On the second floor of Calvin Hall lies a space for veterans and military-connected students. With a newly renovated student lounge and study area complete with a coffee machine and free snacks, the room provides a sanctuary for students.

There are numerous resources available, including tutoring and a relatively new feature of the program: an embedded counseling service.

Chuck Xander, an Army National Guard veteran with more than 20 years of counseling experience, works in Calvin Hall to provide resources to students through the Iowa Veteran Transition, Education, and Support office.

“The University of Iowa has about 600 veterans, but they serve about 2,400 military-connected students,” Xander said. “It’s a big population, but these are students who feel like they don’t fit into the other community. It’s different from the life of a typical college kid.”

The embedded counseling service for veterans and military-connected students began in the fall of 2023 and is now in its second year of operation.

“We know that this program is the only one in the state of Iowa and the Big Ten, and as far as we know, it’s the only one in the nation,” Xander said. “There’s been a lot of trying to figure it out as we go, but we’re trying to make it so other universities can copy it.”

Xander provides individual therapy to students on campus in the military community. His background in juvenile facilities and work with the VA after getting his Master’s in mental health counseling at the University of Northern Iowa helped lead him to this role.

“I’m glad I’ve been in the mental health field for over 20 years now because I don’t know if I’d have done as well at foreseeing the issues that have come up,” Xander said. “There’s been some mistakes, but I have an amazing team around me with the IVETS office.”

The embedded counseling program was funded by a donation from Mary and Pat Scanlan and their Scanlan Foundation, which provided $15 million in 2022 to the UI College of Education — the largest gift in the college’s history — to expand mental health support, including veteran’s counseling.

Matthew Miller, the director of student support at the Iowa Veterans Education, Transition, and Support office, works to provide resources for veterans and military-connected students at the UI.

“We’re really trying to let students know that this is a space for them where they can build community and spend time between classes and connect with students that have a shared background,” Miller said. “We’re meeting students where they’re at and providing them an option for another ally here on campus.”

The embedded counseling service has grown rapidly over the last year, Xander said. The veterans’ center is working to expand resources and availability for services to students who are veterans, dependents of veterans, or connected in some way to the community.

“When people ask, ‘What’s one of the things that we need more of on campus?’ it would be mental health,” Miller said. “So having an embedded counselor here in our program that’s actually a veteran has been phenomenal. It’s easier to go to someone that has a shared background and might know what you’re talking about.”

Miller, an army veteran who started school after his service, has a similar experience as the students who come into the office looking for support. He is able to relate to the students.

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“I’ve been in the same role that many of our students have, that difficult position of transitioning into academics,” Miller said. “That’s how, in a lot of ways, I can connect with students, because I’ve been in their situation before.”

One of the hardest experiences that veterans face is the adjustment back to civilian life, especially attending school after service, Xander said.

“It’s a tough transition from this one lifestyle where you have everything laid out for you to a college campus where everything’s more open,” Miller said. “Our job is to help ease that transition and help them be as successful as possible.”

As the program has steadily grown with more than 200 therapy sessions provided, there is an increased demand for service at the embedded counseling service. Xander, as the only counselor in the embedded veterans’ counseling service, is working to provide resources for students to access.

“Finding that right balance of how many students we can serve is huge,” Xander said. “It’s making sure that I’m available and able to serve every part of the population.”

Being able to access services when they are needed is important to many students, Xander said. His work is allowing more and more students to have the resources they need when they need them.

“I get the most joy out of teaching and helping someone get through a tough time,” Xander said. “Me being myself and being true and honest goes so much farther than saying the right thing. I don’t have to fake it. I can be myself, and people in this field want that.”

Cheyenne Vogel, a veteran of the Marine Corps and first-year student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the UI, has found that the services provided by the Iowa Veterans Education, Transition, and Support office have made the transition more comfortable through resources like the student lounge.

“They provide us with extra resources,” Vogel said. “There’s a computer lab, study spaces, something a little separate compared to everyone else. It’s an area where other military veterans or military-connected students can hang out and talk about what’s going on with their lives.”

She has been able to find a place as a student through the available services on campus and, because of that, has found an easier adjustment.

“My transition has been a little rough, but with the provided resources, it’s been a lot easier, especially other veterans, military-connected students, and with people my age who have made me feel more comfortable,” Vogel said.

The Iowa Veterans Education, Transition, and Support office has numerous events that connect the military community. These include the Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award Ceremony, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 1, at 4:30 p.m. in the Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union. They office will also have numerous events during the week of Veteran’s Day, which can be found on their website.

“We’re meeting students where they’re at, meeting their needs when we can, and providing them an option for another ally here on campus,” Miller said.