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 Campus Coordinator and support of a Campus 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
Savion Pollard ’25 – PAVE Team Leader
As the Syracuse University PAVE Team Leader, Savion serves as an ambassador for the program, recruits, and trains Peer Advisors, identifies resources on and off campus that student veterans might need, and supervises Peer Advisors. Savion is a U.S. Navy Veteran and current undergraduate student at Syracuse majoring in Electrical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Brian McDonald ’25 – PAVE Team Leader
As the Syracuse University PAVE Team Leader, Brian 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. Brian is a Marine Corps Veteran and current undergraduate student at Syracuse majoring in Social Work at the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
Matthew Cunningham – PAVE Veteran Campus Coordinator
As the Syracuse University PAVE Veteran Campus Coordinator, Matthew receives training and materials on PAVE so that she can provide on-campus oversight of the program and ensure succession planning for program sustainability. Matthew is the Operations Manager in the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. He currently serves in the New York Army National Guard.
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