In 2019, the U.S. Army implemented a newer, more rigorous physical fitness test to evaluate a soldier’s potential for physical performance in combat. Named the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), the new test required specific equipment and training space that many ROTC detachments across the nation simply did not have readily available.

When Syracuse University learned about this potential setback, they set forth a plan to ensure their future soldiers were given the tools necessary to succeed.

“Physical fitness is critical for our soldiers to meet the demands of their profession in the most challenging of situations and, ultimately, to accomplish our mission,” says U.S. Army Lt.Col. Matthew Coyne, the ranking professor of military science at Syracuse University and detachment commander for the Stalwart Battalion. “Having a higher physical fitness score improves their ability to assess into the component of their choice, or the branch of their choice.”

By component or branch, Coyne is referring to the career field a soldier is assigned upon commissioning. Understanding the long-term impact that a fitness test could have on a cadet’s future career in the military, the University moved forward to turn a warehouse near Jamesville Avenue into the Stalwart Tactical Athlete Center, better known as the STAC.

U.S. Army ROTC cadets conducting unit physical training (Photo by Charlie Poag)

The results of this initiative were made clear over the summer of 2024 when cadets from Syracuse University excelled in comparison to other ROTC units from the region and across the nation. “Our cadets have achieved the highest Army combat fitness test average of all programs in the northeast. So out of 42 programs, they have the highest ACFT average, and they’re within the top three out of all programs in the United States,” says Coyne.

U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Byron Levi ’25 (right) achieved the highest ACFT score during summer training (Photo courtesy of the Stalwart Battalion)

Among those accolades, Syracuse University boasts the highest individual score during the 2024 Summer Cadet Training (CST) evolution. Cadet Byron Levi ’25, a senior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, credits the University’s support as being instrumental for his accomplishment.

“The STAC has been monumental in the physical and tactical preparation leading up to CST. Having a dedicated fitness facility that can be utilized allowed us to have a sharp advantage over most programs, not only in the northeastern region but nationwide,” says Levi. “Stalwart Battalion cadets pride ourselves on our commitment and pursuit of excellence, but our capacity to produce results and represent Syracuse University at the national level, especially during CST, would be limited without the support and resources we receive here.”

As Syracuse University’s prominence in the military and veteran communities has increased over the years, so has the interest to attend the University by the next generation of U.S. Army officers. The Stalwart Battalion, year over year, has seen a growing trend with its enrollment, and 2024 marked its highest enrollment of cadets since 2020 and the second highest in the last 20 years; the detachment is currently preparing 124 cadets for military service after graduation.

“Syracuse University has a historical commitment to supporting veterans in higher education, and since Chancellor Syverud’s 2014 inaugural address calling for this university to once again become the ‘Best Place for Veterans,’ we have seen a dramatic shift in the quality of our programs, services and support we can offer our military-connected students,” says retired U.S. Army Colonel Ron Novack, the executive director of Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. “Nowhere is that more evident than in the success of our ROTC programs. These young men and women are not only going to make incredible officers in the military, but they’re going forward as ambassadors of our University. We’re dedicated to ensuring that their time here with us is not only rewarding personally but impactful for their future careers as commissioned officers.”

Since the STAC opened, the ROTC staff and cadets have found multiple uses for the facility. In addition to much-needed storage space for the military equipment the detachment uses, the facility also offers a classroom and training space for cadets to meet and plan upcoming exercises and events, as well as rehearse small unit tactics in a controlled environment.

To learn more about the Syracuse University Army ROTC program, contact the Admissions and Recruiting Operations Officer Eric Schaertl at eshaert@syr.edu or 315.443.2462. To support Syracuse University’s initiatives to train the next generation of military leaders, please consider giving to the .

U.S. Army ROTC cadet prepares for a circuit course exercise (Photo by Charlie Poag)

U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Theresa Cross ’99

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Theresa Cross ’99, who graduated from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in international relations, will be the guest speaker at the University’s official observance of Veterans Day this year. Cross says that to her, Veterans Day is as “American as apple pie.”

One thing that makes it personally important for her to observe the day is the low percentage of citizens who do choose to serve, “The total number of people who have served in military service to our nation is around 6%. To me, that’s a very small amount of people, and I think it’s a small amount to pay for the many sacrifices that those people have made for our country,” Cross says.

Cross came to Syracuse University in 1997 on the U.S. Army’s Green to Gold program, meaning she already had military service prior to coming to campus in pursuit of becoming a commissioned officer. Having obtained the rank of staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, Cross had considerable experience under her belt, including several deployments and having just come off a peacekeeping tour in Bosnia.

“At the time I was married, I had two children, and I had done my time in the Army. I knew I needed help with the kids to go to school full time, and Syracuse was a family school,” says Cross.

Theresa Cross ’99, center, with her family

When Cross calls Syracuse University a “family school,” she means the school runs through her family’s veins through multiple generations of Syracuse University alumni, including most recently her own daughter, who graduated from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Education in 2014.

Cross grew up in Syracuse; her mother graduated from the university in 1974, her brother in 1985 and sister in 1994. Cross knew her Orange family was ready to step in and support her in her academic goals. To this day, she’s grateful for that support and the experiences that it allowed her to have during her studies.

Cross went on to be an intelligence officer and a strategist officer; the latter meaning she helped translate national priorities into military strategies and plans as well as developed solutions for complex problems, encompassing a total of 28 years of service. One of the greatest lessons she carried with her back into military service after graduation was learning just how different things would be as an officer compared to her years of experience as an enlisted soldier.

Theresa Cross, second from left, with her Veteran sorority sisters at a Veterans Day event in Florida in 2023.

“I had just come off a tour after being a staff sergeant for two years and deploying with the 18^th Airborne Corps to Bosnia, so to make that move into the officer corps–it was different,” Cross recalls. While non-commissioned officers are the experienced enlisted troops who take on a mid-level management and leadership role, commissioned officers (NCOs) are generally the primary decision makers in a unit and responsible overall for the success of that unit’s mission.

“The ROTC program helped me make that transition a lot better. We had other NCOs on campus that worked with us through the program, and I think it was just one of the best preparations for my time as an officer; learning those things that I, as an enlisted person, didn’t know about,” says Cross.

The University’s celebration of Veterans Day will begin early in the morning on Nov. 11 this year. At 6:30 a.m., the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) will host the annual Veterans Day 5K Fun Run and Walk. Those interested in participating should and plan on arriving a little early to meet fellow runners and warm up for the run.

Afterwards, the doors to the K.G. Tan Auditorium at the National Veterans Resource Center will open for the 2024 Veterans Day Celebration which will start at 11 a.m. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to by the close of business on Friday, Nov. 1.

Jeff Wilkinson

Across the U.S. Department of Defense, there are approximately 650 commissioned flag officers, known as generals or admirals. Achieving this rank is a testament to a service member’s dedication, knowledge, leadership and ability to effect change.

For retired U.S. Air Force (USAF) Brigadier General Jeff Wilkinson ’89 the path to becoming a flag officer, and the first ever combat rescue officer to be promoted to the rank of general across the USAF, began at Syracuse University as an Air Force ROTC cadet.

Wilkinson, who served primarily in Air Force Special Tactics, didn’t initially see himself rising through the ranks. However, a call to service has guided him throughout his career.

“Growing up, I was interested in the outdoors, adventures as a Boy Scout, military air shows, museums and that sort of thing. I got serious in high school while figuring out how to pay for school and what I wanted to do,” says Wilkinson, a Buffalo, New York, native who was drawn to Syracuse University through his passion for music and playing the saxophone.

“I started pursuing scholarships. I applied for and received an Air Force scholarship and decided I wanted to be an officer and lead. It was a pathway that allowed me to attend Syracuse and be part of its excellent programs,” Wilkinson says.

Music played a significant role in attracting Wilkinson to Syracuse, but his undergraduate studies in mathematics and military science delivered opportunities that laid the foundation for his career. Following the loss of his Zeta Psi fraternity brother, Alex Lowenstein, along with 34 fellow students during the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, Wilkinson decided he wanted to make a difference fighting international terrorism.

One of his ROTC instructors suggested he consider the Air Force’s special operations career field. Unlike many military occupations available to him upon graduation, Special Tactics required an application and passing qualifications.

Wilkinson represents his alma mater at a sporting event.

“There are a limited number of officers in the field, so you have to apply for it, and it’s really hard to make it through the training pipeline,” Wilkinson says. “The washout rate is high. My class started with about 68 people, and six of us graduated. It’s a hard path, but it’s where I was meant to be.”

The Air Force’s Special Tactics community is primarily composed of two roles: Combat Control Team (CCT) and Pararescue (PJ). Combat controllers provide global reach opening remote austere air hubs in hostile territory along with strike capabilities delivering airpower on enemy positions, while pararescuemen offer critical medical care while embedded with other units or by entering contested areas to rescue downed aircrew or wounded service members.

Over 32 years in the Air Force, Wilkinson served on active duty, in the reserve and in the Kentucky Air National Guard as a Special Tactics officer. His service took him across the nation and around the world, supporting operations like Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

As he rose from second lieutenant to brigadier general, Wilkinson credits his success to the fundamentals he learned as an ROTC cadet. In the spring of 2024, he returned to Syracuse University to share his career insights with ROTC cadets of Detachment 535 before their graduation. As the guest speaker, he shared three key takeaways:

1. Trust in your training.

Wilkinson shared the story of U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Bart Decker, his combat control instructor who later deployed to Afghanistan as part of the initial response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Special Forces detachments initially deployed required immense flexibility, even adjusting to traveling on horseback through rugged terrain—a skill long forgotten in military tactics since the early 1940s.

“The foundations and processes started here in ROTC prepare you to lead in unimaginable scenarios. With a positive attitude, disciplined study and agility of thought, you will succeed. Agile thinking is encouraged in the Air Force and needed for tomorrow’s wars,” Wilkinson says.

2. Seek advice from your subordinates and be thoughtful in your decisions.

Wilkinson urged the graduating cadets to listen to the noncommissioned officers (NCOs), who often train new officers in their field’s technical expertise. He recalled advice from a senior officer that Wilkinson still considers among the best he’s received.��“He told me that my new rank and certifications gave me the authority to make decisions that, if wrong, could result in the injury or death of my Airmen or, at a minimum, violations that could land me in jail. So, I better be thoughtful in my decisions and listen to my NCOs. Seek their experience and perspective when making decisions,” Wilkinson says.

3. Don’t wait to make a difference.

Wilkinson, now a senior aerospace science instructor for a high school Junior ROTC detachment in Summerville, South Carolina, has extensive experience mentoring future leaders. He urged young leaders to address issues and find solutions when the moment arises.

He recounted his time leading pararescuemen on a humanitarian response deployment to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. His team of highly trained specialists took four to five hours to search a site, while a nearby FEMA team with rescue dogs cleared an area in 45 minutes.

“With persistence, our team established the first rescue dog combat capability in the entire Department of Defense, assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard. The capability came into existence thanks to the earnest efforts of a dedicated staff sergeant and his flight commander, and now it’s available to the broader Air Force,” Wilkinson says.

Syracuse University’s list of military-connected alumni who reach the prestigious flag officer ranks continues to grow, showcasing the dedication to service that the university instills in its ROTC cadets. As Wilkinson says, however, it’s not the rank that matters in the end, it’s the willingness to step forward and serve.

“You stand at the forefront of our citizens, willing to be part of something greater than yourself,” says Wilkinson. “The American way of life, and American freedoms, are valuable. There’s always greater opportunities for people who produce results.”

For more information on the University’s commitment to preparing tomorrow’s military leaders, visit the to learn about the opportunities available through ROTC.

Jamieson Ritter

The University is honoring the memory of alumnus and fallen Cleveland, Ohio, police officer Jamieson Ritter ’19 with the establishment of a scholarship in his name. Beginning in 2025, the Jamieson Ritter Memorial ROTC Scholarship will be awarded to an ROTC student who is pursuing a career in military or civilian law enforcement. Ritter, who was part of the Army ROTC at Syracuse, was killed in the line of duty while serving with the Cleveland Division of Police on July 4.

“Jamieson Ritter’s life of dedicated service represents the very best of Syracuse University,” says Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive director of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. “This new scholarship will honor Jamieson’s memory by assisting students who follow his example in seeking to serve their country and community in uniform.”

The scholarship was established in consultation with Ritter’s family.

Originally from Rochester, New York, Ritter graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School before coming to Syracuse University to complete a degree in communication and rhetorical studies from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Upon graduating from Syracuse, Ritter was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army National Guard.

In November 2020, Ritter joined the Cleveland Division of Police as an officer. As a member of the Ohio Army National Guard, he deployed to Syria in 2022 and returned to continue his service with the Cleveland Division of Police in 2023.

Ritter grew up with an aspiration to serve others. “From an early age, Jamieson possessed an innate understanding of selfless service to the nation and a strong desire to serve his community,” his family shared with the Cleveland Police.

If you are interested in donating to the Jamieson Ritter Memorial Scholarship Fund, please visit the .

Emily Weaver ’24

According to the Department of Defense, interest in military service is on the decline among the nation’s youth, especially those who are qualified for military service. Only 9% indicated they would likely serve in the military; such a low percentage hasn’t been experienced since the months leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.

Emily Weaver ’24, a cadet with the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Syracuse University, is among one-quarter of young adults who are interested in serving and have at least one parent who has served as well. Weaver grew up in Western New York, in Mount Morris, where she and her older brother watched their father depart for multiple deployments.

“My experience growing up was a little bit different from those that I went to school with,” says Weaver, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences where she is pursuing a triple major in earth science, forensic science and anthropology. “I grew up in a military family, my dad served in the U.S. Navy for 34 years and retired as a commander, but he was constantly deployed. My brother and I just understood from a young age that being in the military comes with sacrifice and a difficult lifestyle.”

Having grown up a couple hours from campus, Weaver was aware of Syracuse University prior to enrolling. The proximity to home wasn’t her primary reason for coming here though—she says it was the academic variety and the school’s military initiatives that were most compelling.

“When I was looking at college choices, I wanted someplace that was military friendly because I wanted to do ROTC, but I also wanted to go to a school that had the academic variety where I could study the disciplines I was interested in,” says Weaver.

Weaver is currently the deputy group commander for the University’s Air Force ROTC, making her the second-in-command among the cadets at Detachment 535. Next academic year she’ll step up and become Syracuse University’s highest ranking Air Force ROTC cadet. She has been selected to become the next group commander for the ROTC program. If the responsibilities of leadership and the academic demands of a triple-major were not enough to juggle with her schedule, Weaver is also pursuing a private pilot’s license and, to date, has almost 100 hours logged already.

Additionally, she has volunteered her time with Syracuse CHAARG (Changing Healthy Attitudes and Actions to Recreate Girls), an organization whose mission is to inspire college students, particularly women, to pursue a healthy and active way of life.

“It’s a woman-based workout club basically. It helps provide insight to women on the different type of exercise you can do and empower them to feel comfortable going to the gym, and just having better well-being overall,” says Weaver. Part of the reason she gives her time in helping other women, she says, is because of the impact other women have had on her during her time at Syracuse University.

“Whether it’s the female cadre at the detachment, friends or even fellow cadets in ROTC, they’re some of the most intelligent, hard-working and driven women that I know,” Weaver says.

Looking ahead at military service, Weaver says she wants to pursue a career in military aviation. There are several spots she can apply for, but becoming a pilot in the Air Force can be extremely challenging. Being selected for an aviation program, whether it be as a pilot, remotely-piloted aircraft pilot or combat systems officer, would put Weaver on a unique path that many others, including her peers, are actively seeking.

“We just put in our packages, and hopefully by the end of this semester or the beginning of summer, we’ll find out the results from that. Ultimately, pilot would be my first choice, but I’ll gladly serve in any capacity that they tell me to,” Weaver says.

Weaver is quick to acknowledge that military service comes with distinct challenges many of her fellow classmates may not find appealing, but her experiences have been more of an influence to serve, rather than a deterrence.

“You’re always on call with the military, and even though you might not wear a uniform all the time, you’re always still ‘in uniform’ in a way,” says Weaver. “There’s also a higher sense of discipline that comes with being in the military and being in a military family. At the end of the day, the primary reason I’m choosing the military though is because I’ll be working with a very team-oriented group of people who are all there for the same overarching mission: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and protect the citizens of this country. It’s a tough job, and it comes with a lot of sacrifice. It’s not for everyone but that’s why those that do it understand the sacrifice and the risk that come with it.”

U.S. Army Lt.Col. Matthew Coyne, Chancellor Kent Syverud, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Lippert prepare to present individual awards at the 106th Chancellor’s Review.

When Syracuse University’s fourth Chancellor, James R. Day, reviewed the University’s Cadet Corps on May 4, 1917, he started what would become an annual tradition for the University’s future military leaders.

On March 31, 2023, both Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) units from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force assembled inside the JMA Wireless Dome for the 106^th Chancellor’s Review to carry on that tradition.

Chancellor Kent Syverud, the University’s 12^th Chancellor who called upon the campus community to make Syracuse University the best place for veterans, conducted the pass and review of cadets, escorted by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Matthew Coyne and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Lippert, the ranking members of the respective ROTC units.

Chancellor Syverud highlighted the accomplishments of the University’s ROTC units over the last year. Both the Army and Air Force ROTC will commission 32 officers later this spring. Additionally, the U.S. Army Stalwart Battalion has four distinguished military graduates who will commission in the top 10% of the U.S. Army’s 2023 year group, including Cadet Sarah Sharpe ’23, who came in first out of 802 cadets commissioning into the U.S. Army Reserve.

Syracuse University Army & Air Force ROTC Cadets prepare to be individually awarded for their performance during the 2023 Academic Year at the 106th Chancellor’s Review.

The U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment 535 will commission nine active-duty officers in the spring, including three who are from the detachment’s crosstown universities at SUNY Oswego, SUNY Polytechnic Institute and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

“I’m so proud of the 140 cadets here today who continue our proud tradition of support to those who volunteer to serve,” said Chancellor Syverud during his remarks to the assembled cadets. “Congratulations on your service, leadership and academic excellence. And I’m grateful to our nine partner schools joining us today.”

The annual Chancellor’s Review is also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the University’s ROTC cadets through a presentation of awards issued by the University and off-campus organizations.

Lt. Col. Lippert presented the Professor of Aerospace Studies Scholastic Achievement Award to cadets Adam Landry, Emily Weaver, Charles Tang and Emma Corby. The award is presented to the Air Force cadet with the highest overall academic average for each class.

OVMA Executive Director Col. Ron Novack (U.S. Army, Ret.), presents U.S. Air Force ROTC Cadet Aizhan Moore ’25 with the OVMA Commitment to Service Award.

The U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment awarded the McClune Scholar Award, presented by Kelly Rodoski ’92,�� senior communications manager and Lockerbie Scholars liaison. The award is presented to an Air Force cadet who is in the top half of their class academically, displays outstanding spirit and a positive attitude, and a commitment to international understanding and cooperation. This year’s recipient was Cadet Hunter Burns.

For the U.S. Army Stalwart Battalion, Lt. Col. Coyne presented the Distinguished Military Graduate Awards to members of the graduating class who have maintained a distinguished military student status throughout their time in ROTC and are in the top 20 percent of the national accessions order of merit list. The award was presented to Cadets Jason DiNapoli, Nolan McNeill, Benjamin Rabin and Sarah Sharpe.

Chancellor Kent Syverud congratulates U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Alex Musau ’24 for receiving the Veterans of Foreign Wars Award.

Lt. Col. Coyne also presented the Department of the Army Superior Cadet Award, which recognizes a cadet in the top 25 percent of their class academically, who demonstrates outstanding leadership and has strong officer potential. This year’s recipients are Army Cadets Jason DiNapoli, Richard Bruschi, John Harbaugh and Nicholas Robinson.

