New University of Dayton committee to focus on veterans

Nov. 24--The University of Dayton is launching a committee to focus on the unique needs of veterans.

The university said its new Military and Veteran Advisory Committee will help ensure veterans and service members attending and working at UD receive services and programs they need.

Army combat veteran Sam Surowitz, director of UD's military and veteran programs and services, told the Dayton Daily News that veteran students require a unique approach for a number of reasons.

Those reasons can include varied transfer credits. Veterans often have military training or instruction that can be accepted as academic credits, and those need to be reviewed in a process different than a standard transfer of credits that civilian students require from another college or institution. (The Air Force, for example, has the Community College of the Air Force. Some training for non-commissioned officers might translate to academic business management credits, Surowitz said.)

These students also have access to complex federal benefits and transition services that other students don't have to navigate.

"A lot of the introductory type of presentations and information is geared toward undergraduate students coming to college for the first time, " said Surowitz, who will serve as an ex-officio member of the new committee. "These students, they are navigating the college process, the application process, understanding what type of school they want to go to, what they want to major in, they're all navigating that much more independently than the traditional student and also on a much tighter timeline."

College is also a different lifestyle for veteran students. Some ex-military students, as well, may have suffered physical and mental injuries while serving in uniform, he noted.

And this committee will also advocate for veteran university employees, he said.

Other schools have these kinds of committees, but not all do, Surowitz noted. "I would say it's not unheard of, but it's not entirely common," he said.

There will be positions for two student veterans on the committee, and committee members will be open to the views and needs of family members of veterans, as well, he emphasized.

UD said it has grown military-affiliated and veteran enrollment to more than 400. In October, UD said it had reached record total enrollment of 11,677 compared to 11,474 in fall 2019. For undergraduates, enrollment was up 2% compared to last fall, and full-time students were at a record 8,322, the university said.

The university offers a Student Veterans of America chapter on campus and recently started a chapter of SALUTE, a national honor society for veteran students. The university is a Yellow Ribbon Program participant, meaning undergraduate tuition is covered for students receiving the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon. Some graduate students are also eligible.

The advisory committee is chaired by Grant Neeley, chair of the department of political science and an executive officer for a public affairs unit in the U.S. Navy Reserve. The group is seeking members on campus and will convene in January.

To learn more about the committee, email Surowtiz directly at ssurowitz1@udayton.edu.

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