The University of Iowa Military and Veteran Student Services (MVSS) office, located in University Capitol Centre as part of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is now part of the Office of the Registrar and will move to Calvin Hall by fall 2020.

The MVSS office became part of the Office of the Registrar on Jan. 1.

One of the recommendations of the Veteran/Military Affiliated Student Task Force, supported by the Office of the Provost, was that MVSS return under the auspices of the Office of the Registrar. This transition will facilitate closer collaborations between MVSS and Veteran Education Transition Services (VETS), which already operates under the Office of the Registrar.

Campus Planning and Development is working with the Office of the Provost on plans to move both MVSS and VETS to Calvin Hall, where they can be housed together and evolve into the Iowa Veteran Education, Transition, and Support (IVETS) unit.

“Veteran and military-affiliated students are an important part of the University of Iowa community,” says Montserrat Fuentes, executive vice president and provost. “We are pleased to be able to make this change to provide better support and allow for shared resources and facilitate collaboration.”

Spring 2020 figures show 2,350 veteran and military-connected students are enrolled at the UI.

“The task force recommended the change in an effort to improve efficiency, as well as move the office toward a one-stop-shop model for all military-connected students,” says IVETS Program Director Matthew Miller. “Our veteran and military-connected students have been working with both MVSS for support services and VETS for benefits. By having two distinct offices, students were often confused about which one they needed to contact. This change will allow us, as staff, to provide students with a warm handoff as they navigate through their university experience.