Texas A&M System Joins With UT System to Host First All-Texas Veteran Higher Education Symposium
Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp and University of Texas System Chancellor William H. McRaven on Wednesday will kick off the first session of a jointly sponsored symposium on supporting student veterans in Texas higher education.
The inaugural All-Texas Veteran Higher Education Symposium will be held Oct. 4-5 on the campus of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Created to bring stronger focus and impact on the academic paths of student veterans, the new annual event is a direct successor of the Military and Veteran Educational Support Symposium that the A&M System hosted for eight years.
This year’s theme, “Combining Forces,” will guide the two-day conference devoted to panels and speakers from around the state and nation exploring various aspects of ways to support veterans and enhance learning outcomes, from health to jobs to academic success.
“The Texas A&M University System has a long, proud history of support for our military veterans,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “We are proud to join with the UT System to ensure that veterans throughout Texas are well served by our institutions.”
“I am pleased and proud that we have been able to join forces with Texas A&M to support the men and women who have given so much on behalf of our country,” UT System Chancellor William H. McRaven said. “We know that every aspect of their life going forward will be made better by a high quality education, and UT and A&M institutions are committed to ensuring its student veterans get one.”
Speakers this year will include: Jarod Lyon, president of Student Veterans of America (SVA); Rick Torres, CEO of the National Student Clearinghouse; Tom Palladino, executive director of the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC); Kevin Barber, TVC commissioner; Michael Russell, Director, VISN17 Center for Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, VA, Waco; and others.
The symposium will also feature an extended panel featuring student veterans from several universities around the state, and a panel on issues especially impacting women veterans.
The public is welcome to attend the symposium, if space is available.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.55 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 148,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in FY 2016 and helped drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
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