Support does not always begin with an appointment. Sometimes it begins with a few quiet minutes to reset. Other times, it begins by hearing someone else say, “I’ve been there, too.”

The University’s (OVMA) Resiliency Program is creating more opportunities for both. Building on the Cabana Pod already available at the (NVRC), OVMA is partnering with Cabana to bring Cabana Live to the University’s veteran and military-connected community.

The OVMA Resiliency Program (ORP) offers personalized, nonclinical support to help students navigate challenges that can affect their academic experience and well-being. Its staff work with students to understand what they need, connect them with resources and help them find a path forward. Cabana Live adds a way to connect with others wherever they are.

With no appointment and no cost, community members can drop into anonymous, moderated peer support sessions throughout the day. Sessions cover stress, focus, relationships, confidence, feeling disconnected and major life changes. Some are led by veterans and designed for military audiences.

Members join with an alias and their camera off. Only the moderator appears on camera, and participants can listen or contribute as much as they wish.

“We know that support looks different for different people—and even for the same person on different days,” says Ken Marfilius, associate director and co-founder of the OVMA Resiliency Program, faculty director of online programs and strategic initiatives in the School of Education and associate teaching professor of social work. “The Cabana Pod offers a private space to pause and reset when you’re at the NVRC. Cabana Live extends that opportunity for connection beyond the building. You can join from anywhere, on your own terms, and find people who understand some of what you’re carrying.”

The Cabana Pod at the NVRC gives visitors a private place to decompress using guided experiences such as breathing exercises and meditation. Cabana Live offers a different kind of connection: live conversations with peers, available whether someone is on campus or miles away. Between sessions, members can also use a guided journal, self-guided content and Cabana FM, a lo-fi station for focus and winding down.

“Our goal is to build a resilient community where veteran and military-connected students know there is more than one way to reach out,” says U.S. Army Colonel (Retired) Ron Novack, executive director of OVMA. “From a moment of quiet in the Cabana Pod to a live conversation with people who share similar experiences, these resources give our community more ways to find support when they need it.”

Cabana Live is available to Syracuse University’s veteran and military-connected community through the OVMA Resiliency Program. For those military-connected staff, faculty and students who are interested in this new service, visit the and select the specific community that applies to you.

Three postdoctoral researchers were honored for the quality and impact of their research and creative activity at this year’s Postdoctoral Appreciation Awards dinner.

The and the co-host the annual celebration to honor the postdoctoral community and recognize the scholars, who are joined by their guests, faculty mentors and University leaders. Each recipient received a $750 award and presented a research summary at the event.

In honoring them, Vice President for Research said the University’s 80 postdoctoral scholars are a crucial component of its research enterprise.

“Our postdoctoral scholars are central to Syracuse’s research mission,” he said. “They create new knowledge, mentor our graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge research and creative work and empower our faculty. The scholars we recognize this year reflect the ambition and rigor that exemplify Syracuse University’s research and creative enterprise.”

Honorees are:

Emily Rabinowitz, “Trauma, Health, and Recovery: Advancing Veteran Behavioral Health Research at Syracuse University.” ( (CHB), . Faculty mentor: , professor of psychology and director, CHB)

Rabinowitz’s research explores how physical injury during military deployment shapes service members’ psychological health. She found those who experienced a traumatic injury had��greater psychological distress than both those exposed to trauma without injury and those with no injury.��Her project is part of a larger program of research examining factors related to military and veteran well-being.

Taylor Snodgrass, “Beyond the Current Error: What a Child’s Speech History Reveals About Treatment Success.” (, (A&S). Faculty mentor: , professor of communication sciences and disorders)

Snodgrass examines why children with residual speech errors (sound errors that persist past the typical age of mastery) respond differently to treatment based on their developmental history. She finds that children with an early, broader speech history and children with weaker phonological awareness skills (the ability to hear and work with the sound structure of spoken language) show smaller treatment gains than those identified later, a pattern consistent across different treatment formats. The findings suggest that speech-language pathologists should consider both developmental history and phonological awareness in setting treatment expectations.

