TCL signs agreement to join South Carolina Veteran Coalition

The Technical College of the Lowcountry has partnered with the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs to join the South Carolina Veteran Coalition.

In a signing ceremony held March 13 on TCL’s Beaufort Mather Campus, representatives from the college and the department signed a Memorandum of Understanding effectively making TCL one of the coalition’s newest members.

“This is a great day for TCL and for our veterans and their family members who make up a significant percentage of our student population,” said TCL President Dr. Richard Gough, who signed the agreement on behalf of the college.

Comprising state and county veterans affairs leaders and veterans service organizations from across the state, the South Carolina Veteran Coalition was formed in April of 2022 and works to improve care for veterans, their spouses and family members based in South Carolina.

The agreement enables coalition members to provide and expedite specific services to the state’s veteran population. In TCL’s case, that includes education and training as well as future services available through its Office of Military and Veteran Programs, said officials on hand at Monday’s signing.

Director of Operations for the Department of Veterans Affairs retired U.S. Army Col. David Rozelle, who signed the agreement on behalf of the department, thanked TCL for supporting veterans.

“The pathway for our veterans back to being great and thriving is through education,” said Col. Rozelle. “That’s really the first stop, and education leads to employment, and employment leads to thriving.”

Having been a career Marine, Dr. Gough echoed Col. Rozelle’s comments.

“We really want to reach out to our military population, veterans, active duty and their families and get them what they need to move on to the next phase of their life or, if they’re on active duty, to improve their skills while they’re still in,” he said.

For more information on TCL’s military and veterans services, visit tcl.edu/military-programs.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry is the region’s primary provider of higher education and workforce training. The public, two-year, multi-campus community college serves approximately 5,000 students annually. TCL has campuses in Beaufort, Bluffton and Hampton and serves Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties. For more information, visit tcl.edu.