Detroit -- When Patrick Hannah entered Wayne State University in 2008, he had a vague notion of finding a career that would somehow help veterans.

Little did he suspect he would accomplish his goal - several times over - before graduation.

Hannah, 49, a retired Marine from Wyandotte, rejuvenated a student veteran group, cajoled the school into opening a resource center and helped develop mentoring, tutoring and psychological counseling programs.

He did all that while working on his bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in social work, which he will receive in a few weeks.

"Once a Marine, always a Marine," he said with a laugh. "We don't know how to quit."

Hannah's efforts come at a critical time for the school.

Wayne State, like other colleges, is seeing an influx of veterans after the wars in Iran and Afghanistan. But many vets drop out, failing to adjust to academia.

Former Marine Mike Reinhardt said he wouldn't be a student if not for Hannah.

Reinhardt, who, at 26, is older than most classmates, said the resource center makes him feel less out of place because he's surrounded by other veterans.

Also, it's easier to get tutoring and other help at the center because outside tutors are sometimes intimidated by the former soldiers.

"They feel uncomfortable because they don't know what to say," said Reinhardt, a sophomore who is majoring in journalism.

After opening the resource center, the school created a full-time job - center manager. To fill it, there was just one logical choice, school officials said. Grad student Hannah began work in January.

A go-getter comes to WSU

After serving in the Marines for seven years, Hannah was a machine repairman for Frito-Lay and others until suffering a knee injury.

A counselor at a Veterans Administration rehab clinic suggested college. Hannah didn't relish the idea of being a 45-year-old student but, after all those years dealing with machines, he yearned to deal with people.

"When I got the chance to go to college, I don't know how to half-step," he said. "Everything I try to do I do to the best of my ability."

When the veterans club lost its president in 2008, school academic advisor Matt McCain asked Hannah to fill the position. He knew Hannah was a go-getter from the first time they met.

As a new student, Hannah had walked into McCain's office, shut the door and said he wanted to know everything expected from him as a student, from A to Z, or else he was leaving and not coming back.

"It's not unusual for students to feel lost on the first day. But Pat won't have any part of that," said McCain, who now is assistant director of the school's Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence.

The student veterans club was a social group with just four members. But Hannah wasn't interested in socializing. He didn't even drink.

Starting with four files, which contained meeting minutes, he researched similar clubs at other colleges to see what they did.

After learning how poorly veterans do in school, he changed the name of the group from "club" to "organization" and put its focus on helping vets with their studies.

Membership jumped to 100 in a few years. Of the school's 10,000 students, 500 are veterans.

Persistence pays off

Hannah asked Wayne State to open a resource center for student veterans but was turned down. Space was tight and the budget limited, he was told.

He took his fight to the school's board of governors. Instead of approaching them at a meeting or through their jobs, he learned their home addresses and wrote to them individually.

Working with McCain, he put together a needs assessment and budget analysis.

"He's not afraid to talk to anyone," Reinhardt said. "Whatever position a person holds, whatever place they're at, it doesn't intimidate him."

Several board members liked the idea and, within a few weeks, Hannah and McCain were meeting with the provost and new president Allan Gilmour.

Hannah was waiting for an answer during winter break in 2010 when he got a call from the school building manager who asked what color carpet did he want in the new resource center.

McCain said it was the fastest the university has ever moved on a project during his 14 years there.

"His enthusiasm was infectious," he said about Hannah. "If he put his heart into a project, people wanted to line up and work with him."

When Hannah returned from break, a four-room suite that had been used for storage had been cleared out, repainted and carpeted.

'These are my guys'

Hannah, the tough guy Marine, cried when the center was approved.

"I invested a lot of time and effort, first me and then others, to make this happen," he said "We're a family and these are my guys."

The resource center, which opened in 2011, offers a computer lab, silent and group study rooms and a lounge.

The center, which offers mentors, tutors and counselors, has started to pay off.

The graduation rate of veterans, is 43 percent at Wayne State, according to a school study this month, compared with 15 percent to 35 percent at other schools.

"Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day things that I have to pause to see how far we've come," Hannah said.

But he's already thinking bigger. With the center feeling congested, he has his eye on the vacant Music Annex.

Refurbishing the annex would be a herculean task. Removing asbestos and possibly adding an elevator for injured vets could cost as much as $6 million.

He's looking for corporate sponsors. Reinhardt and McCain, who have seen firsthand what Hannah can accomplish, have no doubt he'll find them.

