Global Reach

As MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Family Center prioritizes those who need assistance at present, the center also continues to honor the past and focus on the future.

Entering its second decade, the Daniels Center keeps expanding in scope, reach, funding, and physical space to help both military-connected members at MTSU and American veterans across the globe.

Student enrollment now surpasses 1,200 regularly, and two state Veterans Service Officers have joined Veterans Affairs mental health and benefits services on campus—available to anyone. An upcoming renovation will increase the center’s office space from 3,200 to 4,079 square feet and consolidate operations from two separate floors into the Keathley University Center first-floor location.

“I think people are willing to put their folks in our office because they know that they don’t ever have to pay anything, that we’re going to close the gap, and we’re going to do work and do it well,” Daniels Center Director Hilary Miller said.

With the 2022 PACT Act recently expanding benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins, center staff also are hosting and coordinating meetings with the VA for veterans at various companies such as Jack Daniel’s, Nissan, and local utilities. The Daniels Center also joined with the VA Tennessee Valley HealthCare System to host a community benefits event

LTG(R) Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives, even visits veterans’ houses when requested. At a NASCAR truck race in May 2025, the retired three-star general urged veterans among fans at Nashville Superspeedway to reach out to him personally if they need assistance with their federal benefits.

“I will be your action officer,” Huber said.

Huber and Miller recently began meetings with the St. Clair Senior Center as part of their service to help any former service member with VA benefits. Dependents, including those using Chapter 35 benefits for permanently disabled veterans, are among growing numbers of military-connected students provided increased services by the Daniels Center. New programming for this constituency and a Warriors Luncheon are sponsored each month.

The Daniels Center also continues to share the stories of past campus heroes. Historian Derek Frisby, a master instructor at MTSU, recently presented research about the lives of Robert Sarvis and Obry Moore, two of nearly 40 former students killed during World War II.

Increased fundraising means the MTSU center can continue expanding the mission. Over $400,000 was raised when former defense secretary and retired U.S. Marine four-star Gen. Jim Mattis spoke at a breakfast in 2024, while the eighth annual Veteran Impact Celebration took place in fall 2025.

The journey is never complete until no veteran or their family member is left behind on accessing the benefits they so highly deserve.

$8.5M+

in military aid processed

14,550

phone and in-person interactions

1,430

military-connected students educated

Source: Veterans Impact Card, 2024–25LTG(R) Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives, even visits veterans’ houses when requested. At a NASCAR truck race in May 2025, the retired three-star general urged veterans among fans at Nashville Superspeedway to reach out to him personally if they need assistance with their federal benefits.