This Wednesday, the area’s largest employer has scheduled an education fair for individuals on post and is open to the public.
Fort Gordon’s annual Education Fair is set for June 24. It brings together representatives from more than two dozen colleges and organizations with information on all levels of post-secondary educational options. The Fort Gordon Education Center coordinates it.
“The education fair is designed to bring community partners, colleges that we normally don’t have on the installation, to allow them to talk to colleges face to face,” Myron Latham, Supervisory Education Services Specialist, explained for ABD. “Often, people don’t know where to start with college, and they’ll come into the education center. This gives them an opportunity to actually talk to multiple colleges, ask those questions on how they can get started.”
The education fair is not limited to military personnel. It will also assist spouses interested in higher education and high school students getting ready for the next step.
“For those soldiers that have high school children or college-age children, we will be able to provide information for them as well,” Latham explained. “All of our counselors are well-versed in not only Army tuition assistance, but also the VA benefits, and also those schools that are specifically designed for the veteran population, so they can speak to the VA benefits as well to assist those individuals.”
Latham said counselors will also be able to assist high school students interested in a dual enrollment program with a college. There will also be information about the College Level Exam Program (CLEP), a test that can provide credit hours for a variety of courses.
Beyond learning about higher education opportunities, the event at Fort Gordon will also have experts to explain one of the biggest challenges to continuing an education: Locating financial assistance.
“I think the biggest hurdle for people is the money, and what we try to do is go out there and not only just army funding sources, but other sources within the community that may be offering scholarships,” said Latham. “We’re always in the community trying to figure out where we can find that next scholarship to help not only our soldiers but the family members as well.”
There will be counselors from all types of educational institutions, including two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and technical schools. The post’s “Troops to Teachers” staff will also be available.
“This is the first time they’ll be participating in our education fair, because some people may already have a degree, but they’re getting ready to transition out of the military,” Latham said. “Teaching is in very high demand these days. So, we’re going to offer this to help provide different resources where they can get their certification in teaching.”
The education fair will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room 188D of Darling Hall. Although geared toward the military community, including veterans and civilian employees, it is open to the public.
The event is free, but a visitor’s pass will be needed to get on post. Passes can be requested online in advance at: https://home.army.mil/gordon/des/visitor-information
They are also available in person at the Gate 6 Visitor’s Center. It is open Mon-Fri from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
