Veteran Students and Alumni Informational Newsletter

This semester I have enjoyed getting to know my Vet Center staff, Yvonne Albright, who helps manage our office and operations.  Rachel Smith, our Graduate Assistant, fulfills many vital operational tasks.  Yvonne and Rachel are some of the hardest-working, most empathic, and talented people I have ever worked with.  I am constantly impressed by their diligent service to our military-connected students.  They have made my transition very smooth.  We helped kick off the Ujima Conference with our Multicultural Center in February, with an outstanding speaker, Navy veteran, and healthcare leader, Mrs. Ely-Dyson.  In the coming weeks, our Student Veterans Association club and our office will host a 5K that will raise funds for our Student Veteran Emergency Fund, which is an emergency scholarship for Veteran students.  We will also be celebrating our graduating military-connected seniors with a BBQ event next month.

Our vision for KU’s M&VS is a thriving community that holistically supports all military-connected KU students in their personal and professional journeys.  Our Vet Center will offer abundant scholarly and career-oriented resources that empower students to succeed and will offer a space for reprieve and refit.  Our Focus Studio provides a space for cross-disciplinary creation, study, collaboration, and individualized support, as well as space for telehealth and other VA-related appointments.

Our strategic focus for Mil-Vet services and programming over the next several years will be in three main areas: Career Readiness, Holistic Wellness, and Honor & Celebration.  To that end, we are building relationships with key partners on campus and in the military community.  This spring and fall we will host several workshops and events with our Career Development Center as well as representatives from Veteran Affairs Multiservice, Counseling, and Community Engagement.  We are still developing further programming for the '25-26 academic year but have a strong framework that we are building on every day.  Veterans Awareness Week will remain a week of significant activity celebrating and honoring military service.

We invite you as partners of our office and members of our community to continue your partnership by attending upcoming events, sponsoring events like our 5K, donating to our Veteran’s Services Foundation Fund that supports Mil-Vet students directly, exploring job and internship programs for Mil-Vet students, or other opportunities that you identify.

My door is always open.  Feel free to reach out to me directly if you’d like to link arms with us in supporting KU Mil-Vet students!

Nicholas, as the Peer-2-Peer contact for the Office of Military and Veterans Services, serves as a resource for freshman and transfer Mil-Vet students throughout their first academic semester.

Nicholas sends periodic emails detailing the most pertinent information for these students, keeping them on task and helping to facilitate academic success.

Nicholas serves as President of the Kutztown University SVA Chapter, coordinating numerous fundraisers and awareness efforts for our Military and Veteran Student population. Regardless of military experience of affiliation, you can join at any time!

Email nmkry721@live.kutztown.edu for info!

Nicholas, as the Peer-2-Peer contact for the Office of Military and Veterans Services, serves as a resource for freshman and transfer Mil-Vet students throughout their first academic semester.

Nicholas sends periodic emails detailing the most pertinent information for these students, keeping them on task and helping to facilitate academic success.

Nicholas serves as President of the Kutztown University SVA Chapter, coordinating numerous fundraisers and awareness efforts for our Military and Veteran Student population. