VALDOSTA — Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has been designated a Military Friendly School Gold Award recipient in the small community college category and ranked third in the nation among other colleges.

The designation is given to colleges for having outstanding programs and support for the nation’s veterans and their families, college officials said in a statement.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school.

Wiregrass Tech was the only small community college in Georgia to be named in the Top 10 in the nation, college officials said.

Wiregrass Tech offers opportunities to take credit and non-credit classes through an office located at Moody Air Force Base.

Active duty, veterans and their dependents can utilize the offerings and services at the base or may choose to attend one of the college’s other campuses.

Wiregrass has a partnership with the Community College of the Air Force to provide five CCAF-required general education courses. The courses are offered in rotation in a hybrid format at the base of a program called the FAST Track program, college officials said.

The courses are set up so that students can finish the courses in two semesters. The college has two National Testing Centers on the Valdosta Main Campus and Moody AFB that offer a variety of testing services including CLEP, DANTES and Pearson Vue required for placement, academia and certifications. The Moody AFB testing center has been nationally recognized annually for its exemplary service to military members at Moody AFB.

Tabora Temple, Wiregrass military and veterans services director, said, “We are excited to be named a Military Friendly college again and especially being among the top in the nation. It is a true honor to help those who have served, is serving and their families reach their educational goals.”

Temple also serves as an advisor for the college’s student veterans population. Regardless of VA education benefit usage, Temple conducts monthly meetings to ensure students receive the most up-to-date information regarding VA updates, scholarship opportunities and support activities.

The military and veteran services department has various support activities: semester orientation for veterans, mental health first aid services for veterans students experiencing a mental health crisis, a clothing closet for veterans students in need of business attire for interviews and a small food pantry.

Wiregrass has partnered with the Vet Center, Disabled American Veterans, Coastal Plain and 90 Works to provide more services for the college’s veterans and military families. The organizations ensure veteran and military families receive appropriate medical benefits, cover food disparities, aid in applying for monetary assistance post-pandemic, provided housing opportunities for homeless veterans, process VA disability claims, job skills and resume reviews.

The college continues to work to improve the veteran lounge on the Valdosta campus which includes a Green Zone (safe zone), video capabilities for communicating with deployed family members, computer access and other features to aid veteran and military students while enrolled at Wiregrass, college officials said.

“Wiregrass is also proud of the college’s chapter of the Student Veterans of America Association,” they added. “The student organization provides an avenue for veterans and military members to seek assistance from others with a common background, become involved in college life and give back to the community through various community service projects.”

For more information about the Fast Track program and other offerings contact Tabora Temple at (229) 333-2100, ext. 3001, or Marcia Lorden, satellite services coordinator, at (229) 253-9571 at veterans@wiregrass.edu Information can also be found about veterans services at Wiregrass at https://www.wiregrass.edu/military-and-veteran-students.