A complete list of the awards presented during this year’s Chancellor’s Review, along with additional photos, can be found on the . Those interested in learning more about the university’s ROTC detachments are encouraged to visit .

Paul Dottle, who served as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves during the mid-80’s, established the scholarship while serving as the chair for the OVMA’s advisory board. While Dottle was growing up, his father served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. The experience of growing up in the military culture, and having served himself, left Dottle with a desire to give back to a community he held so much respect for.

The scholarship allows the to recognize deserving cadets within their programs, and many of the university’s graduates have gone on to become part of the university’s list of notable veteran alumni for their accomplishments after graduating from Syracuse University. The scholarship is meant for those who have not already received a full ROTC scholarship and is designed to offset the cost of finishing their degree.

For 2023, the recipients of the Dottle Family ROTC Cadet Scholarship are:

Hunter Burns ’25 – Air Force ROTC

Hunter Burns ’25

Burns is pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering from the . He says one of his more memorable experiences at Syracuse University was being a member of the Color Guard for the Syracuse University vs Duke University men’s basketball game in 2022.

“I decided to join Air Force ROTC because I wanted to serve in the military, that’s something I am passionate about. I also wanted to go to college and get a degree, so this was the decision that made the most sense for me. After graduation, I plan on entering active duty as an officer in the Air Force.”

James Hrdy ’26 – Air Force ROTC

James Hrdy ’26

Hrdy is studying bioengineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He plans on commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and would like to pursue available options to attend medical school after graduation.

“I will never forget when Syracuse hosted the 2022 Battle of New York. Detachments from across New York stayed for two nights in the JMA Wireless Dome while participating in a wide range of activities. I got to meet other people with different aspirations from different schools, and I was able to explore the Dome at night.”

Benjamin Johnson ’24 – Air Force ROTC

Benjamin Johnson ’24

Johnson, who grew up with a father in the U.S. Coast Guard, is studying computer engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He says the wanted to come to Syracuse University because of the school’s reputation for academic excellence, and its unwavering support for military-connected students.

“My overall experience at Syracuse University has been nothing short of amazing. The University has provided me with numerous opportunities to learn and grow, both academically and personally. After Syracuse, I plan to pursue a career in the United States Space Force as a developmental engineer.”

Aizhan Moore ’26 – Air Force ROTC

Aizhan Moore ’26

Moore is enrolled at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, where she studies bioengineering. Her father, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, inspired Aizhan to serve in the military, which is why she’s in ROTC today.

“My most memorable experience as a cadet so far has been the Battle of New York. It was a really cool experience, and I had a great time meeting new people. I hope that joining the Air Force might also be a way for me to travel and learn more about the United States, as well as other countries around the world.”��

Suleiman Salim ’25 – Army ROTC

Suleiman Salim ’25

Salim is an economics student at the . His intent is to attend law school at Syracuse University, and one of his most memorable experiences as an ROTC cade was completing his first 12-mile conditioning hike with a ruck sack.

“I joined ROTC for the opportunity to better myself and push myself past both my mental and physical limits.”

Charles Tang ’24 – Air Force ROTC

Charles Tang ’24

Tang, a political science student at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says he wants to attend law school after graduation, with the intention of ultimately becoming a judge advocate officer in the U.S. Air Force.

“Participating in the AFROTC program has shaped me into a developing leader by continually introducing new challenges. The program has drastically impacted the trajectory of my life goals, where I never imagined the possibility of serving in the military prior to college.”

Joshua Tapia ’24 – Army ROTC

Joshua Tapia ’24

Tapia, a junior with the , studies biology and grew up in nearby Baldwinsville, New York. Tapia also works as a martial arts instructor, teaching Kenpo, and has an internship focused on marketing, resource management, accountability, personnel scheduling and task delegation.

“After graduating I plan to commission as an officer and pursue my career moving forward, I hope to get a job in Air Defense Artillery. I’m incredibly grateful for this scholarship, as it has allowed me to continue to support myself and my family whilst focusing on my education and classwork.”

Emily Weaver ’24 – Air Force ROTC

Emily Weaver ’24

Weaver is a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel and the Deputy Group Commander for Syracuse University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 535, making her the second cadet in command. She is dual majoring in earth science and forensic science with the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I’m extremely grateful that I was selected for the Dottle scholarship. It’s a testament to the fact that the University and its alumni, especially Mr. Dottle, truly care about the military connected students. Coming to Syracuse, it’s not the cheapest, it’s a nice university to go to and that obviously comes with the cost. The fact that he’s willing to provide monetary support for all my endeavors, whether it’s academic, military, or even something like pursuing my private pilot’s license. It means a lot to know they really value, and are investing, in my future as an officer in the military.”

For more information on scholarships and academic opportunities provided through the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, please visit their website at .

Robert Gang was recognized with a certificate by Elizabeth G. Kubala, teaching professor in the College of Law and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, in front of current faculty, alumni, students and honored guests during a College of Law Alumni Weekend event in 2021. (Photo by Mike Roy)

Gang passed away on Feb. 18, 2023, a few months shy of his 105th birthday. The World War II and Korean War Army veteran, attorney, outdoorsman and world traveler demonstrated the meaning of the phrase Forever Orange in his loyalty to his alma mater and his determination to serve others through the skills he learned as a student.

Last year, Syracuse University named Gang a “Hometown Hero” at a celebration during a campus football game (the game ball holds a place of honor in his home). The National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building also and military memorabilia in an exhibition last year. And on his 103rd birthday, College of Law Dean Craig Boise celebrated the oldest living alumnus of the college with a party at Gang’s home and a proclamation recognizing the day as “Bob Gang Day.”

Dean Boise paid tribute once again to Gang in a to the College after he died, noting that Gang had practiced law for 50 years and continued to do pro bono work well into his 80s: “His dedication to the legal profession, to country and to service, his palpable commitment to family and community, and his smile were infectious.”

Gang grew up in the Syracuse area and attended Christian Brothers Academy. According to family lore, his attendance at Syracuse University was mandatory—his father gave him no choice (either Syracuse or no college!). He lived at home as an undergraduate and walked 3.5 miles to campus for class! He chose Army ROTC as a gym class alternative, became a cadet in the “Stalwart Battalion” program and joined the Pershing rifle team.

Gang entered the College of Law immediately upon his graduation in 1939, but the completion of his legal education was interrupted by military service. In fact, he was just five credits from completing his degree when he joined the U.S. Army, serving from 1942 to 1951 as an infantry officer. He completed his law degree while on duty and passed the New York State Bar in 1946, using his legal skills to help represent soldiers charged with misconduct. He served in the inspector general’s office in Camp Bowie in Texas and became an inspector general at Fort Hood.

Bob Gang served from 1942 to 1951 as a U.S. Army infantry officer.

Between World War II and the Korean War, Gang also helped carry on the family funeral home business in Syracuse, which was founded by his great grandfather. After serving his country, Gang started a very successful career in private legal practice, working in the firm Smith, Dolan, Gieselman and Gang. He specialized in real property law and served as the assistant city corporate counsel during his career. Later, he joined the firm of Mackenzie Hughes and retired after more than 50 years, though he continued to practice and serve others in the community.

Gang was a longtime trustee of Christian Brothers Academy, founding member of the Ka-Na-Wa-Ke Canoe Club, an early member of the Onondaga Ski Club, a part owner of the Ironwood Ridge Ski Center and a member of the Angler’s Association of Onondaga; Onondaga Bar Association; Skaneateles American Legion, Post 239; German-American Society of Central New York; Otisco Rod & Gun Club; the Arion Stein Club; Arion Singing Society Men’s Chorus; the Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center; and the Osceola Snowmobile Club.

He is by his wife, Holly Gang, eight children, 15 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, 10 nieces and nephews and eight great-nieces and nephews. Gang’s sons-in-law Ed Moses L’68 and Michael P. Williams L’95 and grandson Matt Moses L’97 all attended Syracuse University for their law degrees.

Cadets from the University’s Army ROTC lead regional high school JROTC cadets through the JROTC Fitness Challenge at the JMA Dome on Feb. 8.

Cadets from Syracuse University’s U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) welcomed more than 120 Junior ROTC cadets to the JMA Wireless Dome on the evening of February 8. The JROTC students came from seven high schools around Central and Western New York, and collectively had representation from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps JROTC programs.

The Stalwart Battalion ROTC cadets were responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of the event, similar to what they will experience on a regular basis as officers in the military. Instead of conducting physical fitness events like this one, however, they will use the same skills to carry out their orders in a wide range of occupational specialties from basic administration and logistics support.

U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Gabrielle Scheeren ’24, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, pauses during a low-crawl demonstration to ensure her team of JROTC students understand how to navigate the obstacle.

“Interacting with them helped me reflect on how much I have developed since being in their position. I really wanted them to understand you don’t need to have it all figured out by your senior year,” says Gabrielle Scheeren ’24, an Army ROTC cadet at Syracuse University and a junior with the College of Arts and Sciences. “Many of them were surprised to learn that medical services, along with branches like cyber and finance, are career options.”��Scheeren served as a team leader for the event, where she led 13 high school students through an intense circuit of exercises at stations scattered throughout the JMA Wireless Dome. The JROTC cadets tackled each station for five grueling minutes at a time, many finding their energy depleted before they had reached the halfway point.

While the university’s ROTC instructors were on hand to monitor the event as a precaution, they remained on the sidelines so the cadets had the opportunity to learn what did, or more importantly, what didn’t work according to their plan. “I was reminded of what thorough planning and preparation can accomplish, as well as the great impact that collaboration and teamwork have in achieving a mission or common goal,” says U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Luke Bonenberger, who is the Cadet Master Fitness Trainer for Stalwart Battalion.

Syracuse University’s mascot, Otto, played a crucial role in the training event.

“Planning for the event was a deliberate and comprehensive process that spanned over the winter break and involved several meetings with the instructors to ensure the execution of the fitness challenge was seamless.” When it comes to the military, many decisions come down to a single person who is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of an operation. For this event, that person was Bonenberger. As the master fitness trainer, he bore a brunt of the responsibility for organizing and running the event. “As with any large-scale event, we dealt with the challenge of adapting to the high volume of JRTOC cadets in attendance and made necessary adjustments on the fly as needed to ensure a seamless and smooth execution.”

In addition to the physically challenging aspects of the event, which primarily served as a training exercise for the university’s ROTC cadets, the event also featured presentations from the University’s Office of Admissions and ROTC recruiting staff. Since JROTC students are somewhat familiar with the benefits of military service, it’s an opportunity to highlight the significance of Syracuse University’s commitment to servicemembers, veterans and their families.

This year, the following high schools from New York participated in the challenge:

• Carthage High School, Carthage, New York
• Fowler High School, Syracuse, New York
• Greece Athena High School, Rochester, New York
• McKinley High School, Buffalo, New York
• Mexico High School, Mexico, New York
• Utica Proctor High School, Utica, New York
• Western New York Maritime Charter School, Buffalo, New York

Two Mexico High School JROTC cadets participate in a fitness challenge event, guided by a Syracuse University Army ROTC cadet.

One JROTC instructor from the participating schools brought more than his cadets to campus, retired U.S. Army First Sergeant Xavier Whitehead previously served with the Stalwart Battalion as a member of the U.S. Army ROTC’s cadre of instructors. Aside from getting a first-hand look at the changes made to the JMA Wireless Dome over the years, Whitehead also had the opportunity to see how the ROTC program has grown over the years.

“A lot of times the high school kids are unaware the ROTC cadets are college students; they just don’t see them like that. Not a lot has changed in that regard, Syracuse University has always produced quality leaders, and it’s great to come back and see that such a long-standing tradition continues today,” says Whitehead.

Sean Stumpf

Born in the Bronx, Sean Stumpf ’07, often watched planes take off and land at nearby LaGuardia Airport.

That childhood fascination sparked a lifelong passion for aviation that fueled his determination to become a pilot. Today, Stumpf is the one doing the takeoffs and landings, but instead of a commercial airliner he flies the C-130J, also known as the Super Hercules, in the United States Air Force.

The C-130 is one of the most versatile aircraft in the world that has been in service since the ’50s and flies missions supporting every branch of the military as well as various civil organizations operating in austere environments.

In high school, Stumpf played baseball and football but also participated in track and field, primarily running in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter races and various relays. Stumpf recalls that in his senior year of high school, he experienced competing in the Dome firsthand, an experience that would become familiar to him in front of family and friends while in college.

“I was a state finalist in track and field my senior year of high school. The state finals were in the Dome that year,” says Stumpf, who serves as the chief of safety for the 317th Airlift Wing at Dyess Air Force Base. “My sister was a student at Syracuse University when I got my first taste of the campus and its beauty though,” Stumpf recalled.

Stumpf was in the Dome when the Syracuse University football team crushed Rutgers University in a blowout 42-0 game. The overall experience left an impression on him and years later, when it came time to apply to college, Syracuse was among his top three choices. He says he was looking for a university where he could study aerospace engineering, participate in Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and run track.

“I was so conflicted because all my choices had so much to offer. One morning, my dad woke me up early and told me to get in the car, that we were going on a four-hour drive,” says Stumpf. “We arrived on campus for our own tour and bumped into some ROTC cadets. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the campus just felt like my new home. A few days later Carmelo Anthony and the men’s basketball team brought home the national title and I was sold.”

Of course, being a full-time college student is time-consuming all on its own. Add on the rigorous schedule for ROTC as well as being a student-athlete and free time becomes almost non-existent. Stumpf’s schedule those first few years started early, long before the sun came up, and ending long after it went down.

“I get tired just thinking about it,” Stumpf says. “Mornings were devoted to ROTC, followed by a day’s worth of aerospace engineering degree requisites, track practice, homework, then bed. Eventually I had to prioritize these things and, since I was not a strong athlete, my degree and ROTC took lead, so I left the team after a couple of years.”

Stumpf graduated from Syracuse and accepted a commission in the USAF as a second lieutenant. Most of his first few years were spent going through the training process to become a C-130 pilot. Initially, he served as a navigator on a C-130 but a few short years later he was selected to become a pilot—a dream he had chased since childhood.

“Since I was young I had always wanted to fly airplanes. They flew over my house all the time to land at LaGuardia,” Stumpf says. “Yes, I’m biased, but being a C-130 crewmember is the greatest job in the Air Force. The missions are always changing, our tactics and problem-solving abilities are always being tested.”

Stumpf has returned to his alma mater a few times since graduating, mostly for athletic or alumni events, but also to speak with current cadets with Air Force ROTC Detachment 535. He returned a few years ago, after becoming an officer, to visit with the ROTC cadets and answer their questions about life in the U.S. Air Force after graduation.

Sharing his knowledge with cadets is one thing, but Stumpf returned earlier this year to give back in an entirely different way that the cadets are sure to remember.

“My fellow pilot, a Syracuse native, and I thought it would be an incredible opportunity for the cadets to get a live look at the C-130J and its dynamic mission,” Stumpf says.

Some people can go years in the military without ever stepping foot on a C-130, much less having the opportunity to fly in one. Getting on a military aircraft, participating in a flight and speaking with the pilots afterward is a rare opportunity, especially for ROTC cadets. The opportunity for this experience was primarily due to Stumpf’s passion for supporting the Air Force ROTC detachment at Syracuse.

With 16 years of service to date, Stumpf plans to finish out his career and retire from the Air Force one day. An exact date isn’t on his mind at the moment, but he is about to reach a major milestone in his military career in early February.

“I’ll reach the pinnacle in a couple of weeks. In February, I will become the squadron commander for the 40th Airlift Squadron, the ‘Screaming Eagles,’ at Dyess Air Force Base,” says Stumpf. “I’m truly humbled to be given this opportunity. I’ll be working for approximately 150 people who’ve volunteered to serve their country; looking after their well-being, professional development, training, and deployment readiness.”

Those interested in learning more about the opportunities available through the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Syracuse University are encouraged to visit the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs .

Stephen Snelson

Stephen Snelson ’97 loved to play with Matchbox cars when he was a child. But unlike his friends, Snelson’s cars had a magical ability to fly, a simple yet imaginative gesture that would one day foreshadow the decorated career Snelson would enjoy in the Air Force.

It’s a lifelong profession that has seen him fly missions all over the world, from Afghanistan to Iraq, and it’s also one that brought him face-to-face with two presidents of the United States and their first ladies.

As the commander of the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Snelson was responsible for oversight of Air Force One and its fleet of executive aircraft that carry out special global air missions that transport the president, vice president, cabinet members, combatant commanders and other senior military and elected leaders to destinations around the world.

Escorting the president to and from Air Force One before and after every flight, Snelson got to know President Donald J. Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, quite well, along with current President and fellow Syracuse University alumnus Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68 and his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Snelson has also flown operational missions worldwide, including combat missions in support of operations Allied Force (in the former country known as Yugoslavia), Southern Watch (southern Iraq), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn (Iraq).

Today, Brig. Gen. Snelson oversees the U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and the surrounding strategic waterways as deputy director of operations, U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

Throughout it all, Snelson, a 26-year veteran of the Air Force, maintains the same steadfast commitment to serving his country that he first learned as a member of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Syracuse University.

“I just knew when I was a little kid that I wanted to fly airplanes. It was a calling from an early age,” says Snelson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in from the .

“If you had told Cadet Snelson in 1993 or 1994 that I’d be 26 years into a career in the Air Force as a two-time wing commander and one-star general, I never would have thought that was in the realm of possibilities,” Snelson says. “But it also speaks to the lessons learned and my approach to life, and it’s amazing how those lessons carry you through life. I learned those lessons and built the foundation of leadership at Syracuse University.”

Humble Beginnings to Distinguished Military Career

While he initially entertained dreams of replicating the daredevil fighter pilot maneuvers made famous by Tom Cruise’s character Maverick in the iconic film “Top Gun,” Snelson quickly realized those gravity-defying moves didn’t sit well with him. Literally.

“My first flight I got airsick, the first of many flights where I got sick up in the air. I came within one flight of washing out of pilot training, but somehow, I made it and I quickly realized being a fighter pilot wasn’t in the cards for me. So I gladly became a cargo pilot, and I loved the teamwork it required and the lifestyle it offered,” Snelson says.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson ’97, left, with President Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68, first lady Jill Biden and Snelson’s wife, Catherine

A relatively new pilot when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks killed 2,996 people, Snelson flew the first of his nearly 100 combat missions in Afghanistan in the weeks after the attacks. On one of the first nights of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Snelson served as a C-17 cargo pilot, air-dropping packets of food to the civilian victims of the war.

Over the next 20 years, Snelson would fly into and out of Afghanistan on an assortment of missions, including leading air drops on select targets across the country. He was deployed to Kuwait during the fast-paced and frenetic final days of the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan, overseeing the day-to-day logistics that led to the successful evacuation of 124,000 Afghan civilians.

The Kabul airport became overrun with people looking for a way out of the country, which was facing an uncertain future with the Taliban assuming control of the war-torn nation. The images of families desperate for a way out left an indelible impression on Snelson, who led efforts to provide those people with food, water and shelter as they gathered at the airport.

“It was a daunting task. Right before we left for good, there was an ISIS suicide bomber that killed 13 service members. Part of my job was working the logistics to get the injured soldiers out of there while saving as many lives as we could. I was proud of what we were able to do in two and a half weeks. We saved the lives of 124,000 people. There’s no other nation in the world that could have or would have done that,” Snelson says.

Two Orange Alumni Walk Onto Air Force One…

Back in the Spring 2021 semester, as Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73 was guiding the Orange into the Sweet 16 of March Madness, Snelson, like many Orange fans, was experiencing serious palpitations.

A huge fan of Syracuse athletics—some of his favorite memories of his time on campus were cheering on the football and basketball teams in the Dome—Snelson’s increased heart rate had nothing to do with the on-court happenings of the men’s basketball team, and everything to do with a short walk on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Morningside, Maryland.