Xubin Wang, “Decoding Earth’s Breathless Past to Predict Our Marine Future.” (, A&S. Faculty mentor: , Thonis Family Professor, earth and environmental sciences)

Wang’s research looks hundreds of millions of years into the Earth’s past to understand how oceans respond to dramatic climate change and what that history says about their future.�� His findings challenge a long-held assumption that severe deoxygenation—the loss of life-supporting oxygen from oceans—is mainly a feature of global warming; he showed it also recurred during some of Earth’s most severe ice ages. He also uncovered how changes in continental weathering reshaped ocean chemistry and helped enable the evolutionary rise of animals with mineralized skeletons. In addition, Wang developed a new geochemical “redox ladder,” a powerful way for scientists to reconstruct oxygen levels in Earth’s ancient oceans.

On Friday, Sept. 11, 25 years after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, Syracuse University gathered to share solemn moments of remembrance and hope.

A , 25 Years of Remembrance and Resilience, was held in . At the same time, members of the University and greater Syracuse communities were climbing stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to honor the New York City first responders lost on that day.

Remembering Through Prayer and Reflection

The memorial service, a partnership between Hendricks Chapel and the , began with the ceremonial ringing of 25 chimes at 8:46 a.m., the time that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The attacks resulted in 2,977 lives lost that day: 2,753 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard United Flight 93—a litany the Rev. Corey MacPherson, dean of Hendricks Chapel, offered as both fact and prayer.

He recalled Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Department chaplain and first officially recognized victim of the attacks, carried from the North Tower and laid before the altar of a nearby church.

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” MacPherson said of the moment, recalled by a colleague who witnessed it.

, interim chief human resources officer and a former Navy fighter pilot, shared a reflection on that day. She described standing before an aircraft on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, oblivious and self-absorbed on what was supposed to be her first flight of Navy Flight School—before everything changed.

Dietrich recounted, years later, being interviewed by a student for a class assignment and stumbling over dates and sequences she thought she knew by heart, realizing that “a feeling belongs to the person who felt it, but a fact can be handed to someone who wasn’t there.”

Her charge to the room was simple: “learn the names, carry the numbers accurately and then act forward—find something bigger than yourself and give yourself to it.”

Frank Caravita ’29, a medicinal chemistry major in the and Army ROTC cadet, performed the national anthem. The Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, led by James Spencer, professor emeritus in the A&S,��and Jose “Peppie” Calvar, professor in the in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, performed musical selections during the service.

Prayers and reflections throughout the service were spoken in Korean, English and Hebrew, as chaplains from different traditions spoke of peace, justice and the refusal to let grief harden into hatred.

Twenty-five candles were ceremonially lit by Imam Amir Durić, assistant dean for religious and spiritual life, to symbolize healing and hope, and to recognize a personal and public commitment to serve as instruments of peace.

The service closed with the Mourner’s Kaddish, performed by Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Natan Levy, and the long, mournful call of the shofar.

Climbing to Remember

At the same time, more than 100 members of the community climbed stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to remember the New York City first responders who died on 9/11. The event was sponsored by in collaboration with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The climb raised more than $5,100 for the NFFF.

SUA members handed out memorial cards bearing the photos of fallen 9/11 first responders. Participants were encouraged to take one, to wear it and to research the story of the person on the card.

SUA Vice President Christopher Henderson Jr. ’28, a public health major in the , organized the memorial climb. He is a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Conklin, New York, following in the footsteps of his dad.

Henderson was not born when 9/11 happened, and he says it is important for all, especially future generations, to honor and remember the sacrifice made by first responders on that day.

“They set a precedent for how you respond to emergencies, how you look at them and how you treat them afterwards,” he says. “A lot of responder safety issues have been improved since that time, and it is important we continue it. We owe the 9/11 first responders a debt of gratitude.”

The cadets and cadre of Syracuse University’s Army ROTC program are celebrating a summer of high-performance and accomplishments as the new semester kicks off.

Cadets attending different phases of Cadet Summer Training (CST) earned high distinctions at the individual level and as a unit, ultimately achieving 4^th place on Army Fitness Test scores among 227 ROTC programs nationwide. On the individual level, six Syracuse cadets finished in the top 5% nationally, another seven in the top 15%, and 15 more in the top 50%.

“These results are a testament to the quality of our cadets, the work of our cadre and staff, and the tremendous support the University provides our program. The University’s investment is directly contributing to the development of some of the highest-performing future Army officers in the nation,” says U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jared Larpenteur, professor of military science and senior officer of the Stalwart Battalion. “We are extremely proud of what these cadets accomplished this summer and look forward to building on that momentum during the academic year.”

