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John Klein: Value of veterans on campus at heart of new student center at University of Tulsa

Tulsa World - 2/25/2018

Kate Tillotson had a $10,000 grant and an invitation to meet with Dr. Gerard Clancy, the new University of Tulsa president.

"I was scared to death," said Tillotson. "I was young and felt lot of pressure."

However, Tillotson was eager to meet with Clancy because of a shared experience - they are both military veterans.

"There's a sense of camaraderie among all veterans, regardless of what branch you served," said Clancy. "As a veteran, there was no learning curve for the president.

"I understood the leadership and responsibility that veterans bring and how it would make a university even better. I understood how very talented veterans are and how very good it would be for a university and eventually employers."

Thus, Tillotson found TU's new president a willing partner to learn more and how best to put that $10,000 grant from the Student Veterans of America and Home Depot Foundation to work on campus.

The result is the Calvin C. McKee Student Veterans Center, an apartment converted into a space for veterans on the north end of campus. Most of the work was done by veterans and volunteers. McKee is a former Army paratrooper who became the president of Warren Petroleum in Tulsa. He volunteered in 1942, two years into the engineering program at the University of Tulsa.

Among TU students, 80 are veterans and about 120 have some sort of military ties.

Tillotson is the Student Veterans of America chapter leader at TU.

Veterans are desirable students for any university. Overall GPA in U.S. universities is 2.9; veterans have an average GPA of 3.4.

"Universities realize the importance of having veterans on campus," said Clancy.

Tillotson became involved in the nationwide student veterans organization several years ago. She did the work to land the $10,000 grant for TU vets before Clancy had taken over as president and before there were any solid plans.

That's why she wanted a meeting with the new TU president.

In addition to the new veterans students center, McKee's brother-in-law Thomas Russell and his wife, Pam, gave TU a gift to endow services to veterans on campus. The contribution created three permanent staff positions on TU's campus: student veteran recruitment, student veteran affairs and student veteran career placement.

"Veterans are not a charity; we are an investment," said Tillotson. "I think that is the message I wanted to take to Dr. Clancy. As a veteran, he understood.

"This is a way for us to retain talent both at TU and in the community of Tulsa. Most of the student veterans at TU have roots here. They come from the Tulsa area, and they want to stay here long-term after they graduate."

Tillotson is a Rogers High School graduate who said "I always dreamed of going to school at TU."

However, when she graduated from high school, she didn't feel like she was ready to go to college. So she enlisted in the Marines.

She returned home and is a recent TU graduate. She now works in the mayor's office and is considering post-graduate education.

Clancy is an Air Force veteran. He was the officer who went to people's homes to inform them their loved one had been killed in action.

"No one breezes through the military," said Clancy. "Every person that serves has a unique experience, so they are able to handle different situations and add to the culture. I believe veterans raise the culture on a college campus.

"The military is all about adaptability and flexibility. And all veterans have this sense of family. Veterans have already advanced past the starting point for college. They have life experiences."

Tillotson felt like TU needed a place for veterans to gather and "share in those experiences."

So her idea was to get a small house or something near campus that would serve as a gathering spot.

The university came up with the idea to dedicate one of the new two-bedroom apartments near the University School to be a veterans center.

"It is a place to go to be with people that have a sense of that family that all of us veterans experience," said Tillotson. "I think it enriches both the veterans and our campus."

Clancy agrees. He attended a national gathering of the Student Veterans of America. At the event, Clancy found himself in the midst of a gathering that included all of the Ivy League schools and many of the largest corporations in the country.

"Our strategic plan would be that a stronger TU means a stronger Tulsa," said Clancy.

"Veterans are seasoned. They already have walked a path. I know how quickly I matured when I joined the service. It is something we want to encourage on our campus and have a strong presence on our campus."

Tillotson believes the movement of stronger veterans groups on campus is an idea worth growing.

"And it is growing all over the country," said Tillotson. "People are realizing what a positive influence having a strong veterans group on campus can be for a university. We don't want charity. We want to contribute to making our campus and our community a better place."