The number of veterans and military-related students at Syracuse University continues to grow. And SU officials believe the construction of the new National Veterans Resource Center will do more to help the 5% of the campus population that’s currently connected to the military.
Katy Quartaro spent eight years in the Marines before choosing a college, and SU hooked her right away.
"From the first glimpse at the website I knew this was a great place because it had a separate place for veterans, and that was something I didn’t see in any of the schools I was looking at," sais Quartaro.
Mike Haynie, an SU Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at SU, says stories like that show the commitment SU has for vets, and one of the reasons that Military Times has named it the best private school in the country for veterans.
Along with vets, Haynie notes that ROTC enrollment is the most ever since World War II.
"Part of that enrollment increase is students coming out of high schools that don’t necessarily traditionally think of sending students to Syracuse University and those students are saying 'I want to use my ROTC scholarship at Syracuse', said Haynie.
One thing those ROTC students will find next year is a grass parade grounds on the roof of the new National Veterans Resource Center. That and the largest auditorium and event space on campus are some of the more notable features of the $62 million project. It’s expected to open in the the spring of 2020.
"This building and what it represents will not only impact our university, but veterans in our community in a very significant way," said Haynie.