Leading up to Syracuse’s NCAA tournament game against Duke, Snelson was escorting President Biden to his latest flight, and the two started reminiscing about their time on campus. While Snelson keeps the exact contents of their conversation confidential, he proudly shared how the leader of the free world bonded with him about their love of Syracuse University, their passion for the men’s basketball team and how their time on campus set the foundation for their successful careers.

Oh, and of course they shared horror stories of those cold, snowy Central New York winters.

“It’s pretty amazing and pretty humbling to be able to form a bond with the president, especially knowing he went to Syracuse University. I was very nervous. I have one of those watches that tracks your heart rate, and when I looked at the data at the end of the day, during my interaction with the President, my heart rate looked like I was having a massive coronary episode I was so nervous. But it was special to me. Here we were, two proud Syracuse University alumni sharing a moment reminiscing about our alma mater,” Snelson says.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson’s ’97, right, with President Donald J. Trump

During these contentious political times, Snelson says he gained a newfound respect for the position of president. As he was escorting President Trump and President Biden to and from Air Force One, they would often ask Snelson how his wife and two daughters were doing, providing a human element to the most powerful position in this country.

“No matter how you try to rationalize or prepare yourself for an interaction with the president or our country’s other leaders, it was always surreal, but also inspiring. When you have conversations with these leaders, you realize they are people with families, just like me. Those experiences were special. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I treasured every day,” Snelson says.

An Unimaginable Career

Regardless of the position he held, Snelson approached every job with the same voracious work ethic he learned from both his parents and from his time on campus: no one was going to outwork or out-hustle Snelson.

That mentality served him well during a decorated military career that began as second lieutenant in 1997 and saw Snelson ascend to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and, finally, brigadier general.

“It’s unimaginable,” Snelson says when asked to reflect on his career path. “It’s an incredible honor to be the very first Air Force mobility pilot to have this job at Central Command. The job typically goes to an Army Special Forces soldier. It’s an incredible honor and I try to earn that honor every single day.”

This November, as our country celebrates Veterans Day, Snelson is celebrating Syracuse University’s commitment to our nation’s veterans, through the , the , and the other ways the University fulfills its promise to provide veterans with an affordable path to academic success.

“It just makes me so proud, knowing what my alma mater does to set our veterans up for success. It matters. Veterans develop a skill set and background that make them extremely valuable, and Syracuse University is able to train and set our veterans up for success as the leaders of tomorrow,” Snelson says.

“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.

LTC Matthew Coyne, head of the Army ROTC program, posing with his wife, Maria, and children Jamison and Addison.

“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.

“From an opportunity perspective, you’ll find nothing finer than what Syracuse gives to the Army ROTC,” Coyne says. “If you have an inkling or desire to serve, it’s a great way to do it.”

The call to serve is something Coyne understands well.

Growing up in Stony Point, New York, a stone’s throw from West Point, the idea of military service was always in his mind when Coyne thought of his future. That picture came into sharper focus for Coyne after the attacks on September 11, 2001, which came only two weeks into his senior year of high school. That moment galvanized the nation and confirmed his path into military service. He drew from two mentors to help guide him through the application process: one a cross country coach and Marine who served in the National Guard, and another who completed ROTC at Fordham University.

Coyne’s plan was to serve in ROTC at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, serve his Army commitment and return to Stony Point to continue serving his community as a police officer. After he graduated, he went through eight months of initial training, then it was onto his first duty station. Sixty days later, he landed in Afghanistan to lead a platoon of 43 soldiers.

LTC Matthew Coyne, head of the Army ROTC program at Syracuse University, pictured while stationed overseas in Afghanistan.

At 22 years old and less than a year out of college, Coyne shouldered a tremendous responsibility. Ten months into his 15-month deployment, he went home on leave where a chance meeting with an old friend gave him a different perspective. His friend had stayed home to become a police officer, like Coyne had considered, and it wasn’t as exciting. It made him think an Army career would be preferable.

“I thought, ‘I like what I do right now. I’m not sure I’m ready to come back home to do that yet,’” Coyne recalls. “The Army provided me opportunities to travel, the opportunity to meet people and opportunities to pursue more education. I tell younger folks: There’s so much world we don’t explore, and there are so many opportunities. Try something somewhere else for a few years. If you want, you can always come home.”

In addition to deployments to Afghanistan, Coyne has moved eight times in his 16 years of service, including South Korea; Ft. Drum in New York; Ft. Dix in New Jersey; and most recently the Pentagon.

Coyne’s military experiences also gave him a good framework for understanding how to manage the Army ROTC program. He cites structure, time management and prioritization abilities among the life skills he learned through the military. His instructors also had a big influence on him, and his professor of military science had such a lasting impact on his professional development that they still check in with each other.

While the Army afforded him greater education, including a prized spot in the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Coyne actively sought an opportunity to give back to the next generation of leaders. His wife Maria, also from New York, moved away from home for the first time to go across the world while Matthew was stationed in Korea. They both wanted to come home to New York with their young children Jamison (2 ½ years) and Addison (3 months) after Coyne’s most recent assignment at the Pentagon.

“I’m very fortunate to get my number one choice. I look at it as a phenomenal opportunity to get back with the younger generation,” Coyne says. “My focus is on developing officers of character and building them into leaders ready to lead our nation’s sons and daughters. I’m all-in, 100 percent.”

The Ed Delay program is designed as a pathway for ROTC cadets into the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, the military justice and military law branch of the U.S. Army. During their third year of law school, cadets compete for selection into the JAG Corps. Selection for Ed Delay does not guarantee selection for the JAG Corps, but does greatly increase a student’s chances.

“Many ROTC cadets learn about the JAG Corps and seek out the opportunity to attend law school right after their undergraduate studies instead of commissioning directly onto active duty in another branch. Then the students next explore what law school would best prepare them for the JAG Corps. We are so proud that the Syracuse University College of Law has become a school of choice for Army Ed Delay students,” says Beth Kubala, executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic in the College of Law. “Here at the College of Law we have several faculty members with JAG experience and coursework that allows students to focus on national security law. Couple that legal education and mentoring with the university’s support network for military-connected students and our ability to prepare these students to serve as military lawyers is unmatched.”

Ray Scarlatta

Scarlatta came to Syracuse University after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in global supply chain management and a minor in law studies from Clarkson University, where he was a ROTC cadet. At the College of Law, he was designated as president of the National Security Student Association for the 2021-22 academic year, and in 2021 participated in an externship with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum. This year, Scarlatta was selected as the next editor-in-chief of the Syracuse Law Review.

“I applied to the Ed Delay program because I decided when I was a freshman in college that I wanted to be an officer in the JAG Corps,”Scarlatta says.. “I want to be an attorney in the JAG Corps because of the sheer breadth of legal opportunities and experiences that the Army offers young attorneys that private law firms cannot. On top of this breadth of legal experience, I get to represent and assist the best clients in the world–U.S. Army soldiers.”

Anthony “Ben” Emmi

Emmi was a ROTC cadet at Mercyhurst University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and Spanish language before enrolling in the College of Law. He has helped with informational sessions for ROTC cadets, and spent last summer interning for a criminal law firm. Emmi also served as a research assistant for William C. Banks, professor of law emeritus and founding director of Syracuse University’s Institute for Security Policy and Law.

“I applied to the Ed Delay program because I knew that I wanted to serve as a JAG, and I also knew that the JAG Corps is small and competitive,” says Emmi. “While every path to the JAG Corps offers benefits and drawbacks, I saw the Ed Delay program as the first available opportunity to be selected for the JAG Corps.”

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science/international relations and criminology from Stonehill College, Trombly enrolled in the Ed Delay program. He is an active member of the Corporate Law Society and National Security Student Association.

David Trombly

“Syracuse University was touted as a place military-connected students have not only great opportunities to succeed, but are also surrounded by student, staff and faculty veterans,” says Trombly. “Being accepted into the Ed Delay program is a major step in being able to serve as a JAG. At Syracuse, there are former JAGs on campus who will help all of us in the program succeed at a level that optimizes our chances of one day becoming JAGs ourselves.”

“Ray, Ben and David epitomize why Syracuse University is the best place for veterans and military-connected students alike,” says Kubala. “Our hope of course is that through our programs and opportunities at the College of Law that all three of these amazing young attorneys will have rewarding careers as Army JAG officers.”

“Syracuse University College of Law’s ability to attract and produce high performing JAG candidates showcases their unwavering commitment to our military community,” says LTC Aaron Lykling, head of the Army Judge Advocate Recruiting Office. “The Ed Delay program is often seen as the prominent path to becoming a JAG officer. Scarlatta, Emmi and Trombly are an example of the type of phenomenal talent that the program attracts each year.”

Brigadier General Ronald D. Sullivan, an Army Judge Advocate currently serving as the chief judge (IMA) of the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, is a 1993 Army ROTC graduate of the Howard University Bison Battalion.�� Sullivan entered the Army ROTC Educational Delay Program and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1996.�� “As an Army ROTC distinguished military graduate, I was really excited to be selected for assignment to the Field Artillery Branch, but more than anything I wanted to be an Army JAG attorney,” Sullivan says. “For or me, the Army Ed Delay program was the best path to achieve this personal goal. �� The trust that the Army placed in me, by affording me the chance to pursue my dream to practice law as a member of the Army JAG Corps Regiment, was a daily motivator throughout law school.”

about the Army Educational Delay Program.

Mayra Quintana (left) and Kamryn Olkowski interned for one month at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Kamryn Olkowski hails from Colorado Springs, Colorado, where prior to attending the USAFA she served as a signal intelligence analyst for the U.S. Air Force. She always knew she wanted to go to the academy growing up because she attended local sports camps and programs there. When she applied the first time, however, she was denied. With a no-quit attitude, Olkowski applied twice while serving active duty and was finally accepted to attend the USAFA. As a rising senior, Olkowski is a management major, which covers topics such as accounting, finances and marketing.

Mayra Quintana was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where a tough family life molded her into the person she is today. “My dad was arrested when I was 8 years old, and he’s been in prison for most of my childhood,” says Quintana. Her community is heavily impoverished and deals with constant violence and drugs. Quintana had her eyes set on college, and during junior ROTC in high school, she decided to apply to the USAFA and become a beacon of hope for others. Similarly, to Olkowski, Quintana is a rising senior also majoring in management and uses her experiences to speak with members of her community about the ways she has avoided becoming a statistic in her community.

Both cadets, as part of CSRP, gained insight on opportunities available to them in the workforce. Olkowski says, “When looking at what the IVMF was and the focus on entrepreneurship, as an aspiring entrepreneur I knew that it could provide me with some insight and maybe something that I could use in the future.” While cadet Quintana says she initially found out about VET-SIM (a project focused on helping student veterans navigate collegiate study), she thought this would give her the experience and opportunity to help others, specifically veterans, through research.

Quintana is looking forward to taking what she has learned under Linda R. Euto, associate director for research and evaluation at the IVMF, and Professor Benjamin Dotger, from the School of Education, and the project and implementing it at the academy. Quintana says, “Within each squadron [100 cadets] at the academy, there is an officer and enlisted member in charge of those cadets. Applying what VET-SIM is trying to accomplish can potentially close the gap between officers, who have much more training through the academy, and their enlisted peers who are working with students.”

Within entrepreneurship, Olkowski has been working on the community navigator pilot program (CNPP), which was awarded to the IVMF through a Small Business Administration grant. The CNPP program includes seven hub organizations, in this case one of them being the IVMF, at the center of a network of spoke organizations that engage trusted community advocates to support veteran small businesses. Olkowski says, “I have been analyzing what our hub at the IVMF does to coordinate with our 16 spokes. I am then comparing that to the other seven hubs and taking the best parts of what they are doing and coordinating with IVMF staff to implement them [the best parts] into our hub.” Through her analysis Olkowski has also been part of restructuring the community navigator website design, as well as creating a document explaining the project.

While the cadets spent most of their time working in their respective groups, they did have the opportunity to attend the Veteran Entrepreneur Success Summit in Washington, D.C., featuring members of the . They were able to make new connections with successful veteran business owners and learn about other segments of IVMF programming. Reflecting on the experience Quintana says, “Everyone was super genuine and supportive and giving us so much wisdom and knowledge. It was cool to be there and see successful people encouraging us to start our businesses and careers earlier than later.” Olkowski says, “We were nervous about it, we did not want to annoy all the people from their actual networking opportunities. But everyone was genuine about wanting to connect with us and talk with us.”

As both cadets enter their final years at the academy, they thought about what life might be like for them after they fulfill their military service. Olkowski says her hope is to one day open a consulting business for people who are dealing with death and navigating that process. She hopes that she can bridge the gap for folks struggling to balance the administrative nature of the task of dealing with death and the personal emotion that accompanies the process. Quintana is looking back on her community, and what it means to be a female minority in the military. She hopes that others will see what she has done and be inspired to follow in her footsteps making positive change in her community and others across the country.

Quintana and Olkowski shared their appreciation of the IVMF and what they learned in a short amount of time. Olkowski says, “After seeing the number of resources offered at the IVMF I am going share what I have learned with others facing the transition process. It is nice to have this resource in my back pocket for when I transition out as well.” Both women are excited to get back to the academy and share their experiences from the IVMF with other cadets.

“I got my acceptance letter, and my mom asked me where Syracuse was. I had no idea,” Lim says. “I thought I was going to New York City.”

Sara Lim ’22

That might be the only part of Lim’s story that has seemingly taken her off track. She emigrated from South Korea when she was 5 years old, settling with her family in Suwanee, Georgia. Though her father served in the Korean military years before she was born, she found her drive to join Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) through experiences with other military-connected people growing up.

Lim says she always had somebody nearby who was a veteran or whose parents had served. When a neighbor’s experience inspired her to look toward a future career with the FBI or CIA, she learned they prefer a military background and fixed her path toward the military.

“I wanted to be different and do something nobody else in my family was doing, live the exciting life and join an organization where they send me to travel somewhere, but for the country,” she says. “I always looked at the military as one big opportunity.”

Lim’s high school had an Air Force Junior ROTC program, which she joined and cemented her affinity for the Air Force. When it came time for her to consider colleges, she knew she didn’t want to go to the same universities where others in her graduating class would head. Her parents also nurtured her desire to explore different options.

“Though their way of teaching changed as I got older, and they got a little less strict, I’ve always been encouraged to do something I love and I enjoy,” she says. “America is the place of opportunities, and I looked at college and Air Force ROTC as an opportunity to leave Georgia and make connections.”

Lim found all those opportunities at Syracuse University. She set out to study international relations at a top-rated university and serve as an Air Force ROTC cadet. This month she will graduate with a double major in international relations and political science with a region concentration in the Middle East and North Africa and a topic concentration in intercultural communications.

She’s also been selected to be an air battle manager (13B) in the Air Force, the military’s offensive team that coordinates with pilots during their missions. Lim will attend training at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida for her first six months of active duty.

“I never toured Syracuse, never came to visit, and I knew day one of ROTC that this is where I’m supposed to be,” she says. “The group was very welcoming, which was very affirmational. I knew the minute I set foot here that I made the right decision.”

Lim has found opportunities to start her military adventures early, including a professional development training called Ops Air Force Base the summer between her freshman and sophomore year. She spent two weeks at an Air Force Base in South Carolina with several other cadets from around the country to learn about the different career fields and how operations work. A few years later, she would see some of the same cadets again during her field training exercises, which helped reaffirm the familial feeling she appreciated in her Air Force ROTC experience.

Lim (left) with Isa Lee ’22

Lim also participated in Project GO, which stands for “global officer,” a competitive language immersion program available for all ROTC cadets, which afforded the opportunity to visit Korea for two months. As a native speaker of Korean, Lim welcomed the unique opportunity to study at Yonsei University in South Korea, one of the top three private universities in the country, alongside other universities with language programs there, in partnership with Georgia Tech. It was a unique opportunity to marry some of her foundational experiences in the same place. Coincidentally, one of the professors from the Georgia Tech program used to be Lim’s bible study teacher in elementary school.

Though some of her biggest challenges have come with trying to balance ROTC duties with the demands of her academics, navigating COVID during the process was an extra hurdle. For a while, all her classes were online, and her only in-person interactions were with fellow ROTC students. In addition to finding balance, she learned to navigate interpersonal relationships and how to be professional in a natural hierarchy.

Still, Lim knows she arrived at exactly the right place. She’s met students from other schools and knows she’s lucky to enjoy the tight-knit, caring nature of her fellow cadets at Syracuse. She’s proud to know that one of the things alumna and fellow Air Force ROTC Detachment 535 graduate Colonel Eileen Collins ’78, H’01, USAF (retired) mentioned in her book was being able to connect when she visited the Air Force ROTC detachment at Syracuse University.

“Obviously, it started out with the best people, because a strong culture of caring and being able to connect was embedded into our program years before we came,” she says. “We care for each other a lot more than you would expect.”

Student veteran Commencement in 2019

This year a total of 301 students with military ties representing all branches of the U.S. military, along with 37 future military leaders in ROTC, will earn Syracuse University diplomas at the new National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

The student veteran Commencement will take place at 8 a.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium, and . There will be a light reception honoring these graduates in the NVRC at the Bisignano Grand Hall immediately following.

The commissioning celebration will also take place in the Tan Auditorium from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET, and . Respective pinning and salute ceremonies will take place following the University’s joint commissioning celebration.

The 5K, organized by cadets Madeline R. Messare ’22 and Lillian McGowen ’23, is open to all students, faculty and staff and is intended to educate and spread awareness about sexual harassment and sexual assault.��Participants can .

Free T-shirts will be available to the first 50 people who arrive outside the Shine Student Center at 6:30 a.m.

Along with the Army ROTC’s Stalwart Battalion, the run/walk/roll is being held in collaboration with the University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, Student Veterans Organization, Air Force ROTC and Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services.

SHARP stands for the U.S. Army’s��Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, the Army’s integrated, proactive effort to end sexual harassment and sexual assault within its ranks, through education, resources and training.

For University information about support services, reporting options, educational opportunities and policies, visit the University’s .

Chancellor Kent Syverud congratulates a cadet during the 105th annual Chancellor’s Review ceremony at the Stadium.

Among those recognized were Army Cadet Isabella Lee and Air Force Cadet Erin Beaudoin, presented with the Commitment to Service Award by Vice Chancellor Michael Haynie. The award honors one cadet from Army ROTC and one from Air Force ROTC, each a veteran or dependent of a military veteran, in the top 10% of their ROTC class academically, and demonstrate a strong commitment to military service and a proven understanding of citizenship through patriotism and community service.

In addition, 40 cadets were further recognized with awards presented by numerous civilian and military organizations, recognizing those with outstanding academic performances.

“With one of the longest consecutively running ROTC programs in the country, this annual ceremony is indicative of Syracuse University’s rich history and deep commitment of supporting veterans and military families,” says Col. (Ret.) Ron Novack, executive director of the OVMA. “The cadets’ leadership skills combined with their actions in and out of the classroom, in terms of a focus on service and dedication to learning, make the overall campus culture stronger, enhancing all of our experiences.”

The 104th Annual Chancellor’s Review and Awards Ceremony was held virtually in 2021.

The will be held live and in person again in the stadium on Friday, March 25, at 10 a.m.��There will be a light luncheon following the ceremony in Club 44.

The review is an annual tradition showcasing Army and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from Syracuse University and its partner schools conducting drill and ceremony exercises and receiving academic and leadership awards and honors.

The event honors the distinguished performance of the cadets throughout the academic year while working toward commissioning as second lieutenants in the Army and Air Force upon graduation. Syracuse University’s Army ROTC is one of the longest consecutive running programs of its kind in the country.

