Shane Grantham was recently hired as the interim director of the Military and Veteran’s Success Center to aid in the continuation of veteran outreach on campus.
Montana State University Billings aims to be a welcoming institution for veterans and active-duty members. The center was unveiled in 2018 to move toward an inclusive and supportive environment for military personnel.
Grantham, a Billings-native, entered the U.S. Army after graduating high school and served for 20 years in active duty. Throughout his time in the military, Grantham mentored college-aged soldiers which is where he found his interest in guiding others. Following his retirement, he tried a few different career paths until landing a position for Veterans Upward Bound at MSUB where he regained his interest of mentorship through student interaction.
As a veteran, Grantham is aware of the needs of his peers and hopes to improve veteran involvement at MSU Billings. “I want the Military and Veterans Success Center to be more than just a department that certifies the GI Bill each semester,” says Grantham.
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GI Bill certification is one of the main functions of the center, but he wants to provide community and academic support to veterans in addition to the technical support. Grantham believes his experience and relatability will provide an increasing support to fellow veterans. “I am looking forward to helping establish a stronger veteran presence on campus. Currently there is a lot of desire to better support military and veteran students, but we are a hard demographic to reach.”
