Resource Center
The Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Resource Center is a dedicated space to support and honor COCC's military-connected students. Staff are available on site to offer guidance, connect you with resources and provide support throughout your educational journey.
Location and Hours
Coats Campus Center 103 || 541-330-4362
Monday- Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Services Thursday
A Deschutes County Veterans Services Officer (VSO) is available at COCC's Veterans Center on the first Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering assistance to help student veterans navigate education funding, disability claims, health care and other earned services. Student veterans are encouraged to stop by and ask questions.
Robert D. Maxwell
Central Oregon Community College is an officially designated “Medal of Honor College” following a resolution by its board of directors to honor Robert Maxwell, a Medal of Honor recipient and a formative faculty member in the College’s Automotive Technology program. An accompanying resolution officially named COCC’s Veterans services center the Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Center, which was relocated and improved, renamed the Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Resource Center.
Maxwell, who served in Europe and Africa during World War II as a U.S. Army communications technician, received the nation’s highest military honor for throwing himself on a German grenade in a battle near Besancon, France, on Sept. 7, 1944, to absorb the explosion and save the lives of others in his squad. He is also the recipient of the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and two French honors, the Croix de Guerre and the Legion d’honneur.
Following the war, Maxwell settled in Oregon and used the GI Bill to study automotive technology. He became an automotive instructor, first teaching at Bend High School in downtown Bend before helping COCC launch its automotive program in 1958, where he served as an instructor for eight years. He spent the remainder of his career with Lane Community College and later retired to Bend.