Keith Casey has been named Assistant Director of Community Outreach & Veteran Engagement in Concordia University Wisconsin's Veterans Services Office.
A 2003 graduate of Webster University’s Walker School of Business and Technology, where he earned his Master of Arts in Management & Leadership, Casey brings with him an extensive United States Army background, including:
- Director of Training and Educational Development & Doctrine, Fort Sill, OK, 2013-2015
- Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, Fort Riley, KS, 2009-2012
- Deputy Commanding Officer, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS, 2008-2009
- Deputy Division, G3 (Operations Officer), Fort Riley, KS, 2006-2008
“While our veterans service team currently provides an outstanding, five-star experience to our students, we have room to improve,” said Casey. “Veterans have always been a passion of mine, and I’m working to develop a Student Veteran Organization (SVO) whose primary goal would be to improve student-to-student as well as student-to-professor relations. The SVO would also be a social organization that would host events and bring academic, career and volunteer opportunities to students to have a positive community impact,” he added.
“Since I had been writing curriculum for classes in one of my last Army positions, academia seemed like a natural fit,” added Casey, who is working alongside Director of Community Outreach & Veteran Engagement Christy Call. Since core courses at military training centers are in a classroom environment according to Casey, he indicated statistics show veterans are better suited for classroom learning, with 42 percent taking classes in Mequon and 40 percent taking classes at one of CUW’s accelerated learning centers. He would like to replicate a veteran’s resource group at all centers like the one created by the Green Bay Center.
Concordia has a ROTC partnership in place with Marquette University in Milwaukee, enabling students to take all classes in their major at Concordia and their elective coursework at Marquette. The goal is to equip cadets with the necessary skills to help them achieve their calling to graduate as an Officer in the United States Army. Four students are currently enrolled, although Casey envisions adding other military branches. “Each branch does an outstanding job of developing future leaders of their respective services,” noted Casey.
Concordia University Wisconsin was also the first Wisconsin university or college to establish an American Legion Post on campus on April 1, 2015 and boasts a partnership with that organization and others, including:
- Moro Performance, a cross-training facility in Mequon offering veterans a 50% discount on an annual membership
- “Take A Vet Fishing,” where veterans are annually provided an opportunity to learn the latest fishing technique from dedicated fishermen
- Villani Landshapers, offering an apprenticeship program and a “Patriot” scholarship for veterans working toward a degree in management
- Ms. Cheryle Rebholz, who graciously donated red, white and blue graduation chords for veterans to proudly display during commencement
While another of Casey’s short-term goals is to provide a thriving mentoring program, his long-term goal is for Concordia University Wisconsin to become the university of choice for veterans not only in the state, but the entire region.
For more information on the veteran’s program, click here.
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