The University of North Carolina Wilmington has opened a National Testing Center at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, which offers testing services for military personnel, family members and other students associated with the base. A grand opening ceremony for the center will be held at 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9 at the John A. Lejeune Education Center, 825 Stone Street, on the base in Jacksonville.

The UNCW National Testing Center offers College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing, which provides the opportunity for individuals to receive college credit for knowledge they have acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits or internships.

Tests are 90 minutes long and the usual cost of a CLEP exam is $90 per test, a fraction of the cost of tuition and fees for the corresponding course. However, the test is free for eligible military personnel and some eligible spouses. Those eligible to take CLEP tests at the Camp Lejeune center include active and reserve military personnel, military retirees, adult family members of military and U.S. Department of Defense employees, and other civilians who have base access.

Lindsay Davis, UNCW's military enrollment services coordinator based at Camp Lejeune, said the testing center offers military personnel and their families an extra level of convenience, which makes it easier for them to attend college.

"It really helps military students because they can come here first thing in the morning or during their lunch hour and still go to work," she said. "Going to Wilmington to take these tests would take a lot of time out of their day. UNCW wants to make every aspect of college as convenient as possible to help promote higher education for the military."

Davis said military personnel often have previous course work or other experiences that make them good candidates for earning credit through CLEP testing. For example, a person may be bilingual and able to receive CLEP credit to bypass a foreign language requirement. Or someone who has studied engineering for their military job may be able to receive CLEP credit for a math course.

Special guests at the Feb. 9 grand opening celebration include UNCW Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo; Brig. Gen. Joseph Osterman, Assistant Division Commander for the 2nd Marine Division; Colonel Richard P. Flatau, Commanding Officer, Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune; and Colonel Darrell L. Thacker, Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Air Station, New River. The event will include a ribbon cutting ceremony for the testing facility, an overview of the CLEP testing process and a tour of the John A. Lejeune Education Center.

Media contacts:
Dana Fischetti, UNC Wilmington, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu

Everett Vaughn, Camp Lejeune, 910.451.5519 or vaughnel@usmc-mccs.org