Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE) is a peer support program that connects incoming student veterans on college campuses with student veterans who are trained as Peer Advisors who can help them navigate college life, address challenges they may face, refer them to appropriate resources on and off campus, and provide ongoing support.
Successful student veterans are trained as Peer Advisors to work one-on-one with student veterans to help them transition to campus life. The program is managed on each campus by a student veteran Team Leader with the help of the Veteran Services Coordinator (VSC) and support of a University Champion.
The PAVE Program is part of M-SPAN (Military Support Programs and Networks), a group of programs at the University of Michigan developed to address the needs and challenges faced by service members, veterans and military families.
PAVE is a partnership between the University of Michigan Depression Center and Student Veterans of America.
PAVE @ Syracuse University
Miguel Pica ’22 – PAVE Team Leader
As the Syracuse University PAVE Team Leader, Miguel serves as ambassadors for the program, recruits, and trains Peer Advisors, identifies resources on and off campus that student veterans might need, and supervises Peer Advisors. Miguel is a U.S. Army Veteran and current undergraduate student at Syracuse dual majoring in Policy Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences.
Lauren Pyland ’12- PAVE Veteran Service Coordinator
As the Syracuse University PAVE Veteran Service Coordinator, Lauren receives training and materials on PAVE so that she can provide on-campus oversight of the program and ensure succession planning for program sustainability. Lauren is the Operations Manager in the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. She is currently serving in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Ron Novack G’20- PAVE University Champion
As the Syracuse University PAVE University Champion, Ron provides higher-level administrative support and advocates for veterans’ services on campus. Ron is the Executive Director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at Syracuse University. Ron served in the U.S. Army for over 33 years prior to coming to Syracuse.
For more information, or to get involved with Pave @ Syracuse University, contact pave@syr.edu