As our nation celebrates Veterans Day on Saturday and honors the selfless service and sacrifice of our veterans and active duty military, we have a wonderful opportunity to shine light on the members of our campus community – SUNY Oswego students, faculty, staff and alumni – who have proudly worn the uniform of our nation.
Your service in protecting our freedoms and way of life deserve our collective thanks not just on Veterans Day but throughout the year. Your mere presence on and connection to our campus enriches us all for the better as your battle-tested experiences and worldly perspectives are of great value in the classroom and in communities around the world.
Throughout the past week, many on campus have been participating in activities to increase community support for veterans and raise the awareness that there are veterans and active duty personnel among us here at SUNY Oswego. The Student Association and the political science department hosted a panel of faculty and U.S. military veterans, who discussed compelling topics related to their military service and experiences. We held a weeklong fundraiser for Clear Path for Veterans, and will welcome to campus Team RWB (Red, White and Blue), whose mission is to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.
We celebrate this month the first anniversary of the dedication of the Battle Buddy Center in the Veterans Lounge in Hewitt Union, and will host a Veterans luncheon on Monday to honor those who have served. We also look forward to holding Military Appreciation Night at the men's hockey game on Saturday at 7 p.m. We hope you will come out to cheer on the team and help the college recognize you – our veterans and active duty military.
We are proud that SUNY Oswego is consistently ranked a top school for its military-connected and veteran population, but it’s the men and women – our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, who are veterans or currently serving in the military – who make such an honor attainable. We salute your service on Veterans Day, and thank you every day for your past and present efforts to protect and preserve the “land of the free and home of the brave.”
Deborah F. Stanley
President