VCU news

By Brian McNeill

Virginia Commonwealth University faculty, staff and their family members who have served or are currently serving in the military are being honored this week with a Military Service Wall of Honor on the first floor of James Branch Cabell Library.

The wall features two posters of photos of VCU community veterans and service members, and was installed Monday by Military Student Services, part of VCU’s Division of Strategic Enrollment Management, ahead of Veterans Day this weekend.

“The idea behind the wall is to let current VCU military students know that there are veterans among us,” said Stephen Ross, director of Military Student Services. “It is to recognize that many VCU faculty and staff served their country and to recognize that service, that their service in one way or another helped shape them to become the person they are today.”

Ross said he thinks many in the VCU community will recognize faculty and staff who served their country.

“Today only about 0.4 percent of the U.S. population serves, certainly that number was higher during different times of our history,” he said. “MSS wants to recognize past service and increase awareness of our student population today of the sacrifice that many of their current faculty and staff made years ago and in some cases are still making today.”

As part of the Military Service Wall of Honor, VCU Libraries also has a whiteboard nearby on which people can write notes of thanks to VCU veterans. The library is also providing post-it notes for visitors to leave a note of thanks on the wall itself.

The Military Service Wall of Honor will remain up until Monday, Nov. 13.

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