Syracuse University’s commitment to veterans and military students goes back at least as far as World War I, when SU established a Students Army Training Corps (SATC). It continued to maintain close connections with the military during WWII with close to 18,000 faculty, students, and alumni serving in uniform. Afterwards, Unprecedented numbers of veterans used the benefits of the GI Bill of Rights to attend universities following the end of WWII. Chancellor Tolley was instrumental in advocating for and securing these rights through legislation. After the war, Tolley opened Syracuse University to any veteran wanting to pursue their degree. By 1947, the University student body had tripled in size with roughly 9,000 student veterans among the 18,000 total enrollment. “I realized that if a veteran didn’t go to college as soon as they came back, they would never have another chance. It was now or never. Now was not the time to shut the doors. Our doors opened wide in 1946” – Chancellor Tolley

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Chancellor Kent Syverud formally recognized the importance of this commitment to veterans in his 2014 Inauguration Speech “I believe Syracuse University must once again become the best place for veterans. We have the capacity, we have the opportunity, to be the best in the world at providing opportunity and empowerment to the veterans of our armed forces and their families… We have an unrivaled capacity to bring to bear our expertise in the professions, in disabilities, in entrepreneurship and information, and in the arts and sciences, for the benefit of our University and of those who have borne the battle and their families. So let’s just do it. Because if we do, we will have done so much for our University, for this country, and for our veterans.”

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Syracuse University’s enduring commitment to veteran and military-connected students dates back more than 100 years. Dedicated to being the Best Place for Veterans and rated one of the best private school for veterans, the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) supports, assists and empowers veteran and military-connected students and employees. The OVMA serves as SU’s single point of entry for all veteran and military-related programs and initiatives. OVMA collaborates and coordinates with all on-campus and off-campus resource providers to best serve veterans, military-connected students, and military family members who are students or employees at Syracuse University. Learn more

The NVRC functions as the center of veteran life on the campus of Syracuse University, in the local community, and across Central New York. Specifically, the NVRC leverages a public-private sector partnership model, to nurture academic research, actionable programming, and collaborative thought leadership positioned to impact veterans and their families on the campus of Syracuse University, in New York State, and in communities across the U.S. Accordingly, the NVRC creates the conditions necessary to build upon and solidify Syracuse University’s ongoing effort to position CNY as the nation’s hub of research and programming connected to the veteran and military sectors.

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