Nearly two dozen Syracuse University students, including 13 student veterans, five active-duty military service members, one National Guardsman, an ROTC cadet and a military family dependent, recently returned from the annual Student Veterans of America (SVA) National Conference in Los Angeles. Joining the students were Syracuse leaders and conference presenters including Ray Toenniessen, associate vice president for University initiatives; Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), Jennifer Pluta G’15, assistant director of veteran career services for OVMA and Rosalinda Maury, Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) director of applied research. This important student experience was capped off with multiple meetings with well-known employers as part of OVMA’s career service efforts for student veterans.
“SVA’s National Conference is a powerful and informative convening for our students, both in attendance and back home on campus,” says Novack. “The conference also offers an opportunity for our University leaders to share proprietary research and strategies that seek to improve the student veteran experience in higher education across the country. The insight and knowledge we bring back to campus year-after-year enhances the student experience for all Syracuse University scholars as we continue our work to be the best place for veterans, their families and military-connected students. The addition of this year’s career meetings further benefitted our student attendees.”