SUNY is proud to count more than 12,000 students – as well as many faculty, staff, and alumni – who are active and veteran members of the military throughout New York State. In recognition of Veterans Day, the SUNY Plaza building in downtown Albany and many campuses throughout the state will be lit with green lights in participation of Green Light A Vet this week, a campaign to establish visible national support for our veterans by changing our lights to green.
The commitment to support veterans and military students year-round is held strong at all SUNY campuses by striving to make higher education more accessible and affordable to veterans. More than 40 of our 64 campuses have been named military friendly by G.I. Jobs Magazine and are among the top 15% of colleges nationwide in offering the best overall experience for military students. From academic advising to on-site child care, these SUNY campuses go the extra mile to ensure military students have the resources they need to succeed.
Throughout New York State, SUNY’s campus veterans’ services offices offer programs and services that are tailored to meet the needs of veterans and ease their transition back into civilian life. These programs include for-credit prior-learning assessments of military experience, dedicated housing, mental health resources, veteran-specific websites or online tools, scholarships, peer mentoring, and more.
In addition, SUNY’s central Office of University Life coordinates university-wide programs and initiatives that build upon SUNY-wide and national best practices, facilitating campus collaborations by region. Expanded online course availability for veterans is also made available through Open SUNY, which includes more than 400 degrees and 12,000 course sections and enables students to attend SUNY from virtually anywhere in the world.
Recently, the SUNY Board of Trustees emphasized the importance of the veteran student population as part of a new system-wide diversity and inclusion policy, and approved the next step necessary to ensure that all veterans and their dependents can pursue a SUNY degree at the in-state tuition rate, regardless of residency.
“It is our privilege to join all Americans this week, and throughout the year,” said Chancellor Zimpher, “As we honor the military personnel who have gone above and beyond to protect our freedoms and our country.”
SUNY is proud to stand with veterans and military students. It’s one of the many reasons why New Yorkers Stand With SUNY.
We joined in here at Brockport: https://www.instagram.com/p/98vsbCDHc7