In September, the Office of Transfer and Veteran Admissions hosted 32 early commissioning students from military junior colleges across the country. The students, who will go on to be U.S. Army officers, toured campus, explored academic programs and learned the history of the University’s commitment to veterans. Early commissioning program cadets attended the 6th Annual Stars and Stripes Tailgate, hosted by the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) followed by the Orange football game against Western Michigan.
“Syracuse University remains committed to being ‘best place for veterans’,” said LTC (ret.) Scott Taylor, Director of Transfer and Veteran Admissions at Syracuse University. “The experience these early commissioning students enjoyed is designed to support such commitment while offering academic opportunities to the future of our nation’s military.”
Syracuse University’s current enrollment includes students from all four military junior colleges—Georgia Military College, Marion Military Institute, New Mexico Military Institute, and Valley Forge Military Academy and College. The students receive their commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduating from military junior colleges then complete their bachelor’s degree at Syracuse before entering military service.
“I felt super welcomed at Syracuse. Syracuse cares about the military and it shows through the countless amount of programs and opportunities for military personnel,” said Eric Quirk, New Mexico Military Institute. “I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else than Syracuse, and I hope to be wearing orange next year!”
This fall, Syracuse University saw a 14% increase in military-connected student enrollment over fall 2018. This new class marks the highest student veteran enrollment in the post 9/11-era and raises the total veteran and military-connected enrollment to its highest mark in five years. As part of the University’s enduring commitment to veterans, the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), a first-of-its-kind multi-use facility dedicated to advancing academic research, programming and community-connected innovation serving the social, economic and wellness concerns of the nation’s veterans and families will open in spring 2020.