With more than 100 Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets under his charge, LTC Matthew (Matt) Coyne has stepped into his new role as professor of military science at Syracuse University with gusto.
“I’m extremely fortunate for the opportunity to be here,” Coyne says. “I’m excited to be part of a university that supports the military community as much as Syracuse does.”
Coyne has already appreciated the significance of this institutional support, which affirms his decision to mentor future military leaders on campus. Just four days into Coyne’s new job, Chancellor Kent Syverud visited the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building (NVRC) to outline the University’s deep history of supporting military-connected students alongside priorities for the One University Veteran/Military Initiative. Military-connected students and programs are one of the top priorities for University leadership, and to Coyne, it shows.
“You can see the results of what they’ve done to make Syracuse the best place for veterans. These are tangible things in terms of the programs and infrastructure here,” says Coyne. “The framework they have in place is a critical point for me to share with students and parents.”
Syracuse housed the Student Army Training Corps to support the training effort for World War I and then demobilized it in 1918. In 1919, the University established the ROTC, making it the longest consecutively running program on a college campus.
Coyne sees Army ROTC at Syracuse as a prestigious program at a prestigious University with a long history of producing quality officers for the U.S. Army. The University’s facilities amplify the benefits the Army provides, making military service an even more compelling prospect that Coyne will be able to share with students and prospective cadets.