CST has several key components aspiring Army officers must complete to receive a commission. Their performance also impacts a cadet’s ranking, which can determine if they get the military occupational branch desired or having to accept what is available.

The Advance Camp, a mandatory 35-day capstone event between the cadet’s junior and senior years, tests individual and platoon-level leadership, tactical skills, land navigation and problem solving in various operational scenarios. Cadets can also attend Cadet Advanced Individual Training, which are specialized military schools such as Airborne School, Air Assault School and Mountain Warfare School. There are also opportunities for specialized programs such as Cadet Troop Leader Training and the Nurse Summer Training Program for those who qualify.

“The Army ROTC program here at Syracuse University consistently trains the cadets to a very high standard, which is why I believe I did not achieve such a high score on my own. I give credit to the legacy that the previous classes have set, and to my friends, as we continually sharpen each other every day,” says Bryan Hsieh ’27, a Falk College of Sport undergraduate who placed in 16^th out of 5,778 cadets nationwide.

The five Army ROTC cadets joining Hsieh in the top 5% of performers in the nation are:

• Cadet Jacob Simonetty ’28, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Cadet Michael Gammel ’27, Falk College of Sport
• Cadet John DeGeorgie ’28, School of Information Studies
• Cadet William Clegg IV ’27, School of Information Studies
• Cadet Jack Patti ’27, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

In addition to being among the nation’s top performers this summer, Hsieh, Simonetty, Patti and Cadet Alex Johnson ’27, an undergraduate in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, earned the elite Recondo Badge, a highly coveted personal award given to those cadets who exceed high-performance standards across multiple physical and tactical events on their first attempt, including:

• A score of 270 or above on the Army Physical Fitness Test with a minimum of 90 points per event.
• Land Navigation score of 90% or higher on the written test and five out of six points on both day and night land navigation courses.
• Qualify as sharpshooter or better on the pop-up rifle range.
• Pass all first aid, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and Call for Fire tasks.
• Complete a 12-mile foot march with rucksack within 90 minutes or less.
• Maintain a clean record with no founded disciplinary actions or failures of Army standards.

In addition to CST, some cadets excelled in other training events around the nation and earned individual distinction for their accomplishments. Cadet Orrin Price ’27, a soldier in the Vermont National Guard and undergraduate with the Falk College of Sport, earned the Governor’s Twenty tab after placing in the top 20% of shooters during the annual marksmanship competition, as well as third place overall in the U.S. Army Excellence in Competition marksmanship program for the individual combat rifle event.

Price attributes his marksmanship proficiency to learning basic marksmanship while growing up as a hunter, as well as the structured training he has received as an ROTC cadet.

“Last year we were lucky enough to go to the range twice and were able to spend some time in the EST (Engagement Skills Trainer), which simulates the qualification range. All of that together allowed me to have a ton of repetition,” says Price, who also earned the Military Order of the World Wars award during CST. “If you can do it enough to become muscle memory, then it becomes a lot easier over time. Thankfully my National Guard unit also takes marksmanship pretty seriously. We go through a good amount of training to make sure everyone knows what to do, and that repetition helps a lot.”

Looking ahead to next summer’s training, Hsieh offered a piece of advice for cadets preparing for their own turn at Advanced Camp and looking to carry on the Stalwart Battalion’s reputation for success.

“My advice for the MSIIIs and the newer cadets who hope to succeed is simple: trust the training. The high success rate of the current MSIVs at CST is a testament to the preparation, mentorship and high standards of Stalwart Battalion. Success at CST is achieved long before you arrive at Fort Knox. So, give 110% during PT and lab, accomplish the mission, pass your knowledge down the line, then go one more,” says Hsieh.

For more information on the Stalwart Battalion and the University’s historic commitment to supporting military-connected students, please visit the website.

The Syracuse University community is coming together this week to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Special events will honor those who lost their lives and recognize the sacrifices of our nation’s first responders and military-connected members who showed extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 killed 2,977 people, including 30 Syracuse University alumni.

