The interactive forum, Serving the UMD Veteran & Military Community: How Are We Doing?, will be held Wednesday, March 2, 2016, from 11 am–2 pm in Kirby Rafters on the third floor of Kirby Student Center on the UMD campus.
This event, sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, is free. Veterans, active duty personnel, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public are encouraged to attend.
A free lunch will be provided. No RSVP is needed. People are free to come and go as their schedule permits.
Event Schedule:
Moderator Rick Smith, Co-Chair, Veteran’s Task Force, UMD
The forum opens at 11:05 am with remarks by UMD Chancellor Lendley C. Black.
11:15 am - Fletcher Hinds, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of the UMD Veteran’s Task Force, will give the keynote address “From Combat to Campus.”
11:30 am - UMD Veteran's Task Force member Corbin Smyth will present a summary of the results from a survey of UMD student veterans.
11:45 am - Rob Hofmann, senior development director, will talk about the Commander David R. Wheat HEROS Fund.
11:50 am - Chancellor Black will discuss action steps.
Noon - Student veterans, Melissa Crandall, Jonathan Palutke, Jake Schmidt, Shawn Stevenson, and Cole White, will share their perspectives during a panel discussion entitled "Our Experiences at UMD. "Scott Schulz, director of Undergraduate Recruitment in the UMD Office of Admissions, will serve as the moderator. Scott is also a veteran and a member of the UMD Veteran's Task Force.
12:30 pm - Community groups and UMD resources will be available to answer questions and provide information and guidance.These groups include: Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) of Duluth, Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), Minnesota Veterans for Peace, Minnesota Veterans for Progress, St. Louis County Veteran Services, Twin Ports Outpatient Clinic, UMD Admissions, UMD Development Office, UMD Health Services and PAWS (Pet Away Worry and Stress), UMD Veteran's Club, and the Vets Center.
12:50 pm - Chancellor Black and members of the UMD Veteran's Task Force will answer questions and respond to comments.
1 pm - David Chrisinger, an associate lecturer and veteran transition expert from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will present "Bridging the Divide: Finding Ways to Help Military-Connected Students Feel at Home."
1:55 pm - Closing remarks from Chancellor Black.
About Fletcher Hinds
Fletcher Hinds is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War. He fought as an infantry soldier with the 5th Marines in 1969. Since his return from the war, he has been interested in and active with Veterans issues. He is a founding member of Northland Vietnam Veterans Association (NVVA). NVVA was incorporated in 1980 to provide support services for Vietnam Veterans including the facilitation of support groups and staffing a "24 Hour Hot Line." He is currently president of Minnesota Veterans for Progress (MVP). MVP is currently conducting humanitarian projects for disadvantaged woman and children living in Vietnam and Cambodia. He is a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Fletcher’s interest has been, and continues to be, the effective reintegration of war zone Veterans into civil society. He has an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of St. Cloud and a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Minnesota. As a social worker, he has worked in a variety of therapeutic settings including work with families, children, the elderly, persons with mental illness, persons dependent on alcohol and drugs, persons who are developmentally delayed, and probation offenders. He retired from the St. Louis County Department of Health and Human Services in 2011. He is married with two grown children.
About David Chrisinger
David Chrisinger is an associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Veteran transition expert who helps military veterans tell their stories of war and coming home. His website, Stronger at the Broken Places http://strongeratthebrokenplaces.com/, examines the veteran experience throughout American history and regularly features stories written by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. David also helps universities facilitate and maintain better working relationships with military-connected students. Currently, he teaches a popular veteran reintegration course, Back from the Front, at UW-Stevens Point.
About the UMD Veteran’s Task Force
The UMD Veteran’s Task Force was created after the members of the UMD HEROS Fund committee asked Chancellor Black to create a Veterans Task Force to make UMD a more veteran friendly campus.
UMD has consistently ranked as a Military Friendly University since 2012 by militaryfriendlyschools.com.