OCEANSIDE, CA—Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas) presented MiraCosta College with a $1.5 million check to expand the on-campus Veterans Center on November 7, 2019. The ceremonial check was given at the Veterans Day College Hour, which included a 1K Fun Run through campus followed by a cake cutting ceremony in honor of the Marine Corps birthday.
“As a representative of one of the largest military communities in our state, one of my top priorities is to ensure that our veterans receive the quality care, education and services they earned while serving our country,” said Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath. “I am proud to have secured $1.5 million in the state budget to expand resources for veterans at MiraCosta College to help them transition from military to civilian life.”
Each year MiraCosta College serves almost 3,500 students who are veterans, active-duty personnel, or military dependents. The 1,424-square-foot Veterans Center will be housed in a new, one-stop-shop Student Services Building at MiraCosta College’s Pedley Park near the Administration Building. The $1.5 million in funding will help equip an 800 square foot lounge and resource area, in addition to offices for the veterans services program manager, a Veterans Administration representative and a trio of counselors, as well as a veterans patio. Computer stations and printers, a bolstered textbook loan program, and expanded outreach and communications to Camp Pendleton – the West Coast’s largest Marine Corps base and home to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force – are among the planned enhancements.
“The money will go a long way towards building the Veterans Center and will streamline access to veterans resources. These funds will allow MiraCosta College to be innovative in how we are our serving our military-affiliated students,” said Liz Draper, Program Manager of Veterans Services.
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath represents the 76th District, which encompasses Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, and Encinitas.
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