Fayetteville State Veterans support program reaches capacity in first year

By Staff Report, posted Oct 21, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

Vivian Utley, left, program assistant for TRIO SSSV, and Ka’Nijuh Tillery, right, academic support coordinator for SSSV in the Office of College Access Programs, speak with Army veteran LeCory Coleman at Fayetteville State University. (Photo by FSU)

Just over a year after Fayetteville State University established a federally funded program to help military Veterans succeed in college, the initiative has reached its full capacity of 120 students.

The results are a major milestone for FSU’s TRIO Student Support Services Veterans program, established in September 2025 with a $1.3 million U.S. Department of Education award. The program provides academic assistance, financial education and career development opportunities to help Veterans succeed in college and prepare for civilian careers.

Gabriel Harrington, a junior who served six years in the U.S. Army before enrolling at FSU, found that adjusting to college required a different kind of confidence.

“One of the biggest challenges was realizing that being capable and being comfortable are two different things,” Harrington said in a press release.

After earning an associate degree in health care management during her service, she continued her education at Fayetteville Technical Community College, where she earned a cosmetology license. She later transferred to FSU to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Despite her experience, the transition to a university environment presented challenges.

“I was used to having a clear mission and knowing what was expected of me,” Harrington added in a press release. “College required me to become comfortable with figuring things out for myself, asking questions and making decisions about my future without always having a clear answer.”

The SSSV program’s first year revealed an important distinction in how Veterans experience higher education.

U.S. Army veteran Gabriel Harrington is pictured after passing her noncommissioned officer board while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. (Courtesy photo)

“Veteran students bring a significant amount of experience, discipline, leadership and professional knowledge with them, but those strengths do not always translate automatically into the language and structure of higher education,” said Ka’Nijuh Tillery, academic support coordinator for SSSV in the Office of College Access Programs, in a press release.

For Veterans accustomed to the structure of military service, understanding university processes, navigating degree requirements and translating military experience into civilian qualifications can present challenges.

Tillery said the program recognizes the professional experience students already possess and helps them apply it toward future opportunities.

“Many already are professionals,” Tillery added in a press release. “Instead, we help them understand how to translate the experience they have already gained into academic credentials, civilian career opportunities, graduate education and continued professional growth.”

That approach is beginning to produce measurable results. Among the program’s first six graduates, three have pursued advanced education, including an MBA, a law degree at North Carolina Central University and graduate study at Florida State University. Other graduates have entered careers related to their fields of study.

While longer-term retention and graduation data are still being established, the program’s early enrollment and graduate outcomes offer an initial picture of its reach.

As SSSV enters its second year, the university plans to strengthen career preparation and professional networking opportunities while continuing individualized support for its 120 participants.

Future programming will focus on helping students translate military experience into civilian careers, develop professional skills and navigate emerging workplace technologies. The program also plans to collect additional student outcome data to evaluate its long-term impact better.

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