Past distinguished University ROTC graduates include Air Force Colonel (retired) Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle mission, and Major General (retired) Peggy Combs, who became the highest-ranking female military officer to graduate from Syracuse University. Collins graduated from Syracuse in 1978 with a bachelor of arts in mathematics and economics, and Combs was commissioned in May 1985 as a distinguished military graduate. Combs is currently a board member of the University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

Please RSVP to labates@syr.edu by March 18. Parking for the event is available at the Irving Garage.

Janice Poe

“I thought: Are you crazy? Are you really going to leave because you don’t want to make that commitment?” she says. “Now I realize it was the best decision I made in my life.”

Just 10 days after leaving West Point, Poe enlisted in the Army National Guard. It came with greater flexibility, and combined with a Minuteman scholarship, she’d have her college fees covered. Her plan was to get back to school, and she didn’t expect to get called for duty right away. That’s when COVID hit, and Poe found herself with a unit in rural Georgia on the front lines of pandemic relief.

First, she staffed a warehouse with consolidated medical supplies, helping to manage distributions of face masks, hand sanitizer and other protective equipment. After only three months, she earned a leadership position. She started running a project to get food to children who were learning from home while schools went to remote learning. Poe’s team helped to prepare and count meals, package onto buses and distribute them in areas of need.

“We had the same families who came every day, and I realized that school was the only time these children could get a meal,” Poe says. “It was really humbling to do something like that.”

When she wrapped that assignment, she was excited to be heading to Syracuse University. She found the liaison and process very helpful, especially since her circumstances were complicated.

“I genuinely felt they wanted what’s best for me,” she says. “They were just so helpful and inviting, I never felt like I didn’t belong here.”

She took an interstate transfer from Georgia, where she served in the 221 Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, to New York to join the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquarters. She picked the unit closest to Syracuse University, which happens to be an infantry unit, and very different from what she did in Georgia.

Even after her successful time at West Point, she had reservations about making a switch to an infantry unit. She had nothing to worry about. Poe did such a great job during a two-week simulated warfighting exercise that her unit surprised her with her first Army Achievement Medal. She surprised them, too, as they had no idea about her prior experience as a cadet.

Janice Poe

“I was so nervous to come to this unit, and they made me so much better,” she says. “They’ve been the most amazing unit. I love them so much.”

As a Simultaneous Membership Program cadet, Poe gets to experience student life with the Syracuse ROTC battalion and continue service in the guard. She’s a chemistry major and plans to attend physician assistant school after graduating in December. Her volunteer work at the COVID testing center at Syracuse University ties well with her pandemic experience from Georgia and helps with the clinical hours she needs.

Through her studies at Syracuse, Poe also started contributing to research on health care in marginalized communities, which helped lead her to work with Joseph Chaiken, professor of chemistry. They’re testing a device that can be placed over a person’s finger and test blood without using needles. She’s helping to focus some research on differences in skin tone and pigments. Her capstone study is to test the device among many people to see whether it needs to account for different skin tones.

“The moment he started talking about it, I thought it’s so cool, and there’s something I could do with it to make a difference,” she says.

Poe is grateful she made that seemingly crazy decision about leaving West Point when she did.

“Could I do it? Absolutely, without a doubt. Would I have been happy? Absolutely not. I would have stayed, but it wouldn’t have made me as happy as I am now. I’m able to learn as a soldier and grow as a leader while I can pursue my interests,” Poe says. “The ultimate goal for me is to have a balance between time in service and devoting my time in research and my career.”

Air Force veteran Stephen Woodard ’70 returned to campus in August and received his diploma from retired U.S. Army Col. Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. Woodard was unable to attend his graduation in 1970.

It wasn’t until his senior year that something changed; he didn’t feel welcome on campus anymore after he and other cadets returned from a summer ROTC training exercise and were told they could not wear uniforms on campus.

“This was during the Vietnam War, and there were numerous demonstrations on campus against the military,” says Woodard, who was born and raised in Syracuse. “Demonstrators would throw things on the door of the gym, which is where our offices were.”

Back then, it was tradition for ROTC cadets to have graduation and commission in the Archbold Stadium right on campus; however, during Woodard’s senior year, that all changed. The campus climate was tense due to feelings about the Vietnam War and so commissioning was held off campus at nearby Hancock Field.

“What was really sad was not one university official came to our commissioning, and that left a bitter taste in my mouth,” he adds. “Syracuse is my hometown university, and it was just a horrible feeling.”

After commissioning from Syracuse University in 1970, he served in the U.S. Air Force for five years of active duty, and then four years in the reserve as a search and rescue pilot. He had several deployments in the Middle East and in the Pacific and finished his military career in the Philippines where he ran the flight line in the evacuation of Saigon, and then was a liaison for ROTC in South Carolina.

Woodard and his wife have two sons, Douglas and Jeff, and two daughters-in-law, Noel K. Sior-Woodard ’94 and Lanette Woodard. Noel is a 1994 graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and loved her time at Syracuse, and so did Carol Woodard. They were upset Woodard didn’t have the same feelings for their beloved school, so that is when they contacted the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA). Soon after, the Woodard family came to Syracuse in August to learn about how a renewed campus commitment to being the “best place for veterans” had been reinvigorated since their time here in the 1960s.

Air Force veteran Stephen Woodard ’70 served in the U.S. Air Force for five years of active duty, and then four years in the reserve as a search and rescue pilot.

“I could not comprehend the difference in SU when we went in August compared to what it was 50 years ago,” Woodard says. “It was the exact opposite—we had two offices in the gym and now there is an entire building—the National Veterans Resource Center.”

Woodard also got to talk to current ROTC cadets and said it was great to share his experience and hear about theirs.

During Woodard’s visit, the OVMA presented him with a degree since he did not get to walk at his graduation.

“It was gratifying to share Syracuse University’s commitment to veterans and military families and all that has been done since his time here,” retired U.S. Army Col. Ron Novack, executive director of the OVMA, says. “Veterans and their families are an integral part of our culture and experience, and they bring diversity, equity and inclusion to our campus.”

While he served during the Vietnam War, he never stepped foot on the ground there, which he says was ironic given how cadets were treated during that time. Despite the hardships he faced before going active duty and then during the isolating times of search and rescue missions, he was grateful for his time in the military and remembers his fellow service members who were lost in the line of duty.

“I lost probably 10% of my flight class,” he says. “It’s tough in the military… it’s not only tough on you but sometimes it’s harder on the families.”

His father also served in the military as a U.S. marine in Iwo Jima. He says the recent events in Afghanistan brought back memories of PTSD and he’d think about his dad’s service. “It’s so much different now with no draft and an all-volunteer force,” he says. “It’s hard for others to understand.”

Woodard and his wife now call Woodstock, New York, home, and also live outside Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, now. Their service in helping others still thrives as both were firefighters in Woodstock for 30 years. “It was very rewarding because we saved a lot of people,” he says.

Syracuse University now has a whole new meaning to Woodard. “It’s great to have an institution like the National Veterans Resource Center where those who transition out of the military have a place to go to,” he says. “The NVRC helps bridge that gap which is invaluable to any veteran.”

Ryan Austin Yon volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club of Syracuse.

Growing up in Clemson, South Carolina, Yon always knew he wanted to branch out. After reading “Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul” by John Eldredge, Yon was inspired to join the U.S. Army in 2017. “I then attended the Army dive school and just fell in love with the organization and continued to challenge myself,” he says.

Yon’s Army duty brought him to Fort Drum, where he served in the 548th Division Sustainment Support Battalion. From vehicle mechanic to public affairs officer to assisting in natural disasters, Yon fulfilled many roles—fixing and revamping gear to helping provide aid after Hurricane Florence and the California wildfires.

Ryan Austin Yon during a field training exercise at Fort Drum, NY.

Yon is taking full advantage of his time at the University by participating in various sports, clubs and organizations. He has been on the water polo team, the cheer team, served in the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education program, was a teaching assistant for the python programming course in the School of Information Studies, interned as a research consultant with Orange Success, was a student veteran representative for Undergraduates for Better Education, and was a volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club.

Most recently, Yon has taken on a larger role as an assistant with the Veteran Career Services department, where he helps incoming and current student veterans and military-connected students take advantage of resources on campus. “My favorite part of the job is meeting them and helping them succeed by showing them the resources available and how wonderful this University is by aiming everything they do to serve veterans,” says Yon. “I want to make sure they’re doing something impactful when they leave here.” Additionally, he is a location coordinator for and a student with .

Upon graduating, Yon plans to become a cyber operations officer with the U.S. Army National Guard and pursue a career in technology consulting. “I want to go into the National Guard because I can still help veterans transition to civilian life and be successful, while having a full-time career and continuing to be a mentor for FourBlock,” Yon says.

Helping others came to fruition for Yon when he joined the Army, specifically at Fort Drum. He says when he spent a year competing for the Green to Gold scholarship, many of his fellow soldiers felt they couldn’t apply because they didn’t have the time commitment to do so. Once Yon was awarded the scholarship, he said the climate of his unit changed completely. “I had people coming up to me afterwards and told me I inspired them to apply, and now I have three friends who completed their packets,” he added. Yon hopes to continue encouraging people to meet their true potential by growing as leaders and strengthening their organizations, whether it be in the military or civilian world.

Yon encourages other service members to so they can experience what he has, and to do so at Syracuse University. “The University’s resources and outreach are second to none,” he says. “The history here is something to be a part of. They helped implement the G.I. Bill, and they have the longest consecutively running ROTC program in the nation, and the best, I believe.”

The University’s National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building will be officially dedicated on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

While a grand opening celebration in April 2020 was sidelined due to the pandemic, the University’s National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building will be officially dedicated on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The campus community is invited to attend the event, which will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium at the NVRC.

A center of research, innovation and programming in support of our nation’s veterans; a community hub for student veterans and the entire campus; and a beacon to all who have served this country, the NVRC is a first-of-its-kind facility that advances the economic and wellness concerns of the nations’ veterans and their families.

The dedication of the NVRC, which builds on Syracuse University’s long-standing commitment to the veteran and military-connected community, celebrates another important milestone in the University’s history in connection with our country’s service members.

Along with guest speakers, the event will feature a fireside chat with Mike Hayes, chief digital transformation officer at VMware, retired U.S. Navy SEAL commander and author, and Britt Slabinski, Medal of Honor recipient and retired U.S. Navy SEAL master chief special warfare operator.

Those interested in attending are asked to .

Several years in the making, the D’Aniello Building began to fill with staff and opened to the campus community in early February 2020, but the pandemic and public health guidelines necessitated a postponement of a planned dedication.

The National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building brings together the University’s veteran and military-related programs.

Bringing together the University’s veteran and military-related programs, the facility houses the University’s (IVMF) that conducts national training around the country, the that is the front door for any student veteran or military-connected member need on campus, both Army and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), the ,” , and office space for local, county and state government veteran representatives and community-based veterans organizations.

Officials expect tens of thousands of veterans per year will receive training and support through programs at the new facility, either in person or online.

“This new building is the result of the hard work and effort of many people, and builds on the University’s storied history of support to our nation’s veterans and their families. It has been wonderful to witness staff and faculty, ROTC students, student-veterans and researchers make their new home here,” says J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and IVMF founder. “We’re excited to welcome all members of the campus and local community—as well partners from around the nation—to this first-of-its-kind center, created specifically to elevate research, educational programs, and community collaborations that advance opportunity for our nation’s veterans and military-connected families.”

Along with classrooms and offices, the 115,000 square-foot center also features a 750-seat auditorium, the K.G. Tan Auditorium.

The building is named in honor of U.S. Navy veteran and Life Trustee Daniel D’Aniello ’68 and his wife, Gayle, who provided a $20 million gift in support of the construction of the facility. D’Aniello, co-founder and chair emeritus of The Carlyle Group, earned a bachelor’s degree from what is now the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Funding was also provided through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council’s winning proposal, as part of New York State’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

The NVRC represents one of the six themes of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan and a key strategic priority of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s—to distinguish Syracuse as the premier university for veterans, military-connected students and families, with enhanced and expanded programs to help them achieve their academic goals.

In addition, the LEED-certified facility was the first new building constructed as part of the University’s Campus Framework, which works with the Academic Strategic Plan to guide the future of the campus environment and enhance the student experience, integrate accessibility and improve academic and research spaces.

Construction of the building, which was designed by the New York City firm SHoP Architects, began in 2018 and incorporates universal design standards, with ADA compliance, to ensure a welcoming, inclusive space for all veterans and visitors.

Along with classrooms and offices, the 115,000 square-foot center also features a 750-seat auditorium, available as a resource to the entire campus; a rooftop parade field for drill and ceremony training for ROTC cadets; a large event space and a gallery exhibition space.

A flag raising ceremony was held in August 2020 at the National Veterans Resource Center.

The College of Law held its Alumni Weekend event titled “Serving Veterans at the College of Law and in the Community” on Sept. 25, at the Grand Hall, National Veterans Resource Center. The oldest living College of Law alumnus and veteran, Robert Gang, was recognized with a certificate by Elizabeth G. Kubala, executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, in front of current faculty, alumni, students and honored guests. (Photo by Mike Roy)

Gang grew up in the Syracuse area and attended Christian Brothers Academy for high school. His father gave Gang limited choices for his next steps after high school, “My father gave me an option. It was Syracuse University or no college,” says Gang.

Ultimately his goal was to attend law school, so he majored in political science. When Gang entered college in 1935, he said he needed to fulfill a requirement for a gym course. He was rejected from the athletic department, so he chose Army ROTC as a gym class alternative. He ended up joining the program as a cadet. Gang was a member of the Syracuse University Pershing rifle team. Gang made use of a rifle range in the basement of what was then Archbold Gymnasium, and practiced on targets 50 meters away.

Syracuse University was a smaller regional campus when Gang attended in the 1930s, and Gang did not live on campus as an undergraduate student. Instead, he lived at home with his parents and two siblings, walking 3 1/2 miles to campus for class, including during the harsh Syracuse winter weather. Gang would graduate in 1939, and immediately enrolled in the College of Law.

Before finishing his law degree in 1942, Gang took an Army physical in December. He was told he needed to report to the 630th Tank Destroyer battalion at Fort Jackson in South Carolina the following month. He was five credit hours from a degree in law. He would complete his degree by passing his finals while on duty, and passed the New York State Bar exam on May 22, 1946.

He went on to serve from 1942 to 1951 as a US Army infantry officer. Gang’s legal training was a huge resource to those he served with, especially when he represented soldiers charged with misconduct. In the military, Gang encountered many situations where he was given a task he had never done before. He would often do as much research as possible, employing the study habits he learned as a law student.

Bob Gang served from 1942 to 1951 as a U.S. Army infantry officer.

When he was assigned to Camp Bowie in Texas, Gang worked with an inspector general who was very behind in his work despite working over 100 hours a week. After working with him for only month, the inspector general was discharged from the Army. “I reported back to the general and he said to me, ‘Until I find another job for you, go back to the inspector general’s office and do what you can.’” Gang picked up the general’s work and a month later had caught up the backlog. He would later serve as an inspector general at Fort Hood in Texas.

After serving his country, Gang came back to Syracuse and started a very successful career in private practice, working in the firm Smith, Dolan, Gieselman and Gang. He specialized in Real Property law and served as the assistant city corporate counsel during his career. Gang practiced law for 50 years, doing pro bono work into his 80s.

Today, Gang lives with his second wife, Holly. He has eight children and 15 grandchildren. Gang’s family continues his legacy. His son-in-law, Ed Moses L’68, and grandson Matt Moses L’97 both attended Syracuse University for their law degrees. Gang’s advice to people, especially law students, after a century plus of experience is, “Do your own homework.”

Paul Dottle

One of the people behind this annual scholarship is Paul Dottle. Dottle says his involvement with Syracuse University first began in 2010 when his son Griffin became an Air Force ROTC cadet.

“My son was just getting started and I was just clicking around on the Syracuse University website when I found the Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF). I reached out to them and set up a meeting,” says Dottle. He met with Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the IVMF Mike Haynie and Assistant Vice President for Veterans Development for IVMF Raymond Toenniessen. “I was just really blown away by their energy, passion and commitment to military-connected families. I decided right then that this was an effort I could really get behind”

Dottle said his goal was to ensure that students who aren’t on full ROTC scholarships had the financial support to finish their degrees. He also wanted to ensure student veterans had comprehensive support through graduation. “I think we have to be creative to meet student veterans where they are in their journey. If that’s on campus, then Syracuse University can provide a full suite of support. Student veterans tend to be older, and because of that independence, they may have limited support options. We also need to help them with internships and job placement opportunities that meet their unique needs,” says Dottle.

In September 2013, Kent Syverud was appointed Chancellor and President by the University’s Board of Trustees. “What I learned early on was that the support of the Chancellor is critical to making all this happen,” says Dottle. Syverud made making Syracuse University the best place for veterans a strategic imperative. “In my experience in the corporate world, if the top person is committed to an action and consistently backs it up with not just words but actions, you can get a tremendous amount done. The Chancellor’s commitment is unwavering,” says Dottle. Syverud assumed the leadership post in January 2014 and the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) was established in 2015. OVMA serves as the front door to student veterans beginning their journey in higher education and supporting them beyond graduation.

Dottle’s passion for supporting student veterans grows from his personal experience with the U.S. military. As the child of a U.S. Army officer himself, Dottle says he’s practically been immersed in the military his entire life. As a child he was moving around the world in support of his father. Both of his brothers have served, one as a U.S. Army NCO and another as a civilian employee for the Department of the Army. Dottle himself served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Dottle felt like the timing was right for him to get involved from both a professional and personal interest.

In 2018, Dottle became chair of the OVMA board of advisors. This group was built to provide advice and counsel to University leadership related to programs, initiatives and opportunities positioned to advance the educational goals of the University’s veteran and military-connected students. Dottle helped lead this diverse group made up of individuals with deep levels of experience from the military, government, business, higher education and public service sectors.

Dottle feels his involvement with an organization like OVMA allows his support to have an exponential impact on a community that means so much to him personally. After his son, Griffin, commissioned after graduating in 2014, Dottle’s daughter Madelyn also attended Syracuse University and graduated in 2018.

This past May, Dottle stepped down as chair of the OVMA board of advisors. Dottle thinks the OVMA is in great hands. He says OVMA’s Executive Director Ron Novack and his team are dedicated and “relentless” in their support of student veterans. “The OVMA would not be successful without Ron’s unyielding and undying dedication to the mission. He makes the job of the board and the board chairman so much easier because of the way he shows up each and every day,” says Dottle. “He’s a difference maker.”

His vision for the OVMA going forward is to continue to be forward-thinking about the needs of student veterans and think about supporting them not only next semester, but also addressing their challenges three to five years ahead. “How do we use the network of all of our board members to really find and drive the opportunities that are going to continue making Syracuse University the best place for veterans?” says Dottle. He has total confidence in the incoming chair of the OVMA board of advisors, Rich Jones. “Rich is a great leader and has a tremendous network,” says Dottle.

Lt. Col. Ryan Lippert

Syracuse University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) welcomes its new commander, Lt. Col. Ryan Lippert, to Central New York this semester. Born in Illinois, Lippert grew up in Colorado and has adopted Mandeville, Louisiana, as his unofficial hometown. Lippert is an identical twin. His brother is also a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. Joining him in Syracuse is his wife, a prior service pilot, and their three children, two boys and a girl, 10, eight, and six.

Lippert was previously stationed at Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, an air base near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. In addition to flying the F-15E Strike Eagle, he served in numerous positions with the most recent being the 48th Operations Support Squadron commander. In that role, he was responsible for over 230 airmen, civilians and contractors that kept the airfield open and supported members of the three fighter squadrons.

For Lippert, flying the F-15E Strike Eagle was fulfilling a dream he has had since the seventh grade. After graduating high school Lippert attended the US Air Force Academy and was lucky enough to be selected for pilot training. He learned to fly at Columbus Air Force base in Mississippi. And after a year of training, he was selected to remain as an instructor pilot. Over the course of his career, he has taught hundreds of airmen how to fly.

