College President James Wright will be honored for his efforts to aid injured veterans in securing higher education opportunities when he receives the Semper Fidelis Award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation this April. The recognition stems mainly from Wright's work with the American Council of Education and his influence in the creation of a program that helps wounded veterans and their families plan for their future educations and careers.
This program, which is titled "Severely Injured Military Veterans: Fulfilling their Dreams," provides injured soldiers with academic advisors, who assist them in reaching their educational goals, and campus advocates, who help the veterans adjust to campus life and academics. The program has aided over 200 injured combatants and their families and raised over $300,000 in private donations since its inception on April 2, 2007. The money has helped hire college counselors at three of the largest U.S. military hospitals.
The Semper Fidelis Award, which is granted annually to one American citizen for "patriotic service," will be presented to Wright at the MCSF's 33rd annual Philadelphia Ball. According to Kurt Ramick, chair of the event, a news story about Wright's work with wounded veterans garnered the attention of MCSF volunteers.
"We look for friends to our cause, which is providing scholarship funds to children of Marines or children of Navy corpsmen who have served with the Marines," Ramick said. "That's how we came across Mr. Wright."
Wright gained inspiration for the program from visiting wounded veterans in different military hospitals. Wright served as a U.S. Marine for three years after graduating from high school and later attended Wisconsin State University.
"I have talked to injured and wounded service men and women and encouraged them to pursue a college education," Wright said. "They were often times looking for specific guidance."
Although many active-duty soldiers benefit from the Montgomery GI bill -- which helps active-duty veterans pay for education and job training -- the bill does not always provide wounded veterans with access to post-military education counseling.
"When veterans with severe injuries return to civilian life, they face difficult transitions and often lose the convenience of direct access to the government's educational support programs," the ACE's website states.
Brendan Hart '10, who served with the Marines in Iraq, joined President Wright's efforts by helping the ACE assist wounded veterans. Hart is one of three Marines at Dartmouth aided by the ACE's program.
"The program helped me by providing mentorship and counseling while I was still undergoing rehabilitation," Hart said. "I think what President Wright is doing is really remarkable. He's a trailblazer in helping veterans receive formal education and he deserves to be rewarded."
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is a public, non-profit corporation that relies on fundraising and donations to grant scholarships to children of Marines. Since 1962, the MCSF has awarded over 21,000 scholarships and bonds totaling more than $34.6 million, including $3.49 million to 1,044 scholarship recipients in 2007. Currently, the MCSF is working on raising $50 million by 2010. One of the goals of this capital campaign is to endow each child of a Marine that has been orphaned by the War on Terror with a $20,000 scholarship.
Along with Wright, two Dartmouth alumni, Manning Smith '62 and Nathaniel Fick '99, will also be honored at the ceremony. Smith will receive the Globe and Anchor Award for his support of the MCSF, while Fick, author of "One Bullet Away: The Making of Marine Officer," will accept the Commandant's Award.
"I'm honored to be in the good company of other Dartmouth people for this recognition," Wright said.
