August 23, 2022 (Chattanooga, TN) --- Chattanooga State Community College was recently recognized as one of six community colleges in the state to successfully complete the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Institution Compliance Program Self-Review. Renee Kennebrew, ChattState Veteran Services coordinator, led the collaborative effort comprised of several departments at the college.

“Serving our student veterans is a top priority for Chattanooga State,” stated Dr. Rebecca Ashford, Chattanooga State president. “In order to serve them well, we need to periodically review our processes to ensure compliance with Federal requirements. I am proud of Ms. Kennebrew for her leadership of this effort.”

In 2014, Voluntary Education Programs increased protections to Service members and their families through an enhanced MOU (Memo of Understanding) partnership with educational institutions who participate in the DoD Tuition Assistance (TA) Program. The TA program is designed to provide opportunities for Service members to realize their educational goals while allowing for judicious oversight of taxpayer dollars.

“Our institution was required to perform an internal institutional DoD MOU self-assessment related to four categories of compliance,” stated Ms. Kennebrew. “The categories of the DoD MOU compliance to be evaluated during the self-assessment included recruiting, marketing, and advertising; financial matters; accreditations and credentialing requirements; and academic counseling and post-graduation job opportunities.”

Acting director of Voluntary Education, Dr. Jonathan Woods said, “We applaud your commitment to partner with the Department of Defense to provide exceptional education programs and services. Completion puts your institution on the forefront of this effort.”