Veterans facility opens at University of Illinois

A rendering of what the Center for Wounded Veterans in Champaign will look like. (Photo courtesy of the University of Illinois)

CHAMPAIGN – Disabled veterans and their families will benefit from a new facility planned at the University of Illinois.

The Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education will provide a variety of services, including counseling, rehabilitation, mentoring and academic coaching, to disabled veterans and their families.

The projected cost is $12 million. Tanya Gallagher, dean of the U. of I. College of Applied Health Sciences, says the project is still in fund-raising, with $6 million just committed by a charitable foundation, the Chez Family Foundation. No date for construction has been set.

This facility once built and in use, will ultimately lead to veterans finding jobs, says Erica Borggren, Illinois director of veterans’ affairs.

“We have a lot of work to do on a lot of fronts, from helping veterans translate their military skills and experience into the civilian workplace, helping them access the education and training that they need to be prepared, all the way down to helping employers and veterans find the right match. There are employers out there looking for veterans. Clearly there are veterans looking for those employers, and we’re working to try and help those matches happen easier,” she said.