聽Associate University Registrar and VARC Director Paul Viau presented an overview of the VARC鈥檚 services while Alzo Reddick, assistant vice president for University Relations and Director of Defense Transition Services, presented Rep. Mica with information about 麻豆原创鈥檚 Soldiers to Scholars program. Vice President University Relations Dan Holsenbeck; University Registrar Brian Boyd; Career Services鈥� Director of Career Development Bill Blank; and various student veterans were also on hand to speak with Rep. Mica and answer questions.

聽Rep. Mica plans to return to 麻豆原创 in the future to attend a VARC programming event.

聽VARC, located in the CFE Arena suite 100, is a one-stop solution to for student veterans. The center provides study space and lounge space, as well as access to a number of university offices, in one central location. To learn more about VARC鈥檚 services, accommodations and workshops, visit: .

The Colleges of Business Administration, Engineering and Computer Science, Medicine, and Optics and Photonics were featured at the first ceremony on Friday, with approximately 900 graduates. At the afternoon ceremony, over 1000 graduates from the Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Sciences, and Nursing as well as the Office of Undergraduate Studies were presented. Finally, graduates from the Colleges of Education and Health and Public Affairs as well as the Rosen College of Hospitality Management added an approximately 900 alumni to the tally. Boyd stated, 鈥淚t is rewarding for the entire 麻豆原创 community to celebrate the accomplishments of our newest alumni.鈥�

Sanford 鈥淪andy鈥� Shugart, president of Valencia College, was honored with a doctorate in Humane Letters during the Friday afternoon ceremony and also served as that ceremony鈥檚 commencement speaker. Additional commencement speakers included the Honorable Dean Cannon, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and Barbara Jenkins, district superintendent of Orange County Public Schools.

The Registar’s Office is in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services. The upcoming spring 2013 commencement ceremonies will take place from Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 4. More information can be found at: .

The program is a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, and qualifying veterans who attend 麻豆原创 are now eligible for an additional funding for education programs. Up to 30 undergraduates can receive up to $6,000, and up to 10 graduates can receive up to $6,800.

鈥淭his agreement is one more of many pieces of evidence of our commitment to being a veteran-friendly campus,鈥� said Brian Boyd, university registrar. 麻豆原创 has about 1,300 veteran students.

The program allows schools to work with VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that聽exceed either the annual $17,500 cap on private institutions or the in-state tuition and fees charged out-of-state residents attending public institutions.

Institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match that amount for eligible students.

This program is available for veterans at the 100 percent benefit level who since Sept. 11, 2001, have served at least 36 months on active duty or served at least 30 continuous days and were discharged due to a service-related injury.

Effective Aug. 1, 2011, a law passed by Congress set a cap on the maximum payment of tuition and fees at $17,500 per academic year for private and foreign schools.聽The law also provides for full payment of in-state tuition and fees (undergraduate, graduate or doctoral) at public institutions.

The Registrar’s Office is in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.