Ashford University is joining nearly 200 colleges and universities nationwide on Veterans Day in a grassroots effort to honor military men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. As part of the Remembrance Day National Roll Call 2011, campus and community volunteers will read the names of more than 6,200 casualties of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, now called Operation New Dawn, which will stream on the Ashford University website throughout the day.

“We are participating in the event to pay homage, and to support and acknowledge veterans and servicemembers who pay the ultimate sacrifice for this country,” said Dr. Elizabeth Tice, president of Ashford University. “It also sends a message to military members studying with us that we greatly appreciate all they do.”

Each campus participating in the Remembrance Day National Roll Call will observe a simultaneous nationwide minute of silence at 11 a.m. PST.

“We wanted to rally campus communities across the nation to send a powerful message to troops currently serving that their peers have not forgotten their sacrifices, or those of the fallen,” said Lt. Col. (Ret) Brett Morris, associate director of Veterans Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University and the National Roll Call coordinator. “The reading of individual names is very poignant because it emphasizes the significance of each and every life lost.”

Beginning at 10:40 a.m. PST, the reading of names in chronological order will stream on www.ashford.edu/tribute for nearly eight hours.

The Remembrance Day National Roll Call is sponsored nationally by the Veterans Knowledge Community of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of student affairs professionals. The Veterans Knowledge Community (VKC) mission is to advocate for best practices to help student veterans successfully transition into college. As the National Roll Call sponsor, the goal of VKC is to have at least one institution in each of the 50 states participate in the event.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org). The university offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa campus. The university is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs. For more information, visit www. ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of public relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.