Detroit

When Patrick Hannah entered Wayne State University in 2008, he had a vague notion of finding a career that would somehow help veterans.

Little did he suspect he would accomplish his goal - several times over - before graduation.

Hannah, 49, a retired Marine from Wyandotte, rejuvenated a student veteran group, cajoled the school into opening a resource center and helped develop mentoring, tutoring and psychological counseling programs.

He did all that while working on his bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in social work, which he will receive in a few weeks.

"Once a Marine, always a Marine," he said with a laugh. "We don't know how to quit."

Hannah's efforts come at a critical time for the school.

Wayne State, like other colleges, is seeing an influx of veterans after the wars in Iran and Afghanistan. But many vets drop out, failing to adjust to academia.

Former Marine Mike Reinhardt said he wouldn't be a student if not for Hannah.

Reinhardt, who, at 26, is older than most classmates, said the resource center makes him feel less out of place because he's surrounded by other veterans.

Also, it's easier to get tutoring and other help at the center because outside tutors are sometimes intimidated by the former soldiers.

"They feel uncomfortable because they don't know what to say," said Reinhardt, a sophomore who is majoring in journalism.

After opening the resource center, the school created a full-time job - center manager. To fill it, there was just one logical choice, school officials said. Grad student Hannah began work in January.

A go-getter comes to WSU

After serving in the Marines for seven years, Hannah was a machine repairman for Frito-Lay and others until suffering a knee injury.

A counselor at a Veterans Administration rehab clinic suggested college. Hannah didn't relish the idea of being a 45-year-old student but, after all those years dealing with machines, he yearned to deal with people.

"When I got the chance to go to college, I don't know how to half-step," he said. "Everything I try to do I do to the best of my ability."

When the veterans club lost its president in 2008, school academic advisor Matt McCain asked Hannah to fill the position. He knew Hannah was a go-getter from the first time they met.

As a new student, Hannah had walked into McCain's office, shut the door and said he wanted to know everything expected from him as a student, from A to Z, or else he was leaving and not coming back.

"It's not unusual for students to feel lost on the first day. But Pat won't have any part of that," said McCain, who now is assistant director of the school's Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence.

The student veterans club was a social group with just four members. But Hannah wasn't interested in socializing. He didn't even drink.

Starting with four files, which contained meeting minutes, he researched similar clubs at other colleges to see what they did.

After learning how poorly veterans do in school, he changed the name of the group from "club" to "organization" and put its focus on helping vets with their studies.

Membership jumped to 100 in a few years. Of the school's 10,000 students, 500 are veterans.

Persistence pays off

Hannah asked Wayne State to open a resource center for student veterans but was turned down. Space was tight and the budget limited, he was told.

He took his fight to the school's board of governors. Instead of approaching them at a meeting or through their jobs, he learned their home addresses and wrote to them individually.

Working with McCain, he put together a needs assessment and budget analysis.

"He's not afraid to talk to anyone," Reinhardt said. "Whatever position a person holds, whatever place they're at, it doesn't intimidate him."

Several board members liked the idea and, within a few weeks, Hannah and McCain were meeting with the provost and new president Allan Gilmour.

Hannah was waiting for an answer during winter break in 2010 when he got a call from the school building manager who asked what color carpet did he want in the new resource center.

McCain said it was the fastest the university has ever moved on a project during his 14 years there.

"His enthusiasm was infectious," he said about Hannah. "If he put his heart into a project, people wanted to line up and work with him."

When Hannah returned from break, a four-room suite that had been used for storage had been cleared out, repainted and carpeted.

'These are my guys'

Hannah, the tough guy Marine, cried when the center was approved.

"I invested a lot of time and effort, first me and then others, to make this happen," he said "We're a family and these are my guys."

The resource center, which opened in 2011, offers a computer lab, silent and group study rooms and a lounge.

The center, which offers mentors, tutors and counselors, has started to pay off.

The graduation rate of veterans, is 43 percent at Wayne State, according to a school study this month, compared with 15 percent to 35 percent at other schools.

"Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day things that I have to pause to see how far we've come," Hannah said.

But he's already thinking bigger. With the center feeling congested, he has his eye on the vacant Music Annex.

Refurbishing the annex would be a herculean task. Removing asbestos and possibly adding an elevator for injured vets could cost as much as $6 million.

He's looking for corporate sponsors. Reinhardt and McCain, who have seen firsthand what Hannah can accomplish, have no doubt he'll find them.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130323/METRO/303230344#ixzz2PP594q49