Adrian College Receives Gift From The Bob Woodruff Foundation posted 1/14/10
Money will support Operation Education Scholarship

ADRIAN, Mich. - Adrian College is pleased to announce that the Bob Woodruff Foundation has approved a grant for $66,600 to fund 50% of the Operation Education Scholarship at the College.

Operation Education offers a disabled American veteran, who was injured during combat in Afghanistan or Iraq post Sept. 11, 2001, a full scholarship toward earning his or her college degree each academic year. The grant from the Foundation is designated solely to pay the expenses related to tuition, room and board, fees and veteran services for three Operation Education students.

“We are honored that the Bob Woodruff Foundation has chosen our scholarship to receive this generous gift,” said Adrian College President Jeffrey R. Docking. “This grant will help these deserving veterans receive an education and help us execute the Operation Education motto, ‘You have served us, now let us serve you, with a college degree.’”

Bob Woodruff, a Michigan native whose career in journalism dates back to 1989, is best-known for succeeding Peter Jennings as co-anchor of ABC News' weekday news broadcast, World News Tonight, in January 2006. Later the same month, while reporting from Iraq, he was nearly killed by an improvised explosive device (IED).

According to the Foundation’s official web site (www.ReMIND.org ), while recovering from his injuries, Woodruff and his family had an opportunity to get to know so many of our nation’s injured heroes and their families. They realized their unique position to be a voice that could be heard in civilian and military cultures, across political lines and throughout our nation— a voice that would call for tangible support to assist our injured service members and their families. Thus, the Bob Woodruff Foundation was born.

The mission of the Bob Woodruff Foundation is to provide resources and support to injured service members, veterans and their families -- building a movement to empower communities nationwide to take action to successfully reintegrate our nation’s injured heroes—especially those who have sustained the Hidden Injuries of War—back into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically (taken from www.ReMIND.org ).

The mission directly coincides with the mission of Adrian College’s Operation Education Scholarship which was founded at the school in 2008. Operation Education is designed to help those who return from combat to adjust to civilian life. Many veterans’ plans will change now that they are returning with permanent injuries.

By offering these heroes a free college education, they will not only be able to adjust to civilian life, but they will now be able to provide for their families. The scholarship provides support to both the veteran and their families.

Operation Education is the only program of its kind in the country at this time and Adrian College is the first college or university to offer it in the state of Michigan.

“The young men and women who risk their lives each day in Iraq and Afghanistan are heroes to all of us,” says Docking.  “All Americans, regardless of whether they support these wars or not, share in the responsibility in helping these men and women further their education and helping them adapt to civilian life once they return home.”

Docking says the College is enthusiastic with the work the Bob Woodruff Foundation is doing to help these veterans.

“We thank the Bob Woodruff Foundation for their voice in bringing awareness and providing support to our soldiers who have sustained injuries while protecting us here at home,” he said. “We are very grateful for their generosity to Adrian College so that we may do our part in helping to ‘successfully reintegrate our nation’s injured heroes.’”

To learn more about Operation Education please visit www.adrian.edu . More information about the Bob Woodruff Foundation may also be obtained at www.ReMIND.org