In observance of the day, and the (OVMA) are holding a starting at 8:46 a.m., the same time when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

At precisely 8:46 a.m., there will be a moment of silence in the chapel, followed by a chime ringing 25 times in honor of those who died that day. At the conclusion of the service, 25 candles will be lit to remember the victims.

Here’s a complete rundown of the events happening on campus:

• Sept. 11: Hendricks Chapel 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, an interfaith memorial service, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The event will be and will include remarks from several of the chapel’s chaplains and performances from the and José “Peppie” Calvar, director of the Hendricks Chapel Choir and professor and assistant director of choral activities at the Setnor School of Music.
• Sept. 11: 9/11 , JMA Wireless Dome. Registration starts at 8 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. The climb starts at 8:46 a.m. and ends at noon.
  • Note: the Hendricks Remembrance Ceremony and the Syracuse University Ambulance Stair Climb and Walk will happen simultaneously starting at 8:46 a.m.

• Sept. 11: College of Law ’Cuse Vet Fest, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Levy Atrium. Syracuse-area veterans are invited to a , hosted at the College of Law. This is a joint effort between the��, the College of Law’s����and the . Free admission and free parking in the Irving Avenue Garage.
• Sept. 12: , noon to 3 p.m., Women’s Building Field. Celebrate our and enjoy free food, non-alcoholic beverages, a cash bar, games, music and shuttled transportation to and from the event. This is a collaboration between the OVMA, the , and the .

• Sept. 12: vs. the University of California, Berkeley, 3:30 p.m., JMA Dome.
• Sept. 14: , 4 to 7 p.m., National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, K.G. Tan Auditorium. Following a moment of silence for those who lost their lives, there will be a panel discussion from 4 to 5 p.m. featuring Chris Meek��’92, G’18, founder and CEO of the ; , dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications��who reported from the Pentagon on 9/11; and ����Ǵڱ�����ǰ����������Ի���, who will reflect on the enduring legacy of the first responders, survivors and everyday citizens. Following the discussion will be a screening of the documentary, “,” from 5 to 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

There’s a new face leading this year, and he’s already feeling right at home. Lt. Col. Jared C. Larpenteur has stepped into the role of professor of military science, taking charge of one of the longest-running Army ROTC programs in the nation.

Becoming a professor of military science is a competitive process. Officers apply and their records go before a selection board. If chosen, they rank their preferred universities. The Army then matches officers to programs based on those preferences and each program’s needs. For Larpenteur, Syracuse was the clear favorite.

“Syracuse was my number one choice, so my family and I were extremely excited when I was selected to come here,” Larpenteur says.

A Leader at Fort Drum

That excitement didn’t come out of nowhere. Larpenteur has served at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y., several times over the course of his career, most recently as a battalion commander in the 10th Mountain Division. Those years gave his family a chance to fall for the region.

“Over those assignments, my family really fell in love with Central and Northern New York, the people, the outdoors and the community,” Larpenteur says. “When Syracuse appeared on the list, putting it first was an easy decision for us.”

Since arriving on campus, Larpenteur says one thing stood out to him right away.

“The first thing that stood out to me was the level of support Syracuse University provides its ROTC program and its military-connected community,” Larpenteur says. “A successful ROTC program depends on having a strong relationship with the university, and I saw immediately that Syracuse values that relationship.”

He’s also been struck by the people he’s inherited.

“I have also been impressed by the professionalism of our cadre and staff and, most importantly, the quality of our cadets,” Larpenteur says. “I inherited a program with a strong culture and a record of success. My responsibility is not to come in and reinvent it, but to understand what has made it successful, take care of our people and continue moving the program forward.”

Larpenteur is a native of Plaquemine, Louisiana, where he and his wife, Clare, met in high school. The two have been married for more than 16 years and have two children, Ruthie and Charlie. The family doesn’t have deep roots in Central New York, but years stationed at Fort Drum made the area feel like a second home well before the move to Syracuse. His last assignment was command of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division. “Being able to finish that assignment and move just down the road to Syracuse, rather than across the country, was a great opportunity for our entire family,” he says.

Larpenteur was commissioned as an infantry officer through Army ROTC at Louisiana State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. Over 19 years of active-duty service, he has served with the 1st Cavalry Division, the 82nd Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division, with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. His assignments and training have also taken him overseas to Japan, Australia, Poland and Germany. He holds a master of science degree in adult learning and leadership from Kansas State University and a master of military operational art and science degree from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Developing the Next Generation of Leaders

Looking ahead, Larpenteur hopes his time leading the Stalwart Battalion becomes more than just another assignment.

