NKU launches Buddy Check program to support veterans transitioning to college
New initiative provides peer support from enrollment through graduation at Northern Kentucky University
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (WXIX) - Northern Kentucky University has launched a new program called Buddy Check to provide additional support for veterans transitioning from military service to college life.
The program pairs veterans with specialized student managers who check in with fellow veterans through calls, texts and in-person visits from enrollment through graduation.
Dr. Rusty Mardis, assistant director of the Veterans Resource Station at NKU, said the program addresses a significant challenge facing military members.
“So militarytransition.org did a study, it’s over a 20-year study now, that found that 76% of all military members, when they get out, struggle when they first get out,” Mardis said.
Veterans face isolation after service
Mardis, who ran 278 combat missions while in the U.S. Air Force, said veterans often struggle to find community after leaving the military.
“It is, again, just, hey, I had this awesome mission. I knew what I was going to do. I accomplished all these key things. I call it kind of the Captain Marvel, Captain America effect. You know, you’re feeling great. You did all these great things and you get out and you’re like, where’s my community at? And so that’s why we’re here. The Veteran Resource Station is here to be that community,” he said.
The Veterans Resource Station at NKU serves as a gathering hub where veterans can access local resources and partnerships with the Kentucky National Guard and Xavier Army ROTC program.
The station launched more than 15 years ago as one of the first in the region with a USO-style concept designed to rebuild the camaraderie many veterans miss from active duty.
Study shows widespread isolation among veterans
According to a 2022 Wounded Warrior Project study, 78% of post-9/11 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan felt alone and isolated after leaving the military.
Audrey Rowland, an Army National Guard military police officer and NKU student, said the Veterans Resource Station helped address those feelings.
“Coming back and feeling completely alone and isolated, not feeling like someone can relate to me. Coming here has brought that for me. People that have been deployed or were on active duty and can relate to like similar like feelings that I was feeling,” Rowland said.
Rowland, a single mother who graduates soon, said the station provides a sense of family and belonging.
“Just feeling not completely alone, feeling like family, like I belong here,” she said.
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