Veterans Resource Center opens at Nassau Community College

A resource center for a new generation of student military veterans opens Monday in a historic house at Nassau Community College once used by high-ranking officers stationed at Mitchel Field.

College officials and student veterans say they hope more activities will boost support for returning servicemen and servicewomen in their transition to academic and civilian life, while recruiting more of them to the Garden City campus.

The Veterans Resource Center is among the largest recent investments on Long Island for student veterans, who often have a variety of academic and social needs.

"This college goes way above and beyond what a school needs to do to be military-friendly," said Kristofer Goldsmith, 29, of Bellmore, president of Student Veterans of Nassau Community College and a former Army sergeant. "They know we are a worthwhile investment."

The 2,500-square-foot house, located at 365 Rice Circle, is among the redbrick, 1930s-era Colonials used as military officers' quarters before Mitchel Field was decommissioned in 1961. The center's grand opening was Monday, before the Veterans Day holiday Tuesday.

The space is a significant upgrade for the student veterans club and will allow them to meet in peer study groups, conduct private and confidential counseling, and host educational and community outreach events, organizers said.

The center's establishment also comes as colleges and universities across the Island continue to compete for a shrinking pool of high school students and are seeking enrollment from nontraditional student populations such as returning veterans, who have a track record of academic success.

"They come with the resources to pay for their education and provide for their housing when contrasted with other Nassau Community College students, who may have other issues that take away from their ability to succeed," said acting President Kenneth Saunders, who lives on the campus, two houses away from the center.

"What we have found is that our veteran students are much more focused and much more dedicated in the classroom than our traditional students," he said. "They tend to enhance the quality of the education because they bring to the table those life experiences that traditional college-age students may not have."

With a full-time and part-time enrollment of about 22,000, NCC is the largest single-campus, two-year college in the State University of New York system. Officials there said the college's open enrollment policy and large number of course offerings make it attractive for veterans, many of whom tend to be older and have family obligations.

In the 2013-14 academic year, more than 300 student veterans were enrolled at the community college. According to NCC marketing data, there are about 7,000 military veterans in Nassau County between the ages of 18 and 34.

They can get financial help from the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which students said is generous and encourages veterans to return to higher education.

The maximum benefit includes full tuition and fees for an in-state veteran to attend a public institution and up to $20,235.02 for a private or international school, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Most veterans also receive a living stipend, which is based on the ZIP code of the college or university.

New educational benefits aren't only for veterans. In September, President Barack Obama signed into law the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, which expands the Post-9/11 GI Bill to surviving spouses of military personnel who died in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001. Previously, only children of those who died in the line of duty were eligible for this benefit, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I think that what you'll find in the next few years is a downsizing in the military and a lot more people who are getting out maybe even earlier than they expect to," said Joseph Muscarella, co-adviser of the Student Veterans club and vice president for facilities at the college. "And they will be looking to continue their education and start brand-new."

At Suffolk County Community College, about 530 veterans are enrolled across three campuses. Two of SCCC's campuses have "Stars and Stripes" lounges, a dedicated space for student veterans to gather. A task force pulls together representatives from each of the campuses, and includes student veterans, administrators, faculty and counselors, SCCC spokesman Drew Biondo said.

Statewide, about 10,000 veterans are enrolled at the 64 campuses in the university system, SUNY spokesman David Doyle said.

Goldsmith said he hopes the camaraderie that is built among the student veterans extends beyond the Nassau Community College campus, because those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan don't tend to become members of organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion.

"Even after we take off the uniform, we consider ourselves family," Goldsmith said. "This will be an extension of that."

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.