Demonstrating its longstanding commitment to veteran and military communities across the nation and making good on its promise to be the Best Place for Veterans, Syracuse University will co-host a first-of-its-kind summit addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing veterans and the long-term sustainability of an all-volunteer armed services.
Hosted collaboratively by Syracuse and the University of Tennessee, the summit is being held during the 50th anniversary of the end of the military draft and the birth of America’s all-volunteer force—and at a time when both the military and higher education face significant challenges, including recruitment and enrollment, respectively.
The summit, titled “The All-Volunteer Force at 50: Higher Education and America’s Volunteer Military,” will be held Wednesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 20, at the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, home to the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs (OVMA).
The two universities, both leaders on issues impacting military-connected students, will welcome more than two dozen collegiate presidents and chancellors, as well as senior government leaders and private sector partners, to campus to discuss how institutions of higher education and government can enhance collaboration and introduce innovative partnerships positioned to bolster access to in-service and post-service educational opportunities for military-connected learners.
“Syracuse University’s commitment to veterans, military-connected students and their families has long been woven into the fabric of this institution,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “That commitment dates back as far as World War I in the early years of ROTC programs, and continued in 1944 when former Chancellor William Tolley assisted with drafting the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, now known as the G.I. Bill, This summit as an extension of this commitment, and an opportunity to work with our peer institutions to find solutions to the challenges ahead. Our goal must always be to create and empower and ensure opportunities for the military community.”