WILMINGTON – UNC Wilmington Chancellor Jose “Zito” Sartarelli knows military veterans have the self-discipline it takes to be successful students.

“Military students or military-associated students – either active-duty or veterans or family – are very important to us,” Sartarelli says in the accompanying video.

“First of all, I think we owe to our heroes the benefit of education,” he says.  “And as they transition … to civilian life, education is a door-opener.”

Sartarelli describes UNCW’s longstanding relationship with Coastal Carolina Community College in Onslow County, where it offers university classes.

“It’s a nice collaboration we’d like to expand in the future. They’ve been very good to us – I hope we’ve been good to them also,” he says.

“We’re at the doorsteps of Camp Lejeune, and also at New River Air Station, as well as Cherry Point.  So we’ve been working with the Marines for a long time.”

Marines want to see more online classes in business administration, computer science, social science and criminal justice, Sartarelli says.

“These are all jobs that, once they go from military to civilian life, they like to take,” he says.. “And I think it’s an area for future growth.”

UNCW also plans to extend its military outreach to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, Fort Bragg in Fayetteville and the North Carolina National Guard, Sartarelli says.