Lippert says the best pilots embrace the role of a lifelong learner. “As we get into education, we start finding that we never stop learning,” says Lippert. “I think successful Air Force officers and enlisted leaders are lifelong learners because they realize that they don’t have all the answers.”

The same mentality of a lifelong learner lends itself well to leadership, says Lippert. “Each person’s a little bit different. We don’t have a cookie cutter approach because they’re all different and we need to be able to adapt our leadership style to them.”

Lt. Col. Lippert with his wife, Shannon.

Now in his role as AFROTC commander, he hopes to instill the values that make effective airmen, such as integrity, loyalty and trustworthiness. Lippert says a willingness to accept constructive feedback is also important. “The best pilot is not always the one who is the smartest.” says Lippert. “I think that not only applies to flying, but I think it applies in the classroom as well. Recognizing when you’re struggling and the willingness to be humble enough to ask for assistance will go a long way.”

Lippert’s vision for Syracuse University’s AFROTC is to continue inspiring, empowering and developing joint-minded leaders and aggressive learners who are ready to lead. “They may not have all the answers, but they need to work really hard to find those answers. And that means asking questions. That means doing a little bit of research, and that goes back to that life-long learning.”

Undergraduate students interested in a career in the aerospace industry could potentially find AFROTC a great first step. Ultimately, Lippert’s goal for the AFROTC cadets he will command is to be the best versions of themselves.

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets officially became the next generation of military leaders at the University’s annual commissioning ceremony in May.

Cadets from Syracuse University, Le Moyne College, Utica College, Hamilton College, State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, SUNY Polytechnic Institute and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry commissioned as second lieutenants in their respective service branches.

“This year’s commissioning cadets thrived in unprecedented circumstances and were instrumental in Syracuse University’s COVID response,” says retired Col. Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at Syracuse University. “Our ROTC programs are always an important component of the University’s effort to be the best place for veterans and military-connected students. But this year’s class gave back and helped ensure not only their successful completion, but that the entire campus could remain open during the health crisis. We are proud of these newly commissioned second lieutenants and are confident they will represent both Syracuse University and our country well in their military careers.”

U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets were commissioned at the University’s annual ceremony in May.

Brigadier General Steve Marks, the deputy commanding general of United States Army Special Operations Command, delivered a keynote address to Army cadets and welcomed them to the officer corps. Marks is an ROTC graduate, earning his commission from the University of Missouri ROTC program in 1992.

The commissioning ceremony is the beginning of the graduating seniors’ military career as second lieutenants in either the U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force. Each cadet was given their first salute by a mentor, family member or friend who serves or has previously served in the military. Following the salute, each new officer presented his or her mentor with a silver dollar as a token of gratitude and respect.

Syracuse University boasts one of the longest continuously running ROTC programs in the country, as well as a storied relationship with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with the current cadre of Syracuse ROTC cadets, including multiple students whose parents attended West Point.

Vincent Miczek

Vincent Miczek ’21 recently earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) and is commissioning into the United States Air Force and will be headed to Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. At the end of 2021, he’ll start pilot training.

“There is a strong correlation between aerospace engineering and becoming a pilot for such complex systems,” says Miczek, who is a member of the University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC).�� “With a strong background in the field and applying my studies every single time I enter one of their aircraft, I have a better understanding about these systems, not to mention the aerodynamics associated with how aircraft fly.” Miczek says his degree will be applied almost immediately as he learns the intricates of his assigned aircraft. “I can’t wait to start this next chapter in my life,” he says.

�����鶹��Ʒ recently sat down with Miczek to discuss his experience as a cadet and military-connected student at Syracuse University.

Mary Schmidt Campbell G’73, G’82, president of Spelman College and dean emerita of the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University; Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Peggy Combs ’85, former chief of staff, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, and commanding general of Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Joseph A. Strasser ’53, G’58, retired budget officer for Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida, and retired finance officer in the U.S. Army, will be honored during Commencement this weekend for their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to their professional fields and service to the betterment of the world.

Combs will be attending the Commencement ceremonies in person; Campbell and Strasser will be honored in videos at the ceremonies.

Mary Schmidt Campbell, Doctor of Humane Letters

Mary Schmidt Campbell

Campbell is a distinguished academic leader recognized at the highest levels, and her advocacy and passionate work in arts and humanities has expanded opportunities for women and people of color and impacted policies at both the local and national levels. She is the 10th president of Spelman College, a historically Black college, and a leading liberal arts college for women. Her prior work and leadership at the Tisch School and in government and for nonprofit organizations left an indelible mark on the arts and culture in New York City.

Campbell’s professional foray and commitment to the arts and public policy began at Syracuse University, where she became the art editor at the Syracuse New Times. Campbell, who earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College, earned an M.A. in fine arts and a Ph.D. in humanities from the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. She was assistant curator of art history at the Everson Museum of Art and one of the founders of the University’s Community Folk Art Center.

Following her time at Syracuse University, Campbell served as executive director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem. The organization was recognized as a linchpin in the economic revitalization of the 125th Street corridor and a major center for the study of the visual arts of the Black Atlantic. She was appointed New York City’s commissioner of cultural affairs in 1987, championing the need for professional development opportunities for women and people of color in the arts and a stalwart advocate for large and small arts organizations throughout New York City. She also served as the chair of the New York State Council on the Arts.

In 1991, Campbell was named dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The school rose in distinction under her leadership, as she developed such new programs as the NYU Game Center, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program and a joint MBA/M.F.A. Graduate Film and Business program. At the same time, she helped increase the diversity of both the student body and the faculty from underrepresented groups. She also founded and chaired Tisch’s Department of Art and Public Policy.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her as the vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. In this work, she helped launch innovative arts education programs in public schools throughout the nation.

In 2015, she began in her role as president of Spelman College, where she propelled the nation’s oldest historically Black college for women to new levels of distinction. In the 2021 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, as announced in September 2020, the college increased its standing on multiple lists, including moving up from No. 57 to No. 54 in the liberal arts.��Five years previously, the college was at No. 77.

A writer and a contributor to several publications, Campbell received the 2018 Hooks National Book Award for her book��“An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden” (Oxford University Press, 2018). A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Campbell served on the board of The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and serves on the boards of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the High Museum of Art, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges Advisory Board.

Campbell has received numerous awards, including the Outstanding New Yorker Award, New York’s City Arts Award and fellowships from the Rockefeller and Ford foundations. At Syracuse, she was honored with the Arents Pioneer Medal, a Chancellor’s Citation and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Alumni Award.

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Peggy Combs, Doctor of Laws

Peggy Combs

Combs served in the U.S. Army with distinction for 33 years—as a trusted leader, decorated officer and inspiring mentor. Her military career, ranging from tactical and operational to strategic command, broke boundaries for women and epitomized the highest of standards in leadership in service to country. She is the former chief of staff, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base. She became the 11th commanding general of the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the 85th commanding general of Fort Knox, the first and only female to be appointed to this position. She rose through the ranks to become one of only 99 major generals on active duty in the U.S. Army.

A Syracuse University graduate, Combs was first commissioned in 1985 at Hendricks Chapel, graduating from the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences, a master of science degree from Saint Mary’s College and a master of strategic arts degree from the U.S. Army War College.

Combs’ tactical assignments include staff officer positions at the battalion, brigade and division level in the 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas; 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia; and the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Other command assignments include at Headquarters Company Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; 84th Chemical Battalion; and 3rd Chemical Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

A veteran of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, Combs served as the joint nuclear, biological and chemical operations officer for U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and as the chief of staff for the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission in Baghdad.

Her strategic assignments included the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, and as the chief, Full Dimension Protection Division, DCS G-8, U.S. Army Pentagon. She also served as the deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC) at Fort Knox, and as the 27th chief of chemical and commandant, U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Combs simultaneously served as the commanding general, U.S. Army Training Center, Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Combs formed the first Sexual Assault Review Board in the Army at Fort Knox, which served as a model across the U.S. Army, ensuring more objective reviews of sexual assault. Her innovative work also included transforming the prevention of sexual harassment training across the U.S. Army Cadet Command, which was implemented in all ROTC units.

Recognized for her dedicated service, Combs received many honors throughout the span of her military career, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Army Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.

Named Woman of the Year in 2016 by the American Legion Auxiliary, Combs, who retired in 2018, has returned many times to the University, speaking at ROTC events, including the 100th ROTC Chancellor’s Review. She is an advisory board member for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at Syracuse University, providing counsel to leadership related to programs and initiatives to advance the educational aspirations of the University’s veteran and military-connected students.

Joseph A. Strasser, Doctor of Humane Letters

Joseph Strasser

Strasser has dedicated his life to the public good. As a public servant both in the military and local governments, he was a pioneer in fiscal management and public administration, bringing new and innovative ideas to his profession. He has also served his community as a humanitarian and philanthropist—supporting causes for the protection of animals, environmental stewardship and the advancement of higher education.

Strasser’s accomplishments are even more noteworthy considering his personal story that brought him and his family to the United States. In 1940, his parents put the 8-year-old Strasser and his brother on a ship to escape imminent Nazi persecution in Europe. Arriving in the United States as refugees, the brothers, who were unable to speak English, were taken in by an aunt in New York City. Their father followed a few years later, but their mother died in France. Strasser has often described this escape, and the chance to build a new life in America, as the underlying incentive for his philanthropy and altruism.

In 1953, he received a B.A. in history from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he was in ROTC and earned Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, he served as a finance officer in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Strasser then returned to Syracuse University and received an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School in 1958.

Strasser began his post-military career as the first budget officer of Savannah, Georgia, where he was nominated as Young Man of the Year for saving DeKalb County a quarter of a million dollars. He compiled and published the city’s first budget manual, receiving national recognition from the Municipal Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada. He later served the city of Jacksonville, Florida, as budget officer, serving in the area’s newly consolidated government, helping to build and manage a major, growing urban center. Among many other achievements, he also introduced civilian, professionally trained fiscal administrators into fire and police departments. Strasser, who was president of the American Society for Public Administration, served in various fiscal posts in Jacksonville until he retired in 1996.

Since retiring, Strasser has devoted himself to philanthropy and community service. As an advocate for animals and the preservation of natural spaces, he has supported and served as a board member for Tree Hill Nature Center, First Coast No More Homeless Pets and the Jacksonville Humane Society and Animal Shelter, all in Jacksonville, Florida.

At Syracuse University, Strasser, an honorary member of the Maxwell Advisory Board, endowed the Joseph A. Strasser Endowed Professorship in Public Administration, the first named and endowed professorship specifically focused on public management at the Maxwell School. He also provided funding for renovations to Maxwell’s multi-use public events room—renamed the Dr. Paul and Natalie Strasser��Legacy Room in honor of his parents; the school’s central atrium, connecting Maxwell’s two main building; and a large study/meeting space for students in public administration and international relations. In support of top Maxwell graduate students, he established the Strasser Endowed Scholarship Fund.

In honor of his professional and personal accomplishments, Strasser received the Maxwell School Horizon Award for philanthropy and voluntarism, the first-ever Maxwell Award for Public Administration, the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award and the George Arents Award.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors close the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

Messare

The Dottle Family ROTC Cadet Scholarship recipients were chosen through a competitive process that assessed the applicant’s academics, citizenship, physical aptitude and potential to serve successfully in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. This scholarship allows the ROTC programs to recognize deserving cadets and ensure that the University’s ROTC programs continue to train the best military leaders in the country. This scholarship was part of a larger leadership gift from the Dottle family, which provided support and funding to the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, as well as further operational support to both the Air Force and Army ROTC programs.

Fraser

Madeline Messare is a junior studying forensic science and psychology with a minor in Chinese language. She is a member of the Syracuse Women’s Rugby team and a resident advisor in the Psychology Living and Learning Community on campus. Her post-graduation goal is to attend law school to focus on criminal and military law. Her dream is to join the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps to help protect people who are affected by the shortcomings of military and federal law. Messare says, “I will use this honor to drive me to make a positive difference within the ROTC community and any future communities I will join as a soldier.”

McDonough

Robert Fraser is a first-year student from Denver, Colorado, majoring in political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is honored to be selected as a Dottle Scholar. “Being awarded this scholarship will continue to push me in Army ROTC and to be an outstanding citizen in our community,” Fraser says.

Yu

Michael McDonough is a first-year civil engineering major. Originally from Springfield, New Jersey, he is a member of Syracuse University Ambulance and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. This past fall, he helped raise over $3,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward 5k. In the past he has also worked with patients at Children’s Specialized Hospital of Mountainside, New Jersey, pairing them with volunteer police officers to help them shop for their family for the holidays.

VanVranken

Jason Yu is a first-year student from New York City. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy where he served as head editor of the school newspaper’s humor section. At Syracuse University, Jasper plans to major in international relations and minor in Arabic and finance. He is also active in the John Quincy Adams Society foreign policy club and Greek life on campus. After graduation, Jason plans to pursue a role as a military intelligence officer, and study law.

Song

Gerrit VanVranken is a 2018 graduate of Jamesville Dewitt High School in Jamesville, New York. In the past, he has participated in Civil Air Patrol NY Wing’s Flight Academy and accumulated 10 solo hours of flight time. VanVranken chose to pursue a commission in the U.S. Air Force because he wants to be a pilot. “I’m always striving to fly again and can’t wait for the next opportunity to learn more about it,” he says. VanVranken currently works in his spare time as a desk attendant in Syracuse University’s Esports Room.

Pelichoff

Mingeun Song is from Bayside, New York, and studies general biology. Song chose to pursue a commission in the U.S. Air Force to learn and strengthen leadership skills, grow as a person, and give back to the nation that provided the opportunities and support that helped him become who he is today. He aspires to serve the Air Force as a dentist to provide care for the people who protect our nation. “My dad has been in the dentistry field for over 20 years, and I was inspired to follow in his footsteps. I wish to challenge myself to eventually become an oral surgeon,” Song says.

Sarisky

Quinn Pelichoff is currently a junior in the School of Architecture. Originally from Burlingame, California, Pelichoff has always been interested in building. He hopes to use those skills in the Air Force by constructing barracks, roads, runways and hangers as an architect or civil engineer. Pelichoff comes from a family legacy of service, including both of his grandfathers who served in the U.S. Air Force. He has made the dean’s list in the School of Architecture from Fall 2018 through the Fall 2020 semester.

Nikolaus Sarisky is a junior majoring in biology. His hometown is Suwanee, Georgia, and his goal is to work in special operations for the Air Force. Sarisky is an active member of the Arnold Air Society and helps design physical training plans for cadets in Air Force ROTC as the training operations support element commander.

The 104th Chancellor’s Review Award Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. April 23. The review is an annual tradition that showcases Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from Syracuse University and its partner schools conducting drill and ceremony exercises and receiving academic and leadership awards and honors.

The Chancellor’s Review Award Ceremony is one of the longest consecutive running programs of its kind in the country.

Over the past year ROTC cadets have volunteered their time assisting in Syracuse’s COVID testing efforts, became the first to attend a civil affairs selection course and continued working toward commissioning as second lieutenants in the Army and Air Force throughout the pandemic.

Syracuse University’s ROTC is one of the longest consecutive running programs of its kind in the country. Past distinguished Syracuse University ROTC graduates include Air Force Colonel (retired) Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle mission, and Major General (retired) Peggy Combs, who became the highest-ranking female military officer to graduate from Syracuse University. ��Collins graduated from Syracuse in 1978 with a bachelor of arts in mathematics and economics, and Combs was commissioned in May 1985 as a distinguished military graduate. Combs is currently a board member of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

Cadets will commission as second lieutenants upon completion of their degrees in May.

Madeleine Gordon

Syracuse University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets Madeleine Gordon and Patrick Little became the first cadets from any ROTC college program to attend the U.S. Army Special Operations Civil Affairs Assessment and Selection Course (CAAS) in December 2020. Working alongside active duty officers and enlisted soldiers, Gordon and Little applied lessons learned inside and outside of the classroom and were selected as future special operations civil affairs leaders.

Their success has helped pave the way for other cadets to attend the course in the future. Based on their first-ever attendance and selection, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School will now expand the opportunity to all ROTC programs starting in the summer.

Gordon and Little’s selection to attend CAAS will allow them to become active duty civil affairs officers after completing an assignment in their first Army branch. Once they are eligible for promotion as first lieutenants, they will enter a role the Army describes as the “Special Operations community’s warrior-diplomats.” ��Using foreign language training, cultural expertise and skilled negotiation, civil affairs soldiers build formal and informal relationships to accomplish objectives in diplomatically or politically sensitive areas.

Gordon and Little’s attendance and subsequent selection at CAAS gives them the opportunity to join the Civil Affairs Regiment as part of U.S. Army Special Operations. They will train in some of the most challenging scenarios and work abroad with a highly specialized team on missions that will influence global operations.

“The potential these young leaders have demonstrated absolutely astonishes me and I could not be prouder of their accomplishment,” says Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Gotie, Syracuse University’s Army ROTC professor of military science. “They are the future of the special operations community and the important work being done.”

Civil affairs was first mentioned as a possible career path for Gordon when she met Gotie, who is also a civil affairs officer. “I met with her during my sophomore year to introduce myself and discuss my goals and aspirations. As a civil affairs officer she offered insight about her career and experiences, and I was intrigued,” Gordon says. “I had never heard of the Civil Affairs branch before, but it felt perfectly aligned with what I wanted to experience and accomplish in my military career, specifically with language and culture.”

Gordon is a double major in Chinese and Arabic. “I’ve had the opportunity in ROTC to be in leadership positions as a platoon leader last semester, and company commander this upcoming semester,” Gordon says. “This has allowed me to learn and develop my leadership style, attitude and capabilities. I think that is an important understanding going into a course like this, because in Civil Affairs you operate on small teams where everyone is a leader.”

Patrick Little (at left)

Little had a similar experience. “I knew that there’s Special Forces and these other kinds of branches in the special operations community, but I wasn’t aware of Civil Affairs,” he says.

As a history and philosophy double major, his interests also meshed well with elements of the Civil Affairs mission. An ability to understand the context of global politics while being empathetic to different perspectives helped him in assessments taken during selection.

Little’s experience as a member of Syracuse University’s student ambulance organization was also helpful. Taking emergency calls as an ambulance driver allowed him to be “comfortable being uncomfortable” at selection. “Just having that kind of a balance of knowing that you’re never going to go into a situation knowing everything, really helped me out because I was able to go through these unpredictable circumstances and still come out on top,” Little says.

Captain Gene Goins, a Civil Affairs future readiness officer, says having cadets like Gordon and Little attend the course in the future will help identify top tier talent and ideally produce a more highly qualified and experienced officer.

“These cadets will enter the Civil Affairs training pathway at the earliest possible date and upon completion will have the opportunity for more key developmental time as a Civil Affairs team commander,” Goins says.

Goins says he hopes Gordon and Little took away a valuable set of insights on their strengths and weaknesses—both ��physical and mental. Along with the practical application of their individual skills in a small team, the course exposed them to a wide breadth of leadership styles, an extremely diverse collection of soldiers, and challenges that are not entirely unique to the Civil Affairs Regiment, says Goins.

Gordon says they would not have had this opportunity without the advocacy of Gotie. “She came into our program and right off the bat was trying to make opportunities happen for cadets that we didn’t even know were possible,” says Gordon. “She saw us and felt that we embodied some of the right characteristics to be successful in this career, so she fought for this possibility and we are both extremely grateful for it,” Gordon says.

Little agrees and is happy Syracuse University Army ROTC allows him to strike the balance between college life and his future in the U.S. Army. “This selection course is not something that cadets ever went to, but because of Lieutenant Colonel Gotie’s background, she knew some people and she got some sponsors to get us to go. We were lucky to attend.”