“I hope Syracuse becomes a genuine home for my family and me,” Larpenteur says. “From my first interactions with the university, people have been incredibly welcoming, and I want to contribute to that community rather than simply work here for a few years. Professionally, what excites me most is the opportunity to develop the next generation of Army officers and leaders. The Army has given my family and me tremendous opportunities over the past 19 years. At this stage of my career, I see this assignment as an opportunity to invest some of that experience back into young people who are just beginning their own careers.”

For the broader campus community, Larpenteur has a simple message: get to know your cadets.

“I hope the campus community continues to see Army ROTC as part of the Syracuse community, not something separate from it,” Larpenteur says. “Our cadets are Syracuse students first and foremost. They are in classrooms, on athletic teams, in student organizations and throughout the university while also preparing to serve as U.S. Army officers.”

While the cadets will continue to be a core component of the university’s culture, Larpenteur hopes for even more visibility beyond those moments the cadets are most known for.

“You’ll certainly continue to see us at some of the more visible Syracuse traditions, our cadets presenting the colors at major events and carrying the large American flag onto the field in the JMA Wireless Dome before football games,” Larpenteur says. “But I also want our cadets engaged with the university beyond those events. The Stalwart Battalion has established a very strong record of performance nationally. My goal is to build on that foundation while developing good officers, good leaders and people who positively contribute to Syracuse University.”

For more information on the Stalwart Battalion, and the support programs available for ROTC cadets, visit the website.

Syracuse-area veterans will have a chance to connect with benefits specialists, health care enrollment help and local support services under one roof when the ’Cuse Vet Fest for 9/11 Day comes to the on Friday, Sept. 11. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Levy�� Atrium. Admission is free, with free parking available in the Irving Garage.

The event is a joint effort between the , the College of Law’s and the. It is open to all veterans, including University students, faculty and staff.

Regardless of whether individuals have healthcare and benefits set up, the breadth of available resources to veterans in the Syracuse region guarantees there will be something new to learn. An annual event, attendees will have the opportunity to directly interact with representatives from over 20 offices and organizations which serve veterans and military connected families.

While at the event, attendees can:

• Learn how to enroll in VA healthcare;
• Explore veterans benefits (disability, education, employment, community and more);
• Connect with VA professionals;
• Engage with Syracuse University’s veteran resources;
• View and connect with a variety of community resources;
• Try the Clearpath for Veterans food truck
• Learn about the VA’s Mobile Prosthetics Center; and
• Visit the Mobile Vet Center.

Representatives from the University’s and Office of Veteran Success will take part, and event staff will be on site to guide attendees while they explore the participating organizations. This year’s event is sponsored by Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, along with the 9/11 Day Foundation and AmeriCorps.

For additional details, contact veteranadvocacy@syr.edu.

The recently unveiled a plaque honoring two of Syracuse University’s military-connected alumni at . Brothers Charles Vincent “Vin” Byrne ’47 and William M. “Bill” Byrne ’49,�� who were the prominent leaders of the Central New York business Byrne Dairy, were inducted into the Capt. Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder Hall of Honor, where their legacy will live alongside more than a century of notable military-connected University alumni.

“As we honor Bill and Vin Byrne, we celebrate not only their individual accomplishments, but also the enduring legacy of a generation that changed Syracuse University, strengthened our nation and demonstrated what is possible when service, education and opportunity come together,” says retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dwayne Murray, deputy director of the OVMA, who emceed the ceremony. “Their journey reminds us why Syracuse University’s commitment to veterans remains as important today as it was 80 years ago.”

The Byrne brothers’ Syracuse story began in the early 1940s, when boxing was one of the University’s marquee sports. In 1943, the brothers made collegiate boxing history when Vin Byrne won the Eastern Intercollegiate Flyweight Championship and Bill won the Eastern Intercollegiate Middleweight Championship, the first time brothers had claimed Eastern Intercollegiate boxing titles in the same year. Later that�� same year, with the country at war, both brothers left campus to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps and join the 16.1 million who served in the U.S. armed forces throughout World War II.

