Ray Howell, a school-certifying official; and Shannon Brown, a technical clerk.

For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/military or call 615-904-8347.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)