- The deal applies to TU student-athletes who join the Georgia Army National Guard, allowing them to serve without interruption to their education.
- While still required to drill monthly and train in the summer, these students are protected from deployment while enrolled.
- The Guard covers full tuition and offers leadership opportunities, with 6% of TU students currently serving and about 90% of on-campus students involved in athletics.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Student-soldiers at Thomas University just got a major layer of protection against mid-semester deployments.
I'm seeing how this new agreement could keep more students enrolled and on track for graduation even while serving in the National Guard.
"We started our Center for Military Life back in 2017, and we partnered with the National Guard when we brought our football team on, our transition football team. It's the first-in-the-nation military transition football team. We're super excited about that. It's our third year. But that partnership with the Guard, this is a natural progression of that relationship," said Josh Dean, coordinator of military affairs at Thomas University.
Thomas University has built a reputation as a military-friendly school—and it shows.
Right now, about 6% of students on campus are actively serving in the military.
That's way above the national average of less than 0.5%.
And since the majority of students on campus are athletes, leaders wanted a way to protect those balancing both service and sports.
This new agreement with the Georgia Army National Guard ensures student-athletes can stay enrolled and won't be pulled away for deployment during the semester.
It's also the only agreement of its kind in Southwest Georgia.
"I played college athletics. I played baseball. After college, that's when I joined the Guard. And so, it kind of worked out because I can speak the languages on both sides," said Joshua Mosley, Recruitment official.
Mosley is a recruiter official at TU.
He says any student-athlete who joins the Guard is placed in the Recruit Sustainment Program.
" So, we have a state mission, so anytime there are natural disasters, riots, things like that, the government can activate them to go and assist with those communities that are affected by it. But we also have a federal mission. We can be deployed overseas during that time. So, it is possible during that four-year time period that one of those things can happen. But with the new letter coming down from the state, those students will be protected from that," said Mosley.
Here's what that looks like: Guard members still train; one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer but they won't be called away for federal missions like overseas deployment while they're in school.
On top of that, the Guard covers full tuition, offers career-building benefits, and opens the door to leadership training through Officer Candidate School.
It's a way for students to serve while preparing for their next step whether it's a military career or something else.
Right now, the agreement is reserved for student-athletes; which make up about 90% of the student body at Thomas University.
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