Happy 250th America!

A Promise 250 Years in the Making

As the United States of America marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, communities across the country are reflecting on the people, ideals, and acts of service that have shaped our nation’s history. The semiquincentennial presents all Americans with an opportunity to look back on where we have been, recognize those who have strengthened our nation, and consider how our actions today might shape the future.

For Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), that reflection spans more than a century of serving those who have served our country. Beginning with SU’s Student Army Training Corps during World War I, expanding through a landmark commitment to welcome returning veterans after World War II, and continuing through decades of military education, research, and veteran-focused programs, the university has continually adapted to meet the changing needs of the military-connected community.

IVMF was founded in 2011 as part of the next evolution in Syracuse University’s legacy of serving veterans. Building on generations of commitment, IVMF addresses the opportunities and challenges facing veterans, service members, and military families after service. The milestones below trace Syracuse’s shared history and continued commitment to those who serve.

college of various syracuse university related military events.

A vintage photo showing a large group of men and women in old uniforms of 21 EVB SU team members stand on the stairway in front of the SU clock tower.

1918

SU Army Training Corps

1917 – Present

Syracuse University has stood behind its service members for over a century.

A group of 21 EVB SU team members pose on the stairway leading up to the clock tower at SU.

2025

EBV SU

The GI Bill: A Syracuse University Legacy

Syracuse University Chancellor William Pearson Tolley was a key architect of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 — better known as the GI Bill — forcefully calling for veterans to have better access to higher education at a national level. His vision helped shape legislation that remains in use today, cementing Syracuse University’s place at the forefront of veteran advocacy in America.

The IVMF proudly honors that legacy by ensuring none of its programs require the use of the GI Bill. Most IVMF programs are offered at no cost to veterans, service members, and their families so participants can preserve their hard-earned GI Bill benefits for degree programs and further education down the road and other education opportunities in their future.

Celebrating America's 250. He started as a powder boy. He became a Philadelphia power player.

Philadelphia's Forgotten Founder

Veteran Entrepreneurs of History

Learn About James Forten

Celebrating America's 250. He arrived with twenty cents and a carpet bag. He left behind and empire.

He Built What America Denied Him

Veteran Entrepreneurs of History

Learn About George Levi

Celebrating America's 250. She served during a war. She fought for her calling. She opened doors for others.

The Civil War Nurse Who Built Her Way Into Medicine

Veteran Entrepreneurs of History

Learn About Mary J. Stafford

Celebrating America's 250. A promise made in 1783. Carrying forward a 250-year commitment to Veterans and their families.

The First Promise: How George Washington Defined America's Obligation to Veterans

Promises

Learn About Washington's Commitment

A pledge that still defines us. Lincoln's words and America's unfinished obligation. Celebrating America's 250.

Seven Words That Built a System: Lincoln's Promise and Long Work of Keeping It

Promises

Learn About Lincoln's Promise

The Bill that Built a Generation: FDR, the GI Bill, and the University That Helped Write it

GI Bill

Learn About the GI Bill Origins

What a Nation Owes: The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and America at 250

GI Bill

Learn About GI Bill changes

Aged vintage photo showing 4 large groups of troops in formation facing the chancellor in a large open space surrounded by SU buildings.. — The first ever Chancellor’s Review in 1917, Syracuse University’s version of inspecting the troops.

The first ever Chancellor’s Review in 1917, Syracuse University’s version of inspecting the troops.

Syracuse University’s commitment to those who serve predates World War I. This tradition spans more than a century, over 40% of the country’s entire history. Syracuse University has been foundational in serving those in uniform as our nation transitioned from having little more than a token standing army to the global force stationed around the world today.

From training officers in 1917 before ROTC was even officially created, to the creation of the transformative GI Bill, and inside the classrooms that welcomed a generation of returning veterans, Syracuse has never stopped showing up for the military community. It is from these deep roots that the Institute for Veterans and Military Families was born and why IVMF stands today as the premier nonprofit in the country dedicated to the advancement of veterans and their families.

Backed by Syracuse University’s R1 research designation, our programs are not built on good intentions alone; they are rigorously studied, continuously refined, and proven to work. With offerings spanning career transition, entrepreneurship, spouse employment, and family wellness, IVMF serves every member of the military community. This legacy is not history for its own sake. It is the proof of concept, the institutional spine, and the moral commitment that ensures IVMF is not going anywhere. We are evolving, deepening our impact, and meeting military families exactly where they are today and where they will be tomorrow.

3 men in a SU IVMF room sit around a square table talking while using tablets and computers.

As a part of Syracuse University, an R1 research institution, IVMF maintains one of the only longitudinal datasets on veteran entrepreneurship in the country, following alumni businesses over years to measure real outcomes. That research doesn’t just validate what works. It shapes federal policy, informs non-profits and programs across the country, and even gets presented to Congress.

When veterans and military spouses walk into an IVMF program, they benefit from the experience of every participant before them. In IVMF’s latest alumni survey, 93% of respondents are still in business. That’s a result of always-improving programming that puts participants at the center of everything IVMF does.

Once someone completes an IVMF program, they join the hundreds of thousands of other Syracuse University alumni and gain access to all the same benefits. Syracuse University alumni networks are in cities across the nation, hosting meet-up events to connect alumni. Empowering IVMF program graduates to formally affiliate with a historic institution can open doors and surface opportunities for our military-connected alumni beyond their program experience.

A cropped portion of a larger vintage image showing men and women in WWI uniforms standing on the SU stairway.

Orange Alert

Happy 250th America!

A Promise 250 Years in the Making

Then and Now: A Legacy of Service