Charles N. Pede

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Syracuse University College of Law and members of the greater Syracuse legal community will gather to honor those who have served in and out of uniform during the College of Law’s third annual Veterans Day Celebration. Traditionally held in Dineen Hall in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom, this year’s ceremony—beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET—will take place virtually.

The event will include remarks from College of Law Dean Craig Boise and Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law Director the Hon. James E. Baker. Lt. Gen. Charles N. Pede, the 40th Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army, will be the event’s guest speaker. He will share his perspectives on the origin of Veterans Day and why our nation celebrates Veterans and their service.

Pede is the senior uniformed lawyer in the U.S. Army, leading more than 10,000 attorneys, paralegals and legal administrators. He graduated from the University of Virginia and received a commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). After graduating the University of Virginia Law School, he attended the Judge Advocate Officer Basic and Graduate Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. As a judge advocate, Lt. Gen. Pede has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

The third annual Veterans Day Celebration is presented by two College of Law student organizations, the Veterans’ Issues, Support Initiative and Outreach Network (VISION) and the National Security Student Association (NSSA).

Alexandra Calhoun, Executive Director of VISION, will host the event. The Syracuse University ROTC Joint Color Guard will present colors and Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic student 2L Brittany Maruca will sing the National Anthem. Members of the 10th Mountain Division Office of the Staff Judge Advocate will attend virtually from their garrison at Fort Drum.

Lieutenant Colonel Travis Sheets

Throughout his career, Lieutenant Colonel Travis Sheets has had a passion for teaching and mentoring. Now, as the new Commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 535 at Syracuse, he’s bringing that same passion to his role and helping to develop the leaders of tomorrow’s Air Force.

“Your most important job as a leader is making sure those behind you are more prepared than you were,” Travis says. “For me, it’s been all about people since the beginning.”

Travis grew up in the mountains of West Virginia where his opportunities were limited. He became the first person in his family to attend college, which was made possible by a scholarship he received from the Virginia Air National Guard to attend Virginia Tech. There, he was a part of the school’s Corps of Cadets, received a ROTC scholarship and was selected to be a pilot. “I had no idea flying airplanes would be in store for me,” he says.

Learning to fly was just the beginning. Starting as a mechanic on an F-16 jet fighter, Travis went on to fly non-traditional aviation airplanes for 16 years, logging more than 4,000 flight hours, with half of those spent in combat. During his service, Travis was deployed all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. “The only place I really haven’t been is Antarctica,” Travis says. “Maybe someday I’ll check that box, too.”

Sheets during his time as an Air Force pilot.

Following his tenure as a pilot, Travis went to Air University, the Air Force’s center for professional military education, and received his master’s degree while also teaching courses. There, he realized his love for teaching and being a part of other people’s journeys. “The thing I have enjoyed most about my career is teaching and helping other people learn how to fly airplanes,” Travis says. He is determined to continue the tradition of knowledge sharing in aviation with a focus on helping others learn from his experience. “Something you learn one day may save someone’s life the next day,” he says.

Travis’ passion for teaching eventually led him to Syracuse, where he was excited by the opportunity to join the community and lead Detachment 535. As Commander, he wears two hats–one for military training and the other for academia. This means his days can include anything from supervising field training exercises to working on course syllabi for the aerospace studies department.

“What I enjoy most about being Commander is the opportunity to make a difference,” Travis says. In his new role, Travis is working with the Air Force to implement new training and educational methods within the broader, nationwide ROTC program. “We have to have an education and training system that parallels the pace of change in the world around us,” he says. “Syracuse had one of the first Air Force ROTC units in the nation, and now the Air Force is allowing us to be a ‘petri dish’ and rewrite what training and education look like. There is a great opportunity to make a difference and change the future of Air Force ROTC.”

Travis is certainly up for the challenge. In 2017, his research, conducted along with Major Matt Elmore, helped support Pilot Training Next, a part of the Air Force’s initiative to reimagine how cadets are trained. The program uses emerging technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence to train airmen better and faster and foster deeper learning.

A Special Operations Aircraft, one of the planes Sheets has experience flying.

“In Detachment 535, our mission statement is ‘Joint Minded Aggressive Learners Ready to Lead,’ which means we aim to build collaborative, team-oriented problem solvers who know how to ask the important questions,” Travis says. Part of this preparation includes outside professional development opportunities that operationalize the training and education candidates receive on campus.

As someone who believes support for the military is equally important as service, Travis has been impressed by Syracuse’s commitment to service members and their loved ones. He’s especially excited about the new National Veterans Resource Center, which will house resources and professional development opportunities for veterans and military-connected students. “Syracuse’s commitment to helping military-connected families is one of the best I’ve seen in the nation,” he says. “There is something special going on here and I’m really honored to be a part of it.”

While Travis and his family are new to Syracuse, the community has provided a warm welcome—Travis has started calling the city “the best big small town in America.”

“There is an integrity in Syracuse that you don’t see very often. People are genuine and really care how you’re doing,” he says. This support has made all the difference, along with that of Travis’ wife, Kimberly, and their two children. “Military spouses and our families serve more than we do, and they face lonely periods when we’re deployed,” he says. “It takes a team, and it starts with the support we get from our loved ones.”

With the support of his family and the community at Syracuse, Travis is well positioned to continue making a difference and having a positive impact on the people around him, including the candidates of Detachment 535.

From left, Ashtyn Holt, Amanada Troelstra and Zach Baxter

On Oct. 6, the University’s Public Health Team identified an emerging cluster of positive COVID-19 cases on campus. After consulting with the Onondaga County Health Department, the University determined that aggressive action was needed. This new threat demanded enhanced surveillance testing. “We needed a lot of help and support,” says Pruthvi Kilaru, program manager in the Department of Public Health in the Falk College. Volunteers were needed to swab and log samples at the stadium on a mass scale. The Public Health Team also needed assistance in the lab to pool samples before they were sent to the lab.

The University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) answered the call. Led by political science and Middle Eastern studies major Zach Baxter ’21, since Oct. 7 a total of 43 cadets have logged 175 volunteer hours and facilitated an estimated 6000 tests. “Zach has been an integral part in getting people signed up and getting us staffed. They have really been amazing,” says Kilaru.

Baxter had volunteered earlier in the semester with the Public Health Team and approached Kilaru to ask if there were more opportunities to offer support. “Zach gave me a call around 6 p.m. and by the next day had an entire detail set up,” says Kilaru. “And since then we’ve heavily relied on ROTC cadets helping us out.”

“It started out with just myself and a small group of my team members,” says Baxter. “But once that cluster hit, we realized that we needed to bring in the entire battalion.”

Army ROTC’s Stalwart Battalion Commander LTC Jennifer Gotie says Baxter has hands-on experience that makes him an invaluable resource. “Based on Cadet Baxter’s extensive experience with safety protocols, he is the right leader to effectively manage our volunteers. He works part-time for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office jail when he’s home from school, so this level of critical support falls well within his wheelhouse,” says Gotie.

Pruthvi Kilaru

Baxter helped with mitigation and contact tracing at the jail. “I had the opportunity to work under some really knowledgeable professionals. The whole jail command staff was very knowledgeable, and I learned a lot,” says Baxter.

Kilaru says volunteers are outfitted with all necessary personal protective equipment, like KN95 masks, gloves and gowns.

ROTC volunteers make up about half of the Public Health Team’s volunteer workforce. “I genuinely appreciate everything that they do,” says Kilaru. “Especially now when we’re doing whole student body testing at the stadium. Part of the reason we’re able to do this is because of all of the amazing support that we’ve gotten from them.”

Kilaru says Baxter’s ability to organize people has impressed him. “He is amazing when it comes to operations and logistics.” In addition to coordinating volunteers, Baxter stepped in and assisted in wastewater surveillance. He picked up multiple heavy-duty batteries and transported them with his truck and replaced the ice needed to keep the sample receptacle cool at the testing site. Baxter’s fellow cadets have also been equally dependable. “Not a single cadet has let me down. They always come when they’re supposed to, they’re always on time, and they have this service mentality,” Kilaru says.

“I’m not a science major; I’ve never had a pipette before. It has been pretty interesting,” says Baxter. “The learning curve wasn’t that steep. Our experienced volunteers are able to train up our newer cadets quickly.”

Baxter says a major benefit for the cadets is being able to serve the community directly. Being able to serve is why many joined Syracuse University’s Army ROTC, the longest consecutively running program of its kind in the country. “I take it personally. I do not want to go home. I want to stay in here and train,” says Baxter. He feels ROTC’s volunteering is just a part of the campuswide effort to socially distance and complete the semester. ��He thinks the individual discipline of most students has been impressive.

While Syracuse University usually holds an annual commissioning ceremony, this year’s event which was to be held in the new National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), transitioned to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor Kent Syverud and U.S. Army veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Gary Beikirch .

“This year’s commissioning cadets have shown tremendous leadership skills, dedication and perseverance during their college careers. They leave the University fully prepared to honorably lead and protect our nation’s defense,” says retired Col. Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at Syracuse University. “Our ROTC programs are an important piece of the University’s promise to be the best place for veterans and military-connected students. We are proud of these newly commissioned second lieutenants and are confident that they will make Syracuse University and our country proud in their military careers.”

The cadets graduated from five area colleges and universities: Syracuse University, Le Moyne College, Utica College, the SUNY College at Oswego and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

In keeping with its commitment to service, Syracuse University boasts the longest continuously running ROTC program in the country.

Rachel Pray (center)

With her graduation this month, Rachel Pray becomes the first in her family to forge a career in both military service and medical care.

Originally from central Massachusetts, Cadet Pray was inspired to join the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) after a friend chose the same path.

“The military kind of scared me in a good way. I knew it would help me grow, so I decided to sign up for related classes going into my freshman year,” Pray says. “My mindset was: if I don’t try it now, I may not go back to it later. The ideals of the Air Force also lined up well with my core values.”

Though ROTC wasn’t part of her initial decision-making process, the community feel of campus and the approachable distance from home sold her on selecting Syracuse University.

During her time as a cadet, Pray was a color guard captain for two years and on the drill team. She also got involved with the Arnold Air Society, a professional honorary service organization focused on community service. Last summer, she served as a cadet training assistant at Maxwell Air Force Base facilitating and instructing the training exercise for younger cadets.

“I met so many awesome cadets from around the country, amazing officers—it really reinforced my confidence that the Air Force was the right path for me.”

Pray has graduated with degrees in biology and neuroscience, and is on the pre-medicine track. She has been involved on campus in and worked as an ER scribe doing undergraduate research.

Post-graduation, unlike most cadets who select rated or nonrated positions in the military, Pray will attend medical school with the intent of serving as an Air Force physician.

“Rated positions are for flying; nonrated are things like cyber and intel,” she says. “For me, I received pre-health approval with the support of Lt. Col. Kimbrough (professor of aerospace studies at Syracuse University). Essentially, the Air Force is allowing me to attend school under the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship program. So, I will do my four years of medical school at Nova Southeastern University in Clearwater, Florida, then do rotations on active duty bases before completing an active duty residency.”

Pray’s ultimate goal is simple—be a great Air Force physician. She is considering emergency medicine or surgery as her specialty.

“It’s been very valuable to be at a school so dedicated and supportive of military students,” she says. “The connections I have gained from Syracuse—specifically with cadre members who always have been extremely supportive—have made my path, which isn’t one that many take, feel possible. And for that, I am so grateful.”

Pictured is the 2019 Chancellor’s Review. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.

On April 10, cadets from the University’s U.S. Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) were honored with various distinctions from the University and community organizations as part of the yearly Chancellor’s Review Awards. Normally celebrated as a public event on-campus, this year’s in-person review was canceled due to the CoVID-19 health crisis.

The honors, now in their 103rd year, celebrate the ROTC cadets and their commitment to service in a nod to the University’s long history of military commitment and support. Syracuse boasts the longest consecutively running ROTC program in the country—a legacy in keeping with the University tradition of support for the veterans and military families as the “best place for veterans.”

“Our Army and Air Force ROTC programs and cadets exhibit drive, ambition and hard work and make this University proud,” says Ron Novack, executive director of the OVMA. “Our ROTC programs remain a critical element of our campus, community and defense of our nation. It is a privilege to have them as students and work alongside them as they prepare to lead the next generation of our country’s armed forces.”

Awards presented include the General Edward C. Meyer Leadership Award, an honor bestowed on the most outstanding Army ROTC cadet who demonstrates extraordinary officer potential and leadership qualities. This year, the award was presented to Cadet Marshall Lipsey ’20 who received an additional two honors.

Air Force Cadet Rachel Pray ’20 and Army Cadet Matthew Weber G’20 also received top honors, being awarded the Harvey S. Smith Memorial Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership, discipline, character, citizenship and achievement in academics. The Smith award was one of two awards Pray earned.

Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs presented its Commitment to Service Award to Air Force Cadet Caleb Holmes ’20 and Army Cadet Kathleen Edwards ’20. Presented to cadets who are either veterans or military dependents, the honor recognizes high achievement in academics, commitment to service and a proven understanding of citizenship through patriotism and community service.

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The ROTC program is an integral piece of the University’s commitment to the veteran and military-connected population. Recently ranked the No. 1 private school for veterans by Military Times, for the third time in four years, Syracuse is furthering its commitment with the opening of the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), a first-of-its-kind multi-use facility dedicated to advancing academic research, programming and community-connected innovation serving the social, economic and wellness concerns of the nation’s veterans and families. A grand opening ceremony for the NVRC is being planned for fall 2020.

Sharon Otasowie

Sharon Otasowie

Where did you grow up and what led you to attend Syracuse?
I am originally from Nigeria. I was born there and grew up in Southern California about an hour away from Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley. I came to Syracuse Law after I completed my undergrad at a very community-focused school. There, the students helped and encouraged one another. I wanted to attend a law school with a similar feel, where it felt like everybody was on your side and willing to help you do better rather than compete with you or tear you down.

What motivated you to join ROTC?
There were a lot of little moments that led to me joining. I interned with the International Services and Armed Forces branch of the American Red Cross. There, I learned I was interested in international law and working with military members. Someone mentioned doing the JAG (Judge Advocate General’s Corps) program because I was interested in law. I didn’t really think too much of it because I had never wanted to join the military.

It wasn’t until I graduated undergrad and was packing up to move for a law school when, at Home Goods with my mom, I met a woman who was retired after a career in the Air Force. She happened to ask me what I was going to do now that I was done with school. I was going to law school and I was interested in becoming a JAG officer but that I didn’t know what that looked like or who to talk with to make it happen.

She talk to me for an hour about her daughter who had just graduated as a JAG with the Air Force and all the things that she was getting to do as a result. It was amazing just hearing her story and right there I was convinced that I needed to join the Air Force and apply for the JAG program.

What was the application and selection process like for the program?
The Air Force allows you to apply your first year of law school. You fill out an application online, write a motivational statement and explain why you want to join. You then meet with the detachment commander and you go in for an interview with the staff judge advocate. It feels like a long interview.

Your package is submitted to the board, and you’re competing against students all across the country so it’s a pretty big deal because the exception rate is very low.

Not only was I accepted but so was Aly (Alyssa Kozma) which is amazing! To the best of my knowledge, we are the only two Syracuse law students to be admitted, and both female.

What have been some rewarding experiences at Syracuse and with ROTC?

My most rewarding experiences have been meeting the people here. I’m so impressed by the ROTC students who are in the program. Their dedication and motivation is so contagious and so inspiring! They all give 110 percent all the time, and it really pushes me to try my best as well.

Through the law school I have met alumni who are former JAG officers in different branches. All of them have been willing to help me, mentor me or answer any questions. I’ve also met alumni who are civilian lawyers and judges who have JAG officer friends that they have contacted on my behalf when I have had questions. Through ROTC and the law school, I’ve been encouraged, helped and supported in a way that I never expected.

What are your aspirations after graduation and in your military career?

I want to try cases and do trials for the military. I also like legal service work, so engaging with clients one-on-one regarding their personal legal issues such as getting them out of a housing contact because they have to move or deploy.

I hope to work my way up to international law. I’m really interested in diplomacy and working with different countries.

What does it mean to attend a school committed to military service members? ��
It’s a big deal! It’s great to have that support and representation. For me, the idea of being a service member is still new. I’m still learning everything that does along with it but it’s nice to Syracuse has the support available should I ever need it.

Anything you’d like to share?

In addition to ROTC, I am a part of the law school’s student ambassadors’ program, the International Law and Commerce Journal and a member of the Advocacy Honor Society on the Trial Division and Team for which I was recently elected communications director.

Finally, I just want to acknowledge the support of my friends, family and those at Syracuse who have supported me. I am so proud to be a part of the United States Air Force and so glad to be on this journey with Aly. I know I can turn to her or look to her for help and encouragement.

Alyssa Kozma

Alyssa Kozma

Tell us about where you grew up and what led you to attend Syracuse.

I grew up in a military family—my mom was in the Army and my dad was in the Air Force. We spent time in Nevada, North Dakota and Nebraska. I spent most of high school and did my undergraduate in Nebraska. I graduated from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, with a bachelor of political science in 2018. While I was in Omaha, I worked as a civilian analyst for the Air Force at United States Strategic Command. I always knew I wanted to go to law school, but it was there I found my passion for military, foreign policy and national security matters. Being immersed in the military environment also confirmed for me that I did want to follow in my family’s footsteps and serve myself.

I thought really hard about my decision where to attend law school. I chose to pack up and move to Syracuse for the exceptional National Security and Counterterrorism program offered by the law school. I also love to be outdoors so the beauty of upstate New York and all it has to offer with parks, lakes and waterfalls was a big draw. My sister is also a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Coming to Syracuse meant I would only be a few hours away from her, and we would have each other to lean on as things got tough in our own academic/military journeys.

What motivated you to join ROTC?

I chose to join ROTC and pursue a commission in the U.S. Air Force because I want to honor my family’s long tradition of military service and because I hope to use my education and experience to further a cause greater than myself. ROTC allows me to develop as a person and a leader alongside my educational development through the law school.

Tell us a bit about the JAG program you are pursuing. What was the selection process and how did you get involved?

I applied to the JAG Corps in the second semester of my first year of law school. The Graduate Law Program (GLP) is an expedited two-year Air Force ROTC program for law students. GLP students are guaranteed a position as an Air Force judge advocate, a military lawyer, upon successful completion of the Air Force ROTC program, graduation from an approved law school, and completion of legal licensing requirements. This is a unique opportunity as the overwhelming majority of ROTC cadets are in their undergraduate programs and the majority of judge advocates are selected after law school graduation.

What have been some of your most rewarding experiences at Syracuse and with ROTC?

The most rewarding part of ROTC, for me, has been the opportunity to interact with such an inspiring group of cadets. We all come from such different backgrounds, we all have different interests and experiences, but we all share hopes of military service. As someone who’s “been there, done that” when it comes to college, I’m able to provide another perspective to the group.

What are your military and post-Syracuse career aspirations?

As a judge advocate, I aspire to focus my practice in the areas of international law and operations law. It is a long-term goal of mine to become a staff judge advocate in order to serve as legal advisor to a combatant commander.

What does it mean to you to attend a school that is so committed to military service members?

I think it’s an incredible opportunity to be at a school that has such strong support for the military community. I can especially see the impact at the Veteran’s Legal Clinic, hosted at the law school, where so many students are committed to assisting veterans and their families using the skills they’ve developed.

Jennifer Gotie

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jennifer Gotie didn’t grow up envisioning a career in military service. Born and raised in Truxton, New York, she imagined a life for herself as a diplomat and as a result became involved with the Rotary International Exchange Program. The program took her to Belgium, then France and Sicily. Soon, she had fallen in love with language and travel.

When she began her college career at SUNY Brockport, she wasn’t thrilled that her parents had signed her up for the school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program (ROTC.)

“Surprisingly, I was totally hooked, right from the start,” Gotie says. “I loved it, the team environment and incredible experiences that you could only find in ROTC. Looking back, I can’t imagine college without ROTC!”

