Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Earns Gold Veteran Education Excellence Award for Second Year in a Row

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For two straight years, the Texas Veterans Commission has awarded the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Office of Military and Veterans Services with the Gold 2023 Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA). Established by the Texas Legislature, the VEERA recognizes universities and colleges that provide excellence in education and related services that significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.

The Island University earned the award for the first time in fall 2022.

“It is very exciting for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to be honored by the Texas Veterans Commission for the second year in a row,” said Chris Giles, TAMU-CCC Special Assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Management. “We work hard every day to serve our military-affiliated students and look forward to continuing that mission with all of our campus partners with new initiatives and programs designed to enhance the experience for these students.”

The Texas Veterans Commission awards universities on three levels of recognition — gold, silver, and bronze — with the gold category receiving an overall minimum evaluation of 90%. Each application is evaluated in multiple categories; they include providing a centralized place for student veterans to meet or find assistance and information; academic support services for students who are veterans; and mental health and disability services.

The mission of the TAMU-CC Office of Military and Veteran Services is to help military veterans, service members, and their families achieve academic and professional success. The department works to provide military benefits, financial aid, degree path counseling, scholarship opportunities, and easy access to off-campus resources. It also hosts campus events, including a full slate of events leading up to Veterans Day. The kickoff ceremony, held on Nov. 7 in the University Center, invited the campus community to join together to honor all those who have served.

In attendance at that ceremony was computer science major Jahaziel Guerrero ’26 (no relation), who served six years in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton in California and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, both oceanside bases. When it came time to apply to a university, Guerrero said TAMU-CC’s proximity to a body of water made it an easy choice.

“Without a doubt, TAMU-CC was my number one choice and the only school I applied to,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero, who plans to pursue a career as either an ethical hacker or a cybersecurity analyst, said he is proud to attend a university that provides a high concentration of services for student veterans. He especially appreciates having an opportunity to visit with other student veterans in the student veteran lounge.

“For me, knowing that TAMU-CC has received the VEERA award shows that the university places an emphasis on providing the resources for our student veterans to the maximum extent,” Guerrero said. “The university is focused on putting our education first and that means a lot.”  

As of fall 2023, there are approximately 1,600 military-connected students enrolled at the Island University.

For more information on veteran student services at TAMU-CC, visit vets.tamucc.edu.