Article by Richard Guerrero, Jr.

For the second year in a row, the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) has awarded Del Mar College (DMC) a Gold Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA). The TVC presents the 2026 VEERA to public colleges and universities in the state that provide exceptional support to veterans, active-duty members and their families.

Del Mar College is one of 13 Texas public higher education institutions that received the Gold VEERA for 2026.

The award is not the college’s first Gold VEERA. In 2025, the commission presented a Gold-level award after DMC received its very first VEERA – a Bronze award – in 2022.

The program was established by the Texas Legislature and a Gold, Silver or Bronze award is given after a thorough review of college and university applicants that demonstrate educational excellence and support services that “significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.”

Dr. Jennifer Armentrout, director of DMC Veterans Services, said her office works to empower veteran students, active-service members and their dependents with the resources necessary to be successful and complete their educational objectives.
 

To receive a VEERA, the TVC evaluates schools on multiple criteria, including:

• Dedicated staff contacts for veterans,
• Having a centralized veteran resource center on campus,
• Participating in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs programs, and
• Academic support, orientation and mental health services for military-connected students.

The College serves student veterans and other military-connected students at three locations, including the Harvin Student Center (Room 271) on the Heritage Campus, the Main Central Building (Room 225) on the Oso Creek Campus and the Coleman Center (Room 107) at the Windward Campus.

This fall, DMC Veterans Services has processed 792 veterans and veteran beneficiary students through the Hazlewood Act and the Veterans Benefits Administration for educational benefits. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the office processed 1,212 veteran and veteran beneficiary students.

“Most importantly, it celebrates the faculty, staff and campus leaders who go above and beyond every day to serve our military-connected students and help them succeed,” she added.

They served our country, and now Del Mar College (DMC) is honored to serve them. Acknowledgement of DMC and its Veterans Services staff’s commitment to veteran students and family members who attend the college came as a 2025 “Gold” Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) in early September and announced by Gov. Greg Abbott (online release).

The college is one of 33 two- and four-year public higher education institutions to receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze award based on criteria set forth by the TVC and outlined in the Governor’s release. This year’s award is the second for DMC, receiving a Bronze Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award in 2022.

During the DMC Board of Regents regular meeting held on Oct. 14, the college recognized Veterans Services staff and the award they earned. Additionally, District Director Scott Bauer and Field Representative Carrie Moore from U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud’s district office presented a Congressional Recognition acknowledging the dedication and assistance the college’s veteran students receive from Veterans Services.

The Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award was established by the Texas Legislature and is given after thorough review of college and university applicants that demonstrate educational excellence and support services that “significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.”

The deadline for nomination applications was April 1, 2025, and the TVC requested data from the 2023-2024 academic year for its 2025 award. For Del Mar College, a total of 683 veteran students were enrolled during the end of that academic year. Additionally, 381 received Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits while 302 received Hazelwood Act tuition exemptions.

Financial support also comes from the American G.I. Forum of South Texas and the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation in the form of scholarships.

Currently, 812 total  veteran students and family members are enrolled in fall 2025 courses with 510  receiving Veterans Affairs benefits and 302 Hazelwood Act tuition exemptions.

DMC Veterans Services offers assistance and resources, including offices and lounges (Veterans Resource Centers), on all three campuses––Heritage, Windward and Oso Creek––to exclusively serve veteran students and their families. Reserved for these students, the lounges offer places to use upgraded computers and printers, grab quick snacks or use kitchenette appliances, relax in a family room-type setting and collaborate academically or socially with other student veterans.    

Office staff include veterans and veteran dependents who maintain certification through the Veterans Administration Education Department to assist with navigating through the benefits due to anyone who has served as well as their beneficiaries. Veterans Services also employs veteran students through the Veterans Administration (VA) Work Study Program, and they assist staff in campus offices and Veterans Resource Centers.

“Our VA Work Study students are our greatest asset because they vocalize across campuses and in classrooms the support offered to this segment of the college’s student population,” noted Dr. Armentrout, adding: “They not only help our staff but also assist other student veterans using our facilities, and they contribute during recruitment activities and special events calling for support and participation, including Paws and Relax during finals, the Toys for Tots toy drive during the holidays and the annual Fall Festival.

Outside the college, Veterans Services staff interact with the Nueces and San Patricio Veterans Services Offices and other local veterans’ organizations, even holding memberships, along with attending the weekly Nueces County Veterans Roundtable, to promote higher education after separation from the military. Additionally, DMC Veterans Services partners with the region’s Military Entrance Processing Station in San Antonio for weekly administering of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a free test for military enlistment that assesses candidates’ strengths.

Additionally, DMC Veterans Services offers to faculty and staff unaffiliated with military service orientations and workshops that familiarize them with the challenges and adjustment veteran students and dependents experience after re-entering the civilian world. Employees learn to identify characteristics among the veteran student population to best serve them in and outside the classroom when on campus.

View the recognition presentation below. A PDF file of the Congressional Recognition is available in the upper righ- hand corner.