Gotie adjusted her plan. To fulfill her service requirement of ROTC she decided she would put in four years of military service then take that experience, as well as her degrees in political science and international studies and go into the foreign service—a reasonable adjustment to her original diplomacy aspirations.

Prior to heading off to her initial officer training course she had the chance to remain at Brockport as an ROTC Gold Bar Recruiter. Four months later, however, was Sept. 11, 2001.

“9/11 changed everything. My post as a recruiter was over,” says Gotie. “I left a week later for the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course in Arizona. With 9/11, the focus was military intelligence. When I arrived, the whole military intelligence community was there to strategize.”

Jennifer Gotie

After five months of training, Gotie was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a base known as the home of Airborne and Special Operations. By then it was February 2002 and military intelligence was focusing efforts not only in Afghanistan but also Iraq.

“Within a month of arriving at Fort Bragg, I was preparing the Counterintelligence and Interrogator companies to deploy. Shortly after, I was tasked to be a targeting officer and was deployed a year later to Saudi Arabia where I further moved around to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Qatar. I also had to provide additional support to our efforts in the Horn of Africa. It was nonstop.”

After spending close to a year deployed, Gotie returned to Fort Bragg and completed several course and exercises throughout the United States. Soon, her contractual four-year term was up.

“Four years after my commissioning, true to my original plan, I tried to get out,” Gotie says. “Like many, though I was impacted by stop-loss, which is when the military essentially denies your exit. You can’t get out.”

Gotie continued serving, first stateside and then deploying again to Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan. In 2007, instead of getting out, she decided to dive further in.

“I decided to get into civil affairs. I was tired of continuously reacting to a crisis, just operationalizing combat,” Gotie says. “I wanted to understand the deeper problem we as a coalition were facing in the Middle East; I wanted to be proactive and do something that would make a lasting impact, instead of constantly addressing symptoms.”

At the time, women were still unable to attend the Infantry Captain’s Career Course, as part of the Civil Affairs pipeline so Gotie was sent to the next closest thing, the Military Police Captain’s Career Course (MPCCC). Over the next 18 months, she completed the MPCCC, Airborne School, Thai language training, the Civil Affairs Qualification Course, Advanced Negotiations, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) High Risk training.

“The SERE training is intense. Essentially, you learn how to survive if separated from friendly forces to include being captured and imprisoned. It prepares you for the most high-risk missions,” Gotie says.

Upon completion of the 18-month pipeline, she was assigned under the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and shortly after deployed to the Philippines on just 10 days’ notice in April 2009.

Jennifer Gotie has been deployed to Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan, among other places.

There, she led a Civil Affairs Team focused on counterinsurgency/counterterrorism. One of her team’s projects was advocating for a fishing program that would allow locals to raise fish that they could eat and sell as a way of bettering their lives and the local economy.

“The Fishing for Peace program really embodied what it is that I love about the Civil Affairs mission,” says Gotie. “Here were these local groups that were previously at odds with each other pledging to help one another. It wasn’t about us and our direct involvement. Instead, we were working to empower them and give them the means to change their lives. I think that’s what people miss when it comes to counterinsurgency/counterterrorism. If you can bring opportunities to people to improve their lives, they themselves can help stabilize their community through economic growth and security. Development and security go hand-in-hand.”

Gotie then returned to Bragg to prepare for the next deployment in less than seven months. She was slated to take a team to Sri Lanka but was moved to the next position of responsibility and became the company operations chief and sent on temporary duty to the Special Operations Command Pacific. There, she managed several civil military support elements throughout Southeast Asia, who were supporting the U.S. embassies and national governments with counterinsurgency/counterterrorism missions.

In 2011, she earned a master’s degree in international studies at the University of Kansas and soon was sent to Washington state to head up the formation of a new civil affairs unit at Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM). Over the next three years, she was sent on temporary assignments to Vietnam and Hawaii and commanded a civil affairs company. Once her assignment at JBLM was complete she was assigned to Korea, to conduct civil affairs planning for three years.

In Korea, Gotie worked to prepare for humanitarian crises, built relationships with multiple non-governmental organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders, facilitated planning initiatives with United Nations Humanitarian organizations and eventually served as the executive officer for the Special Operations Command Korea commanding general.

When she finally left Korea in summer 2018, Gotie was thrilled to be assigned to the highly decorated 4th Infantry Division in Colorado and have a chance to spend some time with friends and family in the states. However, the Army had other plans for her: within four months of returning home, Gotie deployed to Afghanistan.

“I hadn’t been to Afghanistan in over 10 years but having the opportunity to direct civil military operations for all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan gave me the ability to focus on a very underutilized capability to revitalize Civilian Casualty mitigation and strengthen relationships with the UN Humanitarian Community as well as the US Agency for International Development,” Gotie says. “We have been there a long time and sacrificed a great deal so whatever small part I could play to make a positive impact I was going to do it.”

Jennifer Gotie

During her deployment, she began looking at options for her next assignment. When the Army ROTC program at Syracuse University came up, she was beyond excited.

“I had been far away from home for so long. The opportunity at Syracuse was a dream to see on the screen,” Gotie says. “To be close to my parents as they are getting older and work at an institution with a deep military commitment—I jumped at the chance.”

On Aug. 17, 2019, Gotie deplaned from Afghanistan; within 10 days, she was on the grounds of the University’s campus.

For the next three years, Gotie will oversee the University’s Army ROTC program, the longest consecutively running program of its kind in the country. She has plans to put together a course on emotional and cultural intelligence, increase leadership opportunities and set up new internships within U.S. Army Special Operations.

“Syracuse has such an amazing student body and military commitment. The cadets here inspire me and help me remember when I was young and wanted to move mountains,” she says. “It is so gratifying to be mentoring the future leaders of our country, business and government.”

She also hopes to work on a second master’s or pursue a Ph.D. citing her love for the University and desire to be a Syracuse alumna. Regardless, she will continue to serve at the end of her assignment.

“Eventually I will retire; but I know I will serve in some capacity forever,” Gotie says. “This spring will mark 19 years since I started my active duty service. It’s funny to think how this path that I didn’t even initially choose has really chosen me and given me such purpose. It’s an honor to serve my country and an honor to do so at Syracuse.”

Hanna McNabb, left

“I tried almost every sport there was to offer in my town,” says McNabb. “Most of them just didn’t hold my attention so I didn’t stay with them too long.”

Soon after seeing the movie “Ice Princess,” McNabb became curious about figure skating. The interest soon led her to compete in various competitions and performances on ice.

In high school she took up another interest.

“In my senior year of high school my husband, who back then was my boyfriend, went off to basic training for the Army,” McNabb says. “The military had been something I had thought about but never really considered. After graduating, I went to Boise State University. That is when the military started to become more of a viable option.”

McNabb was trying to get into the Boise State Reserve Officer Training Corps program but after many unsuccessful attempts to figure out the process of applying, she ultimately went to the local U.S. Army recruiter.

“When I was talking to the recruiter, I found that they had paralegals in the Army,” says McNabb. “I had decided I wanted to one day become a lawyer, a prosecutor to be specific, and I thought being a paralegal might be a good first step on that path.”

After a year at Boise State, McNabb shipped off to basic training in May 2017 and would ultimately wind up stationed at Ft. Drum, New York, where her now husband was stationed on active duty.

“I’m one of the few people I think that love it at Ft. Drum,” McNabb says. “It’s a small base so I’ve had a lot of great opportunities to do advance my career like Air Assault School and other courses. I also worked with a really great team so my experiences there have been pretty good so far.”

With the aspiration to one day become a lawyer, McNabb knew she couldn’t let too much time pass before she got serious about her education.

“I applied for the Army’s Green to Gold Active Duty Option,” says McNabb.

The program allows active duty soldiers to complete their baccalaureate degree or two-year graduate degree as well as earn a commission as an Army officer, owing three years of obligated service time after graduation. After a yearlong application period, McNabb was selected.

“It was a pretty competitive application process,” says McNabb. “I think nationwide they only select about 200 of us.”

With Ft. Drum being right up Interstate 81, Syracuse University landed in McNabb’s crosshairs as she needed to go to school nearby.�� It wasn’t until she had been accepted however that she started doing significant research on the University.

“I like the school, I had some bad experiences before at Boise but this school is a lot better,” said McNabb. “They care a lot more about their veterans here; they make a big point to take care of their veterans here.”

When she isn’t studying for her degree in political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, McNabb spends her time with her four dogs and enjoys being outside.

“I like the winters here; we go show shoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding or ice fishing in the Black River,” says McNabb.

McNabb is hoping to secure a spot in military intelligence where she’ll serve for a year before applying for the U.S. Army’s funded legal education program that would pay for her to go to law school for three years and then return to service as a judge advocate.

“When I was young I wanted to be a cop, but as I grew up I realized I wanted to get involved on the legal side of things as a prosecutor,” McNabb says. “I’ve had the chance to be a paralegal with a prosecutor for a year and we tried 12 cases. Cases like sexual assault, domestic violence and even some child sexual assault. It made me feel good knowing that we were helping those victims and bringing them justice.”

As a Green to Gold student, McNabb is serving active duty and a cadet in the Army ROTC program at Syracuse University. In ROTC, McNabb learns the skills and lessons of leadership necessary for her future as an Army officer.

“When I came into ROTC, I was expecting the stereotypical environment,” McNabb says. “I thought there would just be a bunch of cadets that didn’t really know what they were doing. I was pleasantly surprised to get here and see the cadets here are very involved in the program, and the cadre takes a big emphasis on training. Overall it’s just a really great community here.”

Caleb Holmes

For some college students, juggling classes, a social life and a job is challenging enough. As non-traditional students become more of a fixture on college campuses, more students are juggling marriage, children, mortgage payments, car payments and family medical appointments while pursuing their academic goals. Such is the reality for Syracuse University student veteran Caleb Holmes, a senior studying electrical engineering.

“I was previously enlisted in the Marine Corps where I was a helicopter mechanic,” says Holmes. “I loved being a Marine, I loved being a mechanic. I wasn’t ready for college coming out of high school.”

Without having a clear idea of what he wanted to do after high school Holmes, like many, opted to join the military in order to receive steady pay, benefits and the unique opportunities that come with uniformed service.

Holmes served five years. While on a tour in Japan, Holmes and his wife were doing research on where he should attend college, having already made the decision to get out to use his Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.

Unlike a lot of his fellow student veterans, however, Holmes came to Syracuse University to get a degree so he could go back into the military as a commissioned officer. With the intent of staying in the engineering field, Holmes knew he wanted to go through a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program and hopefully become a radio frequency engineer or power engineer.

“I had been accepted to a couple of places,” Holmes says. “When I did the tour at other schools the speakers would come up and they were really just talking to the juniors and seniors from high school. I felt like they weren’t really talking to me.�� None of my keywords came up, words like veteran or married.”

While touring Syracuse University, he had asked a question pertaining to his veteran status and living off-campus. Immediately, his tour guide stopped and informed Caleb about Syracuse’s veteran dedicated staff. The University has several people in admissions, career services and other departments focused exclusively on enrolling and supporting veterans.

Caleb Holmes

“Every question I had, they had an answer right away. I was confused about how the G.I. Bill works and they explained that immediately. They explain everything to you, so it just really felt like they knew how to take care of us veterans,” Holmes says.

Transitioning from an established Marine to a rookie ROTC cadet was not without its challenges.

“This is my third year in ROTC, at first I was really resistant to any sort of change. I had this attitude coming in that I was a tough Marine. I know everything.” Holmes says. “Finally, I figured I could do it the hard way or the easy way, so I changed my whole outlook on ROTC. I feel like I’ve gained a lot from the program because I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m a student and I’m here to learn.”

On top of adjusting to life as a college student and ROTC cadet, Holmes and his wife welcomed a son three months ago.

“This semester has been different. It’s kind of tough. Not going to lie about that!”�� Holmes says. “I get home and I have to take off the student or ROTC hat and put on the dad and husband hat. Before I could do homework and my wife could do her thing. I am still getting used to that change.”

Being a parent to a newborn and attending college comes with its own unique challenges, but Syracuse University offers extraordinary support through the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs as well as through the Office of Veterans Success. Every student veteran whether on or off campus has an exceptional number of resources behind them to ensure a smooth transition and success post-grad.

Upon graduation from Syracuse University, Holmes will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force where he will serve for at least the next five years. While he’s not certain yet what his job will be, his odds of staying in engineering are high. He will receive his assignment at the end of the month.

For the next generation of student veterans, Holmes says, “It’s hard to explain to yourself that you are a student now. You may have been a sergeant or a staff sergeant, you may have had a platoon under your command, and now you don’t anymore. You’re a student. That can be a really hard pill to swallow but the sooner you do it, the easier life becomes, and the more opportunity will present itself. When you’re a student veteran, your new peers will be mostly 17 to 19-year-old freshmen, and a lot of these kids are really smart.�� We all come from different places and when it comes to academics, I have learned a great deal from students much younger than me.”

Brig. Gen. Todd Lazaroski, deputy commanding general of the 412th Theater Engineer Command, delivers the keynote address at the commissioning ceremony.

On Friday, May 10, ��23 U.S. Army and eight U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets officially became the next generation of military leaders at Syracuse University’s annual commissioning ceremony held at Hendricks Chapel. Brig. Gen. Todd Lazaroski, deputy commanding general of the 412th Theater Engineer Command—which conducts theater-level engineer operations globally and comprises more than 12,000 soldiers—delivered the keynote address.

The commissioning ceremony signals the end of training and the beginning of the graduating seniors’ military career as second lieutenants in either the U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force. Each cadet was given their first salute by a mentor, family member or friend who serves or has previously served in the military. Salutes of note included Cadet Megan Storie, who received her first salute from her husband, an Army sergeant first class recruiter. Following the salute, each new officer presented his or her mentor with a silver dollar as a token of gratitude and respect.

“This year’s commissioning cadets continue a long and honorable tradition of service and dedication to our nation’s defense,” says retired Col. Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at Syracuse University. “Our ROTC programs are an important component of the University’s effort to be the best place for veterans and military-connected students. We are proud of these newly commissioned second lieutenants and are confident that they will represent both Syracuse University and our country well in their military careers.”

ROTC cadets stand at attention in Hendricks Chapel.

Cadets graduated from six area colleges and universities: Syracuse University, Le Moyne College, Utica College, Hamilton College, the SUNY College at Oswego and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The day prior to commissioning, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Mike Haynie presented commissioning gifts to the ROTC cadets. The gifts serve as a show of appreciation for the students’ dedication to ROTC during their time at Syracuse University.

Syracuse University boasts the longest continuously running ROTC program in the country, as well as a storied relationship with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with the current cadre of Syracuse ROTC cadets including multiple students whose parents attended West Point.

In addition to the commissioning cadets, two other cadets will commission this summer after completing advance training camp.

Bethany Murphy

Bethany Murphy has always felt that water is a part of her identity. A native of Seekonk, Massachusetts, she grew up near the Atlantic Ocean.

“I was always by the water, whether it was��the brook that runs��through my backyard, the reservoir right behind my high��school or��the coast that was so close by,” she says. “Some of my most precious memories involve spending the day at the beach with my mom,��heading to the coast whenever a big storm hit to watch the waves with my dad, and kayaking out to Providence Harbor to watch the fireworks on Fourth of July. Spending so much time by the water fostered my strong appreciation for water resources and my commitment to protecting them.”

Murphy’s connection to the water developed into a plan to pursue a career in environmental engineering and eventually to influencing the U.S. Army’s water policy. Now a first-generation, junior environmental engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadet, Murphy has been named a recipient of a prestigious Udall Scholarship in the field of environmental issues.

The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment. Murphy is one of 55 students from 50 colleges and universities nationwide selected this year. She and her fellow Udall Scholars will travel to Tucson, Arizona, Aug. 6-11 to meet one another and program alumni; learn more about the Udall legacy of public service; and interact with community leaders in environmental fields, Tribal health care and governance.

Murphy’s affinity for the water turned into a potential career path during her junior year of high school, when she participated in the Massachusetts State Envirothon Competition. “I was I was able to tour the Town of Seekonk’s groundwater treatment facility and see Quabbin Reservoir, the main water supply reservoir for Boston. I was fascinated to see what went into water supply��and became eager to learn more about water resources management.”

Following her sophomore year at Syracuse, Murphy interned with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. One��of her responsibilities there��was to report on the state of Quabbin Reservoir—the very reservoir she visited as part of the Envirothon competition a few years earlier. “It was very fulfilling to have an internship that brought me back to the place where I first realized that this was a career I wanted to pursue,” she says.

At Syracuse, Murphy performs research in the environmental organic chemistry laboratory of Professor Teng Zeng, studying the degradation of organic micropollutants such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals in natural water systems.

Last year, she received a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. Murphy worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) on both her NOAA-Hollings and Udall applications. “Bethany stood out as an applicant for these competitive awards because of the clarity of her goals and because of her remarkable preparation, capacity and will to achieve those goals,” says CFSA Director Jolynn Parker.

Murphy will intern at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, this summer through NOAA, forecasting water supply��given data on��snowpack and other climatic conditions.

“I’m beyond excited for this opportunity because the water supply operation in the West is��so different from what I have been exposed to here in the Northeast,” Murphy says. “It will be a great stepping stone towards my ultimate goal of influencing the Army’s water policy. After all, the Army operates all over the world, and I need to have an understanding of water challenges in a range of locations.”

Murphy has engaged in sustainable projects around the world through Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and Global Student Embassy (GSE). Last year, she contributed research to an EWB project to provide clean drinking water to a community in a remote part of Guatemala. She also participated in a sustainable agriculture��volunteer trip��in Ecuador with GSE. “My trip to Ecuador was a really eye-opening experience because I was able to interact with local��students there who share my passion for sustainability,” she says. “This trip also helped me develop cross-cultural communication skills, which I hope to carry with me into my military career.”

Murphy plans to combine her environmental engineering training with her understanding of military operations and organizational structures to approach the issue of reducing the military’s environmental footprint. She plans to commission into the U.S. Army as an��engineering officer, which will allow her to serve her country and gain a better understanding of the Army’s competing interests.

“Throughout my military career, I hope to take assignments within the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where I will be able to put my environmental engineering education to direct use,” Murphy says. “With experience in the Army��and environmental engineering, my hope is that I will be in a position to positively affect the Army’s sustainability when it comes to water resources management.”

About the Udall Foundation
Established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation awards scholarships, fellowships and internships for study in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and Tribal public policy; provides funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes and to the Native Nations Institute for research, education and outreach on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues; and provides assessment, mediation, training and other related services through the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.

The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources. Universities may nominate up to eight students for the Udall Scholarship each year. The Udall selection process at Syracuse University is administered by CFSA. Interested students should contact CFSA in October. Applications are due in mid-March.

Air Force ROTC cadets stand at attention during the annual Chancellor’s Review in the Dome.

Last week, members of the campus community and Chancellor Kent Syverud gathered in the Dome for the 102nd Annual Chancellor’s Review of the Syracuse University Army and Air Force ROTC cadets. University leaders, alumni, community members, educational partners and special guests attended the event sponsored by the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA).

The yearly review celebrates the ROTC cadets and their commitment to service. Syracuse boasts the longest consecutively running ROTC program in the country—a legacy in keeping with the University tradition of support for veterans and military families as the “best place for veterans.” During the event, Chancellor Syverud announced an impressive milestone related to the University’s commitment: “I’m proud to say that veteran and military-connected enrollment has passed five percent of our total enrollment here at Syracuse University,” he said.

Under the review of the Chancellor, more than 150 cadets performed drills and ceremonies in formation. Cadets were celebrated during an award ceremony honoring achievements throughout the year.

