Chancellor King Announces Appointment of SUNY’s First-Ever System Lead for Military and Veteran Recruitment
November 11, 2024
Susan Dewan Will Support SUNY's Efforts to Increase Recruitment and Retention of Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students
SUNY Serves Approximately 3,000 Veterans and More Than 2,800 Military-Affiliated Students
Albany, NY – As the nation celebrates Veterans Day, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced the appointment of Susan Dewan as SUNY's first Assistant Director of Enrollment for Military and Veteran Recruitment. Dewan takes on the new position in SUNY's Office of Student Success, announced in Chancellor King's 2024 State of the University Policy Agenda, to support SUNY's efforts to increase recruitment and retention of veterans and military-affiliated students.
This new role is part of SUNY's commitment to develop strategy, implement initiatives, and track and report on data focused on recruiting, enrolling, and supporting military-affiliated students across SUNY's 64 campuses and will serve as the point of contact for campus admissions officers as they recruit veteran and military-affiliated students.
"Across SUNY we have been expanding the services and support we provide for our military-connected students, and with Susan Dewan joining us in this strategic position, we will do more to help transition more New Yorkers from the military to their career pursuits," said SUNY Chancellor King. "We owe so much to the service of the brave members of our armed forces and the dedication of their families. We know that our veterans may have different needs and offer distinctive strengths making this role essential to supporting their continued success throughout their higher education journey."
This role is even more important today after Governor Hochul signed Legislation S.8596-A /A.9205-A, which expands the Veterans Tuition Awards Program to non-combat military veterans residing in New York.
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “There are nearly 600,000 veterans residing in New York State, and SUNY is committed to meeting their unique needs, celebrating their accomplishments, and welcoming them to our campuses. This newly created role is both a visible reminder of that dedication and a crucial addition to our strategy to inform veterans of all we can provide, help them get enrolled, and deliver the supports needed to ensure they succeed. It's truly a great day at SUNY for veterans as we also celebrate Governor Hochul signing legislation to expand the Veteran's Tuition Awards Program to non-combat military veterans living in New York, and as we honor all who served our military on Veterans Day.”
SUNY Chancellor King added, "There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and by signing this important legislation to expand the Veterans Tuition Awards Program to non-combat military veterans, Governor Hochul is opening the door for more military-connected New Yorkers to gain a higher education at SUNY. Today, nearly 6,000 military-connect students are enrolled at our SUNY campuses, and thanks to the Governor and our legislature, we look forward to serving many more people who have sacrificed so much for our country."
Earlier this year, SUNY launched the system's first-ever Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, which provides participating student veterans the opportunity to complete an internship with the admissions or enrollment management office on their campus, in collaboration with the campus veteran and military services coordinator, focused on increasing veterans' enrollment and ensuring enrolled veterans can connect to additional support on campus.
Dewan is an accomplished and respected leader in higher education, directing key initiatives to support military and veteran students including recruitment, transcript evaluation, and academic advising. While at Excelsior University, Dewan created successful partnerships with the Department of Defense, Department of Veteran Affairs, veteran partnership organizations, US Military service branches, and military installations. Dewan has also served SUNY Empire State University students for the past 21 years as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business teaching Organizational Behavior, as well as a faculty evaluator for Prior Learning Assessment.
Susan Dewan, Assistant Director for Military and Veteran Recruitment said, "In this new role, I believe it's all about how to best support military and veteran students and their family members. I look forward to developing military and veteran partnerships and delivering new services to meet the needs of this community. Veterans and military service members bring diverse experiences and perspectives to the classrooms and online learning environment that enriches learning for all students. I am honored to be a part of SUNY's continuous commitment to serving veterans, military service members, and their families as they pursue their educational and career goals."
Veterans, military personnel, and military-connected family members can apply to up to seven SUNY campuses for free, saving up to $350, throughout the year. Each SUNY campus has trained counselors who can assist veterans to get the most out of their GI Bill benefits.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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