NCAA D-II Military Salute Game: Lander at GRU

Help our country's heroes complete their college degree!

Support military families at Fort Gordon by bidding on a game-worn jersey from the Lander at Georgia Regents nationally-televised basketball game on CBS Sports Network (Sat. Feb. 21st). Donations of any amount are also accepted through this auction.

The proceeds of this online auction will benefit military families through donations to the Veteran/Ft. Gordon Military Hardship/Completion Scholarship. The scholarship fund, launched by Georgia Regents University, supports veterans or active duty military students who are within 30 hours of graduation but have exhausted VA educational or tuition assistance.

Auction includes game-worn jersey (no shorts).

According to a study done in 2013, the primary factors leading to an unsuccessful college experience are a lack of mentorship, a lack of financial readiness, and the exhaustion of Army benefits like Tuition Assistance or the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

To combat these issues, the Military and Veterans Services Office at Georgia Regents University has evaluated its veteran services and programs. To address the issue of the mentorship deficit, the VET 2 VET Mentorship Program was implemented, providing seasoned students and other knowledgeable staff to advise and guide veterans new to civilian life and the college environment.

This program will help veteran students stay focused and help them adjust to academic life. While the mentorship program will help, the main issue that student veterans face is funding. Veterans are typically non-traditional students with families. If benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs or Tuition Assistance are exhausted, students are faced with the issue of a lack of income whilst trying to balance both their academic lives and their family lives at home. To prevent this scenario and increase the probability of veteran graduates, the GRU Military and Veterans Services Department desires to implement a veterans’ scholarship program.

Scholarship applicants must be veterans or active duty military continuing students who have exhausted VA educational benefits or Tuition Assistance and be within 30 semester hours of graduation. For the best chance of successful degree completion, scholarship applicants must have a 2.500 grade point average, be in good academic standing, and be currently enrolled. Scholarship applicants are required to file a FAFSA to verify financial need. Scholarship recipients can receive up to $1,000 per semester and receive the scholarship for 2 semesters.