“Our Army and Air Force ROTC programs and cadets are terrific exemplars of the University’s commitment to service,” says Ron Novack, executive director of the OVMA. “As we further our initiatives and resources for veterans and military-connected students and staff, the ROTC program remains a strategic pillar of Syracuse University’s campus community and to the defense of our nation. These cadets are driven, ambitious and hardworking. It is a privilege to have them as members of our university and prepare them to lead the next generation of our country’s armed forces.”

Immediately following the review, nearly 25 Army ROTC cadets departed Syracuse for their senior staff ride to Lexington Concord Battlefield outside Boston. There, they completed a weekend-long battlefield analysis as part of their commissioning requirement. Air Force cadets completed their senior staff ride to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey during the week of the review.

The ROTC program is an integral piece of the University’s commitment to the veteran and military-connected population. Recently ranked the No. 1 private school for veterans by Military Times, Syracuse is furthering its commitment with the construction of the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), a first-of-its-kind multi-use facility dedicated to advancing academic research, programming and community-connected innovation serving the social, economic and wellness concerns of the nation’s veterans and families. The NVRC is scheduled to open in 2020.

The University’s Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program hosted nearly 100 area high school Junior ROTC members at the Dome on March 7 for the second annual Junior ROTC Fitness Challenge.

The Junior ROTC cadets, along with cadre and local recruiters, represented programs from across upstate New York, including Mexico Academy & Central District Marine Corps JROTC, Proctor Naval JROTC in Utica, Western Maritime Buffalo Naval JROTC and Carthage Army JROTC near Fort Drum outside Watertown, New York.

“The JROTC fitness challenge is a great opportunity for current and future cadets,” says Lieutenant Colonel Jason Warner, Army ROTC at Syracuse University, speaking of his cadets. “These students are cadets today but soon they will be the leaders in our military force. We are proud to be part of a school that values and prioritizes military service.”

The event kicked off with a presentation from Syracuse admissions representatives to educate JROTC cadets on different education paths beyond high school through the ROTC program, including scholarship opportunities and support the University provides.

The challenge involved a number of physical fitness tests, including running, push-ups, sit-ups, running the Dome stairs and a dead-man carry across the turf using a 105-pound dummy.

Throughout the challenge, SU ROTC cadets demonstrated the leadership skills attained through the ROTC program as they guided and encouraged teams of junior cadets to finish the competition strong.

Warner ended the ceremony by awarding the first-, second- and third-place teams and their respective Army ROTC leaders. Cadets who showed qualities that matched the values of the Syracuse ROTC program, such as leadership, strength, teamwork and a commitment to serve, were identified as their team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and awarded a Syracuse University ROTC coin.

The SU ROTC college leadership program educates and trains cadets on officership, values, standards and operations, while providing mentorship and scholarship to enhance college education.

The JROTC fitness challenge is another example of Syracuse University’s commitment to veterans and the military-connected community. Established in 1919, Syracuse University boasts the longest consecutively running ROTC program in the country.

This fall, the��Cybersecurity Semester (CSS)��returns to Syracuse University to teach computer science and computer engineering students from institutions across the country to become leaders in cybersecurity.

Designed by the and the , the CSS is an 18-credit semester in which students gain technical expertise from cybersecurity leaders and practitioners through hands-on experiences. Participants learn to identify and analyze system vulnerabilities, assess risks, develop countermeasures and secure systems, and deliver software that has verifiable assurance properties.

The CSS is open to qualified Syracuse University students, as well as ROTC scholarship cadets from��other colleges and universities. This year, SU is offering the CSS on a cost-neutral basis for up to 10 ROTC candidates from academic institutions outside of Syracuse University. SU’s cybersecurity programs have been .

Participants will attend a leadership development seminar, gain priority access to an internship with the U.S. Air Force, attend retreats and visit the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“Students in the CSS learn the theory, tools and practices to verify the security and integrity of operations formally. This capability is the basis for assuring missions in cyber physical space no matter the application.��There is no other program like this in the nation,” says Professor Shiu-Kai Chin.

The CSS consists of a core course load, electives and professional development. Core ABET-accredited courses include CIS 400: Certified Security by Design, CSE 484: Introduction to Computer and Network Security, and CIS 487: Access Control, Security, and Trust. Electives are tailored to individual student needs and interests. Professional preparation includes an internship and leadership development.

Students must be seniors or juniors in a computer science or computer engineering undergraduate program with an appropriate level of prior coursework and a preferred GPA of 3.3 or higher. They must also have experience with Discrete mathematics, programming experience in a high-level language and familiarity with Linux at the command-line level. It may also require a U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status to be eligible for internship opportunities, an optional part of the program.

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm EST on March 17, 2019. To apply, please send the following in a single PDF file to��cyberengineering@syr.edu:

• Resume
• Unofficial college transcripts (including transfer credits)
• A 100-word biography (include hobbies, interest and goals) with a recent headshot photograph

A letter of recommendation from an academic advisor or faculty member must also be sent to ��cyberengineering@syr.edu��directly from the reference by��the deadline. For ROTC cadets, a letter of reference from ROTC detachment leadership is also acceptable. Admission notifications will be sent in April.

Veterans Day ceremony at Hendricks Chapel, Nov. 9, 2018

On Friday, Nov. 9, members of the public and the Syracuse University community gathered to honor United States military veterans and victims of all wars during the University’s annual Veterans Day ceremony in Hendricks Chapel.

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Peggy Combs ’85, the highest-ranking female military officer to graduate from Syracuse University, gave the ceremony keynote. Combs, who originally commissioned into the U.S. Army in 1985 as a member of the Syracuse Army ROTC, retired from service Thursday, Nov. 8, in Hendricks Chapel—the same place she took her oath of service over 30 years ago.

“To begin and end my Army career at Syracuse is significant and meaningful to me,” said Combs. “The University helped to shape me into the person I am today, and I am tremendously proud of my alma mater as they support and empower my fellow veterans, service members and their families.”

Derek Brainard, Navy veteran, MBA student in the Whitman School and adjunct professor at University College, led the ceremony as its emcee honoring all branches of service. The Rev. Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel, gave the ceremony’s invocation and benediction. Music included performances from the Syracuse University Singers and the 198th Army Band out of Rochester, New York.

Retired U.S. Army Major General Peggy Combs

In keeping with tradition, Chancellor Kent Syverud was presented with an American flag procured by U.S. Air Force Capt. Devon Conroy ’15 while serving in Afghanistan. The flag was flown during a combat mission over Afghanistan on Nov. 30, 2017. Following the ceremony the Syracuse University Army and Air Force ROTC color guard raised the U.S. flag outside Hendricks Chapel as Air Force ROTC Cadet Daniel Pesci and military photojournalism student and U.S. Marine Corps Serg. Lauren Gramley presented a wreath of flowers to Rob Rivera ’19, U.S. Army student veteran, and Jack Graver, U.S. Navy employee veteran. The exchange of the wreath between service members and veterans honors past Syracuse University veterans and signifies the transition and distinction between those who are currently serving and aspire to be called a veteran.

“Syracuse University has close to 1,500 veteran and military–connected students, faculty and staff,” said Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF) founder and executive director. “This group includes individuals who have served in every conflict since the Korean War, as well as spouses of service members who are currently deployed overseas. Our campus community takes great pride in our connection to those who have served and we are honored to pay tribute to those who have defended our nation’s freedom.”

The ceremony was part of Veterans Day events, including the ROTC fun run and walk Friday morning, the honoring of Major General Combs during Friday’s football game against Louisville Friday night and the clean-up of Oakwood Cemetery’s veteran’ section Saturday morning.

Such events align with the University’s commitment to be the “best place for veterans,” a legacy that dates back to World War II when Chancellor William P. Tolley opened the University’s doors to military personnel returning from war and continues today with veteran and military-connected programs and resources, including the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, the Office of Veteran Success and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. The University was recently named the No. 1 private school on the Military Times’ annual Best for Vets rankings.

Observed on Nov. 11, the origin of Veterans Day dates back to 1918 when on Nov. 11 the Allied Nations and Germany agreed to an armistice after four years of fighting. Nov. 11 would thereafter be known as “Armistice Day,” which became a legal U.S. holiday in 1938. In 1945, Armistice Day was expanded to honor and remember all veterans that have served.�� By 1954, U.S. Representative Ed Reese of Kansas, presented a bill to make the national celebration of veterans into a holiday and therefore replaced the word “Armistice” with “Veterans.”

A cadet participates in her first salute at the ROTC commissioning ceremony.

Following the salute, the new officer presented the mentor with a silver dollar. This tradition is thought to have originated from British troops stationed in the U.S. during the colonial era. A silver dollar is given in exchange for the first salute, representing deeply felt gratitude for the mentorship and lessons given by the non-commissioned officer to the ROTC student, now a newly minted lieutenant.

This ceremony marked one of the first times Syracuse University has had two general officers execute the oath of office to their graduating daughters during the ceremony. Maj. Gen. Michael Fantini, keynote speaker, spoke about the importance of being passionate about your mission, your people and your family. In keeping with his theme, Fantini’s daughter, 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Fanitini, graduated with a degree in psychology and will be an intelligence officer stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. Brig. Gen. John Hussey also commissioned his daughter, 2nd Lt. Erin Hussey, who graduated from SUNY Oswego and will join the Medical Service Corps at the NY Army National Guard in Buffalo. “These extraordinary women are carrying on their families’ legacy and commitment to service,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said.

There was a great show of pride from the families in the audience when Syverud remarked on how the commissioning “brought it home and full circle” for them, the cadets and the university, as one family member said.

“Even when your sons and daughters are in civilian clothes on campus, I always know who they are. It is not just that they carry themselves well. It is also that they are still some of the only students on campus who call me ‘sir,’” Syverud said. “To the parents and families here today—in humility I have to acknowledge this: I don’t know how you did it—I don’t know how you raised a child in today’s world to get up earlier; to work harder; to grin and bear it and do the job; to serve others and our country. But you did do it and I owe you my highest compliment as a parent. … Thank you for raising them. Thank you for sharing them with Syracuse University, and with our country.”

The day before the commissioning, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie presented commissioning gifts to the ROTC cadets. The gifts serve as a token of appreciation for the students’ dedication to ROTC during their time at Syracuse.

Also during Thursday morning’s event, this year’s class of Dottle Family Scholars were recognized. Named for Paul Dottle, a parent of two recent alumni, and his family, Dottle scholars were chosen through a competitive process that explores the applicant’s academics, citizenship, physical aptitude and potential to serve successfully in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. These scholarships allow the ROTC programs to recognize deserving cadets while having additional support to ensure that the University’s ROTC programs continue to train the best military leaders in the country.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an��undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic , with a global footprint, and��, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit .

Bethany Murphy

Murphy ’20, a first-generation environmental engineering major from Massachusetts, is one of just 120 annual recipients of the NOAA Hollings scholarship. Named for Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina, the award provides up to $9,500 per year for two years of full-time study for students majoring in fields of study related to NOAA’s mission to understand and conserve climate, weather, oceans, ecosystems and coasts. Designed to increase understanding and stewardship for the oceans and atmosphere, the award includes paid summer internship placements at an NOAA or partner facility, and offers recipients the opportunity to attend and present at conferences, including the Science & Education

Ashlynn Borce

Symposium.

“I am excited and honored to be afforded an opportunity to pursue my passions of responsible resource management and water quality so early in my career with NOAA” says Murphy. “I admire the organization’s mission to ‘enrich life through science’ and hope to combine my environmental engineering training with my understanding of military operations and organizational structures to approach the issue of reducing the military’s environmental footprint.”

In addition to being a student in the and a member of Syracuse Army ROTC, Murphy volunteers at Syracuse’s Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) and is involved with Engineers without Borders (EWB) and Global Student Embassy (GSE). She will travel to Guatemala this year as part of a GSE research team working to provide clean drinking water to a community in a remote part of the Central American country.

Murphy worked with the�� to secure the NOAA scholarship. CFSA offers candidates advising and assistance with application and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships.

Borce ’18, a senior health and exercise science major from Honolulu in the , has been accepted into the prestigious Army-Baylor University doctoral program in physical therapy (DPT).

Ranked in the top 10 of over 200 physical therapy programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report, the Baylor DPT program prepares highly qualified students such as Borce to serve as both active-duty officers and as military physical therapists.

Borce, who will begin the program in fall 2019 while serving as a second lieutenant, will study at the historic Fort Sam Houston, home of military medicine, in San Antonio, Texas. The DPT program is part of the Army Medical Department Center and School, as well as the Health Readiness Center of Excellence. ��The army will fund Borce’s doctoral study in addition to her salary as a second lieutenant.

“I am thrilled to continue my study and my commitment to our nation’s military as a candidate of the Army-Baylor DPT program” says Borce. “I am inspired by the program’s mission to produce active duty PTs who also strive to be leaders in the worldwide military health system and am honored to serve my country as both a solider and physical therapist.”

An active member of Syracuse Army ROTC, and previously traveled to Mongolia for the Army ROTC’s Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency Program mission, helping teach the Mongolian military English.

These achievements mark three occasions of female student ROTC success in as many weeks, as Cadet Executive Officer Jacqueline Page was named a University Scholar, Syracuse University’s highest undergraduate honor, earlier this month.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an��undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic , with a global footprint, and��, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit .

“Syracuse University’s ROTC cadets are smart, hardworking and civic-minded,” says Chancellor Syverud. “They have a deep sense of purpose, and they make the campus community a better place. It is a privilege to help prepare them for national service. And we will be here to support them when they return to civilian life, through our National Veterans Resource Center and other veteran-focused initiatives.”

Syracuse University, via its Academic Strategic Plan, is committed to building on its long legacy of supporting the nation’s veterans and military families. For example, the University has the longest, continuously running Army ROTC program and is consistently placed among the best universities for veterans rankings.

Celebration attendees will view the current ROTC members perform drill and ceremony in formation as they are reviewed by Chancellor Syverud. Cadets will also be presented with awards celebrating their many achievements throughout the year. The 10th Mountain Division Band from Fort Drum, New York, will provide music during the ceremony.

The annual Chancellor’s Review is open to the public. All members of the Syracuse University community are encouraged to attend the event. Parking will be available in the Irving Garage. Please call ahead with special parking needs. Attendees may enter the Carrier Dome through Gates A, B, C and E.

��About Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs��

The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs serves as Syracuse University’s single point of entry for all veteran and military related programs and initiatives. It collaborates and coordinates with stakeholders to serve veterans, military connected students and military family members who are students or employees at Syracuse University. For more information about the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, visit .

About the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps��

Army ROTC offers a commission as a second lieutenant in either the active Army or Reserve Forces in a variety of career fields, including combat arms (aviation, armor, artillery, infantry or engineers), combat support and combat service support branches. There are two-, three-, and four-year scholarship programs available. Some cadets choose to join the National Guard or the Army Reserve while in Army ROTC, thus qualifying them for the Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits, in-state tuition (VANG) and other exciting benefits.

About the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

Air Force ROTC is a program designed to train cadets to be commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. Here at Syracuse University, we pride ourselves on having a meticulously designed training environment that gives meaning to the Air Force’s core values, fosters good camaraderie among cadets and produces only the finest Air Force officers.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an��undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic , with a global footprint, and��, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit .

The Junior ROTC cadets, along with cadre and local recruiters, represented programs from across upstate New York, including: Mexico Academy & Central District Marine Corps JROTC, Proctor Naval JROTC in Utica, Western Maritime Buffalo Naval JROTC and Carthage Army JROTC near the Fort Drum area.

The event began with Syracuse University admissions speaking to the Junior ROTC cadets about different education opportunities beyond high school through the ROTC program, including scholarship opportunities and support the university provides to ROTC members. The admissions representatives were able to answer personal questions and highlighted the university’s commitment to support the ROTC program, the longest, consecutive-running program in the country.

Junior cadets were then challenged to show their physical fitness in a race around the Dome. The high schoolers completed push-ups and crunches before running up stairs to the top of the Dome to scale the bleachers, ending with a dead-man carry with a 105-pound dummy that they ran across the Syracuse-embossed turf.

Throughout the fitness challenge, SU Army ROTC cadets highlighted their leadership abilities learned throughout the ROTC program as they guided and encouraged teams of junior cadets to finish the competition strong.

Lt. Col. Jason Warner ended the ceremony by awarding the first-, second- and third-place teams and their respective Army ROTC leaders, but this was not the last award of the night. Junior cadets who showed admirable qualities that matched the values of the SU ROTC program, such as leadership, strength, teamwork and a commitment to serve, were given a Syracuse University coin.

The SU Army ROTC college leadership program educates and trains Cadets on Army officership, Army values, standards and operations, while providing mentorship and scholarship to enhance college education. This event encompassed Syracuse University’s commitment to those who serve by providing experience and resources to future Army ROTC members.

“The JROTC mission is to develop good citizens,” said LT. Col. , the Army ROTC program leader. “And so we’re looking to expand and support that mission by providing them, the JROTC cadets, and opportunity to come and see things beyond high school.

“I chose Syracuse University primarily because of its academic and athletic reputation, and also because of the smaller class sizes,” he says. Another reason why he chose Syracuse is the University’s proximity to major hospitals such as Upstate University Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center.

After graduation, Rempillo wants to further his education by pursuing an M.D. and a Ph.D. in medical science. He says the faculty A&S has been a guiding force to help him choose his career path: “Each and every faculty member I know, especially in the chemistry and biology departments, had influenced my dedication to pursue my academic goals.”

Rempillo is a member of Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, the American Chemical Society and Army ROTC. Moreover, he is involved in biochemistry research and volunteered at the Emergency Department at Upstate University Hospital last year.

“Syracuse University has given me countless opportunities since my first semester,” he says. “My acceptance to the Renée Crown Honors Program allowed me to experience first-hand research and connect to the community outside the campus. The Veterans Resource Center also helped my transition into academic life.”

Rempillo says the campus architecture is one of his favorite features of the University. He also appreciates the University’s efforts to accommodate veterans through its various resources and connections. He likes to study and do homework in the Milton Atrium and says he finds the café there very convenient for a quick snack or coffee.

Among things to do in Central New York, Rempillo likes to visit local restaurants around Syracuse. From time to time, he enjoys a run along Onondaga Lake Park.

Chancellor’s Annual Review and Awards Ceremony, Army and Air Force ROTC 2016

Chancellor Kent Syverud and leaders from Syracuse University and its Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) will join special guests, alumni, and community and educational partners to host the 100th annual Chancellor’s Review.

The celebration will consist of a series of events that will include a dinner for alumni and invited guests on March 30; a private breakfast for Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) alumni, SU faculty and leadership; and a public review of the troops in the Carrier Dome on March 31.

“Syracuse University has an unrivaled history of supporting students who aspire to serve in our nation’s armed forces,” according to Chancellor Syverud. “We are especially proud of our 100-year relationship with ROTC—which was founded here in 1918 as the Student Army Training Corps. Syracuse and ROTC share a commitment to the values that inform thoughtful leadership and excellence in service. I am so proud of these cadets. We are all proud of you.”

Highlights of the event will include dinner keynote speaker 1985 Syracuse University Army ROTC alumna Major General Peggy C. Combs, United States Army, and music provided by the 198th Army Band, Rochester, New York. During the dinner, cadets participating in the color guard will be dressed in historical military uniforms representing various military conflicts throughout history.

For the public portion of the celebration at the Carrier Dome on Friday, attendees will view the current ROTC members perform drill and ceremony in formation as they are reviewed by Chancellor Syverud. In addition to the Chancellor’s Review of the troops, cadets will be presented with awards, which celebrate their many achievements throughout the year.

For the first time in the ceremony’s history, the Air Force and Army ROTC will also honor various offices from across campus for their support of the ROTC programs throughout the years. Music will be provided by the 10th Mountain Division Band from Fort Drum, New York, which will march along with the cadets in the annual pass and review. Many military vehicles will also be on display on the Dome field.