Steven Johnson, the full-time, on-site VetSuccess on Campus Coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University, has been named the Louisville Regional Office Employee of the Year for Fiscal Year 2016.
A Navy veteran, Johnson helps fellow veterans from all branches of military success pursue their educational goals at EKU, which is home to more than 1,500 military-affiliated students and their dependents.
Johnson helps veterans:
· Pursue their goals through any of the VA’s educational programs, including the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill, as well as VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program. (VSOC counselors can also assist dependents of veterans who are receiving VA education benefits, including eligible spouses attending school through the Post 9/11 GI Bill and eligible children.)
· Choose vocational goals through personalized counseling and support, including vocational testing and interest inventories.
· Apply for VA benefits, if eligible, including health care and mental health services.
· Schedule VA healthcare appointments.
· Make life adjustments that will be conducive to their academic success.
“I emphasize to prospective students the unique market brand of EKU, and the support students receive here on campus to reach their educational goals,” Johnson said in 2015, shortly after arriving on the Richmond campus. “People and organizations in the business community respect the education received by our students at EKU.”
EKU continues to earn national recognition for its efforts to help veterans reach their educational goals. Recently, the University was named by Victory Media as a Military Friendly School for the seventh consecutive year. The designation is based on six factors: academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, financial aid assistance, graduation and career, and military support and retention. Also, the University remains among the nation’s leading schools in the Military Times’ “Best for Vets” rankings – five times in the past seven years, it has ranked third or higher among four-year schools.
Johnson is housed in EKU’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, at 317 Lancaster Ave., adjacent to Irvine McDowell Park. He can be reached at steven.c.johnson@va.gov. or 859-622-1297.