3 minute read
A History of Service
MTSU military and Daniels Center timeline
1917
Enrollment dropped from 625 to 501 due to the world war in Europe.
1918
Student Army Training Corps taught military science along with regular classes.
1920s
WWI veterans, some with disabilities, joined the student body.
1940
Civilian pilots began training at the campus airstrip and Murfreesboro airport for WWII.
1943–44
11th Collegiate Training Detachment cadets housed on campus, with aviation a key component.
1944
Enrollment fell from 732 in 1940, before the U.S. joined WWII, to 200 (with only 20 men)—the lowest since 1911.
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill®) signed into law June 22, providing educational, housing, and unemployment benefits.
c. 1946
Vet Village barracks-style housing built for returning GIs attending college and their families.
1946
Men outnumbered women for the first time— enrollment jumped to 513 men (67%).
1950
Army ROTC program formed.
1951
Satellite Air Force ROTC attachment formed.
1982
Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces football game first held.
1988
Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush observed ROTC exercises.
1990
The annual Joe Nunley Distinguished Veteran Award established.
2002
Two alumni are first from MTSU to die in Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
2009
Veterans Memorial created on campus.
Charlie Daniels presented with MTSU’s Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award.
2011
MTSU becomes one of only 12 U.S. universities to launch VA’s VetSuccess on Campus program.
2013
MTSU conducts first veterans job fair.
Charlie Daniels Scholarship endowed through International Entertainment Buyers Association.
2014
Tennessee Veteran Education Task Force created, with Hilary Miller as an advisor.
2015
Army LTG(R) Keith M. Huber hired as senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives.
Hilary Miller named full-time center director.
First stoles given to graduating student veterans.
Center opens at MTSU with help from $91,000 state Veteran Reconnect Grant.
Full-time VA mental health counselor housed at MTSU.
$50,000 donated by Charlie Daniels’ The Journey Home Project for center technology.
A commemorative service at MTSU’s Veterans Memorial each year remembers victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
2016
MTSU and Tennessee Valley HealthCare System awarded VA health community partnership award.
Center renamed for Charlie Daniels and his wife, Hazel.
$70,000 donated to the Daniels Center by The Journey Home Project.
First Operation Song event at MTSU, pairing veterans with hit songwriters and songwriting students.
2017
Tennessee Higher Education Commission awarded $185,500 grant to increase student veterans’ success.
Transitions manager and employer search agent hired in Daniels Center expansion.
2018
Inaugural Veteran Impact Celebration held to recognize supporters and raise funds.
2020
Daniels Center never closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2024
Daniels Center named a Tennessee Department of Veterans Services field office, placing a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) on site.
2025
MTSU Army ROTC celebrates 75th anniversary. Second VSO placed in the center.
Daniels Center marks 10th anniversary.
