Top Left: President Allbritten presents Steve Felter, director of Veteran Services at FSW, with the Purple Star designation.
Top Right: Veterans from across the FSW community, including faculty, staff and students, gathered for the ceremony.
Bottom Left: Veterans in attendance posed for a group photo following the ceremony.
Bottom Right: Storyboards honoring FSW veterans were displayed throughout campus, recognizing their service and sharing their stories with the college community.
Highlighting Florida SouthWestern State College’s ongoing commitment to military-connected students, FSW President Dr. Jeffery S. Allbritten presented the official Florida Purple Star Campus designation plaque to the college’s Office of Veteran Services. The presentation, held during FSW’s Veterans Day ceremony, recognizes the college’s achievement in earning the state designation, which honors postsecondary institutions that maintain an exceptional, supportive environment for veterans, active-duty service members and military families. “Honoring veterans cannot be something we do once a year; it must be reflected in what we do every day,” said President Allbritten during the presentation. “I believe that those who serve our country deserve to be served by us now. This designation reflects the dedicated work of our Veteran Services team and the steadfast culture of service we strive to uphold across all our campuses.” To earn the Purple Star Campus distinction, FSW demonstrated comprehensive military support systems, including:
- A dedicated military liaison and specialized advising through the Office of Veteran Services.
- Priority registration for military-connected students and their dependents.
- Targeted professional development for faculty and staff on military-connected student transitions.
- Student-led peer networks and transition programs, including Troops and Student Connect (TASC).
- Accessible web and campus resources designed to streamline GI Bill and tuition assistance benefits.
The Purple Star designation builds upon FSW’s long-standing tradition of military support under Dr. Allbritten’s leadership. FSW was the first state college in Southwest Florida to earn the Purple Heart Campus designation and consistently earns national recognition from Military Times as a Best for Vets College, Newsweek as a Top Online College for Military Students, and Silver Status as a Military Friendly School.