GVSU receiving recognition for veterans' initiatives

菲洛梅娜五世总统. Mantella welcomed students, faculty and staff who have served in the U.S. 武装部队 currently serving to the 13th Annual 退伍军人 Breakfast on November 10点在校友之家.

Mantella remarked that seeing her father and uncles serve in the military resonated deeply throughout her life. 

“I think it inspires the work I do in a way that I really didn't know because I just was so profoundly impacted by the sacrifices that one family could make,” 曼说. “他们 continued to live productive lives and continued to serve.

"I think that is so profound about our veterans. It’s your inclination, it’s in your DNA, to continue to serve. We are so proud to support you with our actions, not just our words.”  

Also offering remarks with Mantella were guest speaker 杰森·瑞德曼, a retired naval officer and former Navy SEAL; 谢恩·谢勒，2011年 , GVSU’s new director of the Peter Secchia Military and Veteran Resource Center; and Nick Adams, a fellow in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy and a former Marine. 

Redman also served as the keynote speaker for the Hauenstein Center’s annual 退伍军人 Day event on November 10, detailing his experiences serving in the military. 

“Since the beginning of this great country, it's been men and women willing to sacrifice our most precious asset — our own lives — which has paved the way for our country to be what it is 今天，”雷德曼说. 

Mantella affirmed the university’s direction to be the best in the Midwest for the service of veterans, highlighting recent initiatives benefiting student veterans on campus.

“We are beginning to be seen as an organization that supports veterans,” 曼说.

In recent years, Mantella has announced programs to help student veterans access higher education and build a career 毕业后: 

• GVSU的老兵承诺 是一个 deferred admission plan with a guaranteed spot to attend Grand Valley following the student’s service. GVSU是第一个 university in the nation to offer such a program.
• 提前退伍军人 allows student veterans the opportunity to gain work experience while earning a degree from the university.

This week, Military Times recognized Grand Valley on 它的 2023 Best for Vets: Colleges list, and the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce honored 博天堂官方的 Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab with a Community Service Award during the 67th Annual Armed Forces Appreciation Luncheon at Firekeepers Casino Hotel.

In August, the Michigan 退伍军人 Affairs Agency awarded Grand Valley with 它的 highest honor for Veteran-Friendly Schools for 连续第九年. 

And, the number of veterans and military-affiliated students in the 2023-2024 incoming class was up 19 percent, said Mantella. 

“I hope I've set a tone that this is important to us,” 曼说. “这是 about our mission as a university. 这是 博天堂官方网页我们是谁.

“One of the things that drew me to Grand Valley is the 社会价值观. 这是 another expression of those values."