As veterans came home from World War II, Syracuse University became a leader for its commitment to providing education to returning soldiers. 

Veterans were remembered and honored for their dedication and sacrifices at SU’s first Veterans Day Ceremony held in Hendricks Chapel on Thursday. 

‘In our gratitude, let us come this day to rededicate ourselves to the task of promoting and enduring peace so that the efforts of our valiant veterans shall not be in vain,’ said the Rev. Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks. 

Throughout the ceremony, speakers summarized the histories of Veterans Day and SU veterans. Keynote speaker, Capt. Melvin Stith, dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management who served in the Vietnam War, also spoke of the importance of veterans in society.   

After Steinwert’s invocation and the national anthem, Lt. Col. Ray Bowen, chair of SU’s ROTC Air Force, gave a brief history of Veterans Day. Lt. Col. Susan Hardwick, commander of SU’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and Bowen read a proclamation from Onondaga County and a letter from Gov. David Paterson. 

Michael Rivezzo, a senior in Whitman, shared what he has learned about the history of SU veterans. 

Under Chancellor William Graham from 1937 to 1942, the university changed its graduation policy. Rather than taking four years to graduate, students could take three semesters a year and graduate in a little more than two years to serve in World War II, Rivezzo said. During former Chancellor William Tolley’s tenure, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 was enacted, which provided college education to returning veterans. 

The university offered admission to 9,464 veterans in 1946, said Eric Spina, vice chancellor and provost, who also spoke on the history of SU veterans later in the ceremony. 

‘Enrollment in our campus tripled, literally overnight,’ he said. ‘To say the least, housing arrangements were unorthodox.’ 

To accommodate for the enrollment increase, Tolley purchased 24 local houses to provide lodging for students, Rivezzo said. SU also made an agreement with the former U.S. Department of War to create more infrastructures on campus. By May 1946, there were 300 more spaces created — 200 for housing and 100 for classes. There were also 225 families that formed a community in the lower section of Skytop, he said. 

The university’s efforts during World War II surpassed those of other universities, which struggled due to inconveniences caused by the increase of student enrollment, Spina said. SU set a national standard and was praised by then-President Harry Truman.  

This era transformed the university due to the veterans’ impact. Students and faculty alike experienced a diversity of perspectives in the classroom due to veterans’ extraordinary experiences, Spina said. 

‘The spirit of that era became coded in our university’s DNA,’ he said.  

Although educational benefits for veterans increased during wartime, between World War II and 2009 they reduced as national funds were redirected, Rivezzo said. 

In light of conflicts in the Middle East, SU has made an effort to expand its support and create more programs for veterans, including the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. SU also opened the Veterans Resource Center and the Student Veterans Club last November.  

Stith, who served in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence and Security Command during the Vietnam War, spoke about the importance of the military as a leader in society.  

When Stith was in Vietnam, he received a telegraph that said he had a full scholarship to SU. Three weeks later, he arrived at the university, he said. Professors and staff members made the veterans feel like they belonged, he said. 

And they continue to do the same for young men and women who come to SU today, Stith said. 

‘We say, ‘No matter where you come from or how you get here, you’re part of the family, and we want you to take the best care,” he said. 

Stith emphasized veterans are critical to the success of society because they have shown they can lead the way and because of their capability to succeed.

‘We know that if we expand these bright and honest through Syracuse and into what we call the real world, we know the real world will be a better place,’ he said.

The ceremony was moved to the Quad to present the wreath. The SU Veteran U.S. Flag was then flown for the last time by the ROTC Honor Guard. The flag has traveled to 12 different locations since Flag Day, June 14, and Hendricks was its final destination. It is now in display in the Veterans Lounge of University College.  

lgleveil@syr.edu

Published on November 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille