May 19, 2025 | Ethan Simmons After long journeys to Urbana-Champaign, the Chez family joined each other at the campus center bearing their name, beaming with pride. Thirteen years ago, Ron Chez—a 1962 University of Illinois graduate and Army veteran turned investor and philanthropist—provided a lead gift to build the Chez Veterans Center. Since then, […]
Tag: Andy Bender
(Joe) Rank and file: Retired Naval officer became a Chez Center guide
Jan. 14, 2024 | Ethan Simmons Now-retired Joe Rank is helping sustain a campus resource he could’ve used as a military veteran who returned for further education: the Chez Veterans Center By fall 1965, the conflict between North and South Vietnam had escalated, as had the United States’ military involvement. With the draft looming, Urbana […]
Chez Veterans Center again plays host to Warrior-Scholar Project
Oct. 23, 2024 | Ethan Simmons The Warrior-Scholar Project partners with American colleges and universities to host brief, intensive, no-cost college prep experiences for both enlisted Veterans and service members transitioning into civilian life For Chez Veterans Center director of operations Andy Bender, the function of the Warrior-Scholar Project is straightforward: Offer military Veterans a […]
Chez Center hosts program to ready veterans for higher ed
Aug. 1, 2024 | Ethan Simmons While Adam Sherman Jr. sat for the two-hour bus ride from Chicago O’Hare Airport to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, a pit was forming in his stomach. He’d spent six years in the Navy, stationed in Japan and California for three years apiece, sometimes working out at sea […]