Appalachian Warrior Fund established to assist veterans and their children

Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 12:10 p.m.

BOONE—The Appalachian Warrior Fund has been established at Appalachian State University to honor veterans.

The scholarship fund is for honorably discharged and disabled veterans and their children who have been admitted and enrolled at the university.

The scholarship is for veterans with a disability rating between 10 and 50 percent awarded from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans must possess minimum GPA of 2.8 and must be residents of North Carolina. In addition they must provide proof of their discharge status and disability rating. The children of disabled veterans must possess a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher and must be residents of North Carolina.

This is an annual needs-based scholarship of at least $500. The total number of annual award distributions will be based on the availability of funds. The total balance of the fund should not fall below $1,500.

The scholarship is renewable for two academic years. The total number of annual award distributions will be based on the availability of funds.

The first scholarship will be awarded this fall. For more information, contact Leah Beth Hubbard, director of university scholarships at Appalachian at 828-262-8453.

Edna Cummings, a retired Army colonel and Appalachian graduate, encourages support of the scholarship fund. “As a veteran whose career started at Appalachian, I am passionate about supporting North Carolina’s veterans and their families,” said Cummings who was a student in the ROTC program at Appalachian and commissioned as a second lieutenant when she graduated in 1978.

Cummings is now president and CEO of Cummings & Cummings LLC Management and Proposal Consulting Services in Rockville, Maryland, and a member of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board of Directors.

The scholarship is just one example of the support Appalachian provides to students who are current or former members of the military.

The university has been recognized as a Military Friendly® School by Victory Media since 2010. Appalachian’s Office of Admissions maintains a website for veterans and military service members considering enrolling at the university.

The university also has veteran counselors or advisors on staff, a veteran specific page on the university’s financial aid website, a chapter of the Student Veterans Association on campus and assists veterans with career placement.

Appalachian offers in-state tuition without residency requirements for military students who are in the N.C. National Guard or on active duty at a military base within North Carolina.

Currently, 180 students enrolled at Appalachian are receiving Veterans Affairs benefits.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.