Operation Student Success

It started in a space the size of a closet. Today, the U’s Veterans Support Center occupies a section of the Union Building’s fourth floor and serves over 1,700 military-connected students—veterans, active duty servicemembers, National Guard, reservists, and ROTC students—and their dependents and spouses.

The transformation goes beyond square footage. Since its founding in 2011, the center has evolved into a hub providing free tutoring, peer mentoring, embedded VA counselors, and a community that center director Major Faamai Taupau says “helps students thrive—academically, personally, and socially.” The results of these efforts speak for themselves. Military-connected students at the U now achieve higher grades, retention rates, and graduation rates than their non-military peers.

Last year, the I.J. and Jeanné Wagner Charitable Foundation established the Izzi Wagner Legacy Fund to sustain the center’s programs. “The Izzi Wagner Legacy Fund is already transforming lives,” says Taupau. “It’s expanding access to critical resources and creating a true home that will empower generations to thrive.”

The center also hosts brown bag lunches where alumni like Carl Churchill BA’85 BA’85 MBA’04, who leads the U’s Veteran Alumni Chapter, sit with students to discuss topics like veteran business loans and entrepreneurship.

After earning his undergraduate degrees in German and political science and then his executive MBA following 21 years in the Army, Churchill went on to co-found Alpha Coffee with his wife, Lori Churchill, now with locations in downtown Salt Lake City and Cottonwood Heights. Through their Grounds for Good program, they’ve donated over $150,000 to veteran causes and community organizations and donated more than 24,000 bags of coffee to deployed troops.

The Veteran Alumni Chapter organizes blood drives, supports the annual Meet a Veteran barbecue, and promotes the 9/11 stair climb at Rice-Eccles Stadium, among other efforts. Now Carl Churchill and Taupau are working to formalize connections between students and alumni, creating a structured mentorship program pairing veteran graduates with current students navigating everything from starting businesses to transitioning into civilian careers.

“When parents visit campus with their military-connected students, they tell us the Veterans Support Center made the difference in choosing the U,” Taupau says. For Carl Churchill, the work reflects a deeper philosophy. “Everything in life and business is about people. By helping and serving others in a genuine way, your life becomes richer by default.”

To get involved with the Veteran Alumni Chapter, visit magazine.utah.edu/veterans.