The Byrne Brothers Return With the G.I. Bulge

Bill and Vin’s return to Syracuse charts a course through an impactful decision the University made at the closing of World War II that still defines its legacy today. Following the war, Chancellor William Pearson Tolley opened Syracuse’s doors to returning veterans on the G.I. Bill, at a time when many colleges were reluctant to do so. More than 7,000 veterans enrolled at the university that fall, growing to 9,500 the following year, making up nearly half the student body. Bill and Vin Byrne were part of that wave, often referred to as the “G.I. Bulge.”

The discipline they built at Syracuse, in the ring and in their military service, followed them into business. Their father, Matthew Byrne, founded Byrne Dairy in Syracuse in 1933, bottling milk and delivering it by horse-drawn wagon. Bill and Vin took over as the family’s second generation of leadership and ran the business the way they’d trained for military service: prepared, disciplined and unwilling to cut corners.

That foundation has carried the Byrne family through multiple generations since. Three of those five generations returned to campus to see the plaque unveiled, from Bill and Vin’s own children to great-grandchildren just starting their careers.

That through line, from campus to combat to career, was the catalyst to bring the Byrne brothers’ story to the Hall of Honor.

“Some of us spent decades in close relationships with Vin and Bill, and others of us were born decades after their passing. That makes it hard, and it means that those of us who knew them well have a responsibility to the younger generations to tell the stories of their lives to their great- grandchildren and their great-great grandchildren,” says Bill Byrne, past president of Byrne Dairy and a member of the family’s third generation. “Bill and Vin have left an amazing legacy that deserves to be passed down to their family, and this display will tell some of their story to the community.”

To mark the occasion, the Byrne family and the OVMA announced the William M. Byrne ’47 and Charles “Vinnie” Byrne ’49 Endowed Scholarship for military-connected students, made possible through Byrne Dairy. The gift also supports the football head coach’s fund and the Veterans Legacy Fund.

Bill Byrne unveiled the commemorative plaque on behalf of the family and Byrne Dairy, on what he noted, by coincidence, would have been William M. Byrne’s 104th birthday.

For more information about Syracuse University’s notable military-connected alumni, and to find out about the programs and services available to military-connected students, visit the .

Syracuse University’s is rolling out Azimuth Check, a new coaching program that connects student veterans and military-connected undergraduates with a dedicated Pathfinder Coach from the start of their academic journey through graduation.

The program, developed with the national nonprofit InsideTrack, sits within OVMA’s Resiliency Program (ORP). Pathfinder Coaches reach out regularly to help students work through academic, financial, personal and professional challenges; connect them with campus resources and build the resiliency and self-advocacy skills that keep students on track toward their degree.

The name “Azimuth Check” comes from a familiar military practice. An azimuth provides direction, while an azimuth check ensures that an individual or team remains oriented toward its intended destination. The new program applies that same principle to higher education by helping students clarify their goals, navigate challenges and remain on course toward degree completion. Likewise, dedicated coaches are called Pathfinders because they provide student veterans and military-connected students with the navigational aids to stay on course and achieve a successful transition into higher education.

“Transition from military service to higher education for the first time can be a daunting task for veterans and currently serving service members. At Syracuse University, our responsibility extends beyond helping veteran and military-connected students enroll,” says retired U.S. Army Col. Ron Novack, OVMA’s executive director. “We want every student to feel supported, connected and positioned to succeed from the moment they arrive through graduation and beyond. Azimuth Check represents another important investment in the whole student experience and strengthens our commitment to making Syracuse University the ‘Best Place for Veterans.’”

Students paired with a coach get a single, consistent point of contact who understands what it’s like to balance coursework with military obligations, family responsibilities or a full-time job. Coaches help students identify priorities, build a plan and strengthen skills such as time management, motivation and problem-solving. When a student needs more specialized help, coaches connect them with the right office on campus.

Azimuth Check will not replace academic advisers, counselors or financial aid staff. Instead, it gives students someone to check in with regularly, someone who can help catch a small problem before it grows into a reason to leave school.

Azimuth Check builds on the work of the OVMA Resiliency Program, created to support the overall well-being of Syracuse’s veteran and military-connected students. ORP offers personalized, nonclinical support to help students navigate university and community resources, working from the idea that a student’s path to graduation depends on more than grades. Belonging, personal well-being, family circumstances, financial stability and a willingness to ask for help all play a part.

