In November 2018, a quarter-of-a-million dollars was donated as an endowment for the NC State Military and Veterans Services, a resource that began in 2016 for military veterans and military-affiliated students.

The Jeffrey Wright Endowment was named after the 1991 alumnus who went through ROTC at NC State and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy.

According to Nick Drake, the director of Military and Veterans Services, Wright pledged $250,000 to be allocated to the endowment and $40,000 to be dispersed throughout a five-year period to help immediate programmatic needs. In addition, $34,000 has been given as an additional donation.

Nicole Peterson, the executive director of Development for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, talked about the process of procuring the endowment and Wright’s vision for how the fund could inspire others.

“It ended up being that he wanted to support this brand new program, knowing that it was operating on a very small budget,” Peterson said. “[Wright] wanted to support the program and also really was interested in using his gift to help market the opportunity to give to the program to others.”

Peterson said that Wright asked for the gift to be used as a challenge. By encouraging NC State alumni who have military affiliation to support the program, roughly 80 donations have been made since November.

“I think others similar to Jeff who either have a personal background in serving in the military or who simply admire those who do serve or have served, really encouraged them to want to be a part of this and to give back to the university in a way that is important to them that they can really connect to,” Peterson said.

The endowment will create funds for the center to use on an annual basis.

According to Drake, there are currently 800 self-identified veterans and 1600 students that are military-affiliated at NC State.

Drake said that the one-to-three-year plan for the funds is to focus on community building and outreach in various ways to better serve that sector of the student body.

“We’ve already cultivated those relationships with community colleges around the state,” Drake said. ”We began installation relationships, now we’re getting out into the community and hitting the pavement in terms of making these relationships, getting NC State out there for new students that are here in the state.”

Daniel Hackley, the veterans certifying official for Military and Veterans Education, explained why the center exists, stating that it can act as a service that helps veterans transition into a university learning environment.

“A lot of them have given up a prime time of their life, in a sense, between 18 and 25, and they went out in the military where they might not be able to transition into a civilian sector with the skills and the education that they have acquired in the military,” Hackley said. “From a national level, a challenge is being able to translate those skills that were acquired and learned in the military and bring that into the civilian sector, and a lot of times education is a part of that.”

Drake also stated the endowment will allow Military and Veterans Services to look at expanding the staff of the center. This will be through expanding and improving upon the Green Zone Training Program, a cultural awareness and sensitivity training, to bring awareness to potentially unique challenges veterans may face when transitioning into higher education.

By spreading awareness, Drake hopes that more faculty and staff will want to support military and veteran students.

Additionally, Drake mentioned that an official veteran alumni network for NC State has been created that shares information about the center and holds social events and engagements that connect alumni back to the university in a meaningful way.

“The greatest benefit is the connection that they could have with the current student veterans and helping them network and get connected professionally once they move out of NC State and graduate,” Drake said.

According to Drake, programming will also be a massive initiative in order to facilitate the careers of veteran or military-dependent students who wish to enhance their experience.

Drake said that the center is looking to create a professional development program for students that gives them the opportunity to apply for specific benefits at the university, such as conferences, that otherwise they would not be able to afford.

“Ultimately, I would like to be self-sustaining, in terms of programmatic money, so that we don’t have to ask for student funds or increases in student fees and things like that,” Drake said.

Each year, according to Drake, the budget for Military and Veteran Services is $18,000. This money keeps supplies going for programmatic needs — such as updating furniture and adding a display case.

The NC State Foundation Grant was also given to the center in mid-2018 to upgrade the space by adding computers and more furniture as well, Drake said.

Hackley discussed why he thinks that Wright’s gift is critical for the center to grow and to build a community on campus.

“Continuous support, like Jeff has done with his endowment, is definitely critical and vital in order for us to continue that growth and support from our community,” Hackley said. “Nationally, when you look at veterans on the scene, they tend to be greater givers when it comes to givers, and I think the fact that he was just kind of speaks to that.”