RICHLAND — Ways to better reach veterans is the focus of a Veterans In Higher Education seminar on 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

The Veterans in Higher Education seminar will be held in the East Auditorium, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland. Admission is free and open to the public. Walk-ins are welcome.

Although the two-hour seminar is designed for higher education faculty and staff, it is open to community members and veterans service providers who are trying to create a friendly environment for returning veterans.

"WSU Tri-Cities has 150 identified student veterans this semester — that’s 10 percent of the student body,” said Jason Alves, Office of Veterans Affairs coordinator. "Veterans are an important part of our diversity. In addition to a strong student organization, our campus was recently named a ‘Military Friendly School’ by G.I. Jobs magazine and a ‘Veteran Supportive Campus’ by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.”

Thursday's training is facilitated by Peter Schmidt, Psy.D., project director and trainer for the Veterans Training Support Center of the Center for Learning Connections at Edmonds Community College. He provides outreach and consultation nationwide to colleges, universities, and community-based agencies.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Washington Air National Guard, Schmidt specializes in training seminars on veterans issues in higher education, veteran best practices, and invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder and mild-traumatic brain injury. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and National Certified Counselor.

The workshop includes a panel discussion with student veterans.