“Student veterans and military-connected students arrive at Syracuse with tremendous strengths, including leadership, adaptability, discipline and a commitment to something larger than themselves,” says U.S. Air Force veteran Kenneth Marfilius ‘07, associate director of the OVMA Resiliency Program, faculty director of online programs and strategic initiatives in the School of Education and associate teaching professor of social work. “At the same time, they may be balancing school with work, family, military service or the transition to civilian life. Azimuth Check gives students someone who will consistently reach out, listen, and help them navigate the path ahead. This is proactive support designed to strengthen resiliency, persistence and connection while ensuring students know they do not have to manage every challenge alone.”

InsideTrack, the program’s coaching partner, is a national nonprofit that works with colleges across the country to provide personalized, evidence-based coaching aimed at strengthening student engagement, persistence and completion. Its coaches rely on regular, individual conversations to help students recognize barriers, build on their strengths and follow through on their goals.

Azimuth Check adds to a support network that already includes OVMA, the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, as well as academic, career and health resources across campus. It is another way for the university to reach students early, stay connected and help them feel like they belong, not just at Syracuse, but on the path to their degree.

For more than a century, Syracuse has stood by the people who serve and their families. Azimuth Check carries that commitment forward, giving students a personal guide, a steady point of contact and a chance to periodically check their direction as they work toward their goals.

“At its core, this initiative is about making sure our students know that someone is in their corner,” Novack says. “That level of sustained, personal support is central to who we are and why Syracuse University continues to set the standard as the ‘Best Place for Veterans.’”

For more information on this impactful program, and other mental health resources available to student veterans and military-connected students, please visit the .

Maria Calabrese Murray ’44 was 17 when she arrived at Syracuse University in 1940. A talented flutist and pianist, Murray had already performed with the Columbia University Symphonic Band before pursuing higher education in Syracuse. By the time she earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in art education, the U.S. had been fighting in World War II for nearly three years, and women across the country were stepping into roles being opened to them for the first time in the military.

Murray was chosen as one of five women from Syracuse University to attend the U.S. Naval Midshipman School at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, training alongside other women who would help redefine what military service meant for generations to come. She completed the program and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

Thanks to a donation from Murray’s daughter, Susan Cooper, a part of Murray’s military legacy is now prominently on display in the gallery at the . The informational display contains uniform items from Murray, as well as photos and articles from her time on campus and in the service.

“My mother always spoke of being a WAVE with great pride. Growing up, I didn’t recognize the significance until I was older, particularly after she passed away in 2012,” Cooper says. “She had been living with us for eight years, so I had all of her items in my basement, and I knew it had to find a wonderful home.”

Before her military service, Murray built a record of achievement on campus. She was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority and the fine arts honor society Sigma Chi Alpha, and she served as manager of the women’s varsity rifle team and chair of the Women’s Athletic Association.

Not long after graduating from Syracuse, she married William Ellsworth Murray, a fellow alumnus and a commissioned medical officer in the U.S. Navy. The couple eventually settled in Indiana, but Murray first returned to Syracuse after her own military service, becoming the first returning service member to teach art in the College of Human Development. She later earned a master’s degree in applied arts from the University.

Murray went on to have a rewarding career as an educator, artist and civic leader in Indiana, where she founded the Indianapolis chapter of Hospital Audiences, Inc., a nonprofit bringing visual and performing arts to underserved and special-needs communities.

Murray died July 7, 2012, in Indianapolis at age 89. She was a charter member of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, one more marker of a life spent going first. Her personal papers, including correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks and military records, are preserved separately in the at .

“Moments like these are both rare and rewarding. Having the opportunity to learn about the incredible impact Maria Calabrese Murray and her service in the WAVES had on our nation and the University during World War II is truly remarkable,” says retired U.S. Army Col. Ron Novack. “Having a piece of that history to share with the University community in our gallery is a great connection to the University’s historic commitment to those who served.”

In addition to memorabilia that belonged to Murray, the informational display educates viewers about the WAVES and about programs at the University that supported students preparing for military service. It also contains a draft map of Iwo Jima that Murray drew during her military service.

The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, remains one of the most consequential and costly battles of World War II. American forces sought to capture the island’s airfields due to its critically important strategic location in the Pacific Ocean. For military planners, accurate maps and coastline drawings, like the one Murray drafted, were not a luxury but a necessity for operational success.

“Because of her connection to Syracuse, I started thinking that the NVRC is the right home for this. For me, this place feels like a home for her. The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs treated her with tremendous respect, which I admire. She personally wouldn’t have demanded this, but she would have loved every moment,” Cooper says.

While Murray’s uniform and information on the WAVES are already on display in the NVRC Gallery, the map of Iwo Jima she drafted is being carefully prepared to preserve the historical artifact while allowing visitors to understand the complexities of topographic drafting before the development of satellite imagery. It will be featured for public viewing in the near future, but the exhibit can be viewed during regular operating hours at the start of the academic semester.

Hunter Pyke ’27 spent four years as a U.S. Marine Corps anti-tank missileman before enrolling at Syracuse University. Matthew Soukup ’27 served 11 years in the Navy as an aviation electronics technician. Varun Gollapudi ’27 was a U.S. Army flight paramedic and now serves as a detachment sergeant for Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment in the Army Reserves. This summer, all three spent eight weeks in research settings studying issues related to the mental health and well-being of veterans just like them.

It’s the kind of opportunity that reflects why Syracuse University has become the best place for veteran and military-connected students—not just supporting them but putting them at the center of research that could shape care for the broader veteran community.

The three rising seniors made up the inaugural cohort of the , which paired them with faculty mentors from Syracuse’s (CHB), a collaborative initiative of the , the , and the (IVMF).

. Over 20-hour weeks, the students dug into cutting-edge research, mental health care, and community programming for veterans and military service members. They conducted a meta-analysis of student veteran mental health. They also helped with a study aimed at encouraging healthier alcohol-related behavior among veterans in VA integrated primary care settings. Their research also stretched into issues of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, moral injury and suicide prevention.

New Skills, New Direction

For Pyke, a psychology and neuroscience major in the (A&S), the experience sharpened how he thinks. The work, he says, “furthered my academic development and gave me a new perspective on how to approach problems, evaluate possible solutions and consider the needs of the individuals involved.”

Soukup, also a psychology major, says the program, which comes with a $2,500 stipend, let him focus fully on the work without financial stress. It also opened his eyes to what comes next. “Our visits to community groups doing real work in the field has provided newfound insight into what potential future careers could look like,” he says.

Gollapudi, a biology/pre-med major who spent his career as an operational medic, found particular meaning in learning directly from faculty experts. “Working with [these professionals] is an amazing opportunity to learn and fine tune my skills,” he says. Field trips and conversations with fellow veterans, he adds, gave him a deeper understanding of behavioral health issues.

Program coordinator and CHB/��(IVMF) postdoctoral scholar ��says visits to the Syracuse VA Medical Center, Clear Path for Veterans, Veterans Treatment Court and Altamont Syracuse Veterans Residential Program, along with training on suicide prevention and other wellness topics, “allowed the students to translate academic literature to on-the-ground applications. They are learning from people who are doing the work and seeing the outcomes of those efforts.”

The Program Behind the Experience

An extension of the University’s to veterans and military-connected families, the CHB-sponsored program grew out of the , a partnership between CHB, the IVMF and the (OVMA).

“Our goal was to extend that experiential learning model to create an accessible, high-impact pathway connecting student development with active scholarship and mentorship and with veteran-serving organizations while helping strengthen the University’s veteran and military academic ecosystem,” says , CHB director and professor of psychology in A&S.

Ditre co-leads the program with ’07, CHB associate director of education and training and an associate teaching professor of social work in the , and Rabinowitz. The program was supported by Marfilius’ , with additional funding from CHB.

Ditre says the students have been highly engaged, taking full advantage of these new research, training and professional development opportunities. “The students are building new skills, clarifying their career interests and forming connections across Syracuse University and the broader veteran-serving community,” Marfilius adds.

The program strengthens cross-unit collaboration between CHB, IVMF and OVMA and builds a longer-term pipeline into research, graduate training and health-profession careers. Moving forward, organizers hope to expand the number of scholars, mentors and research opportunities while preserving the close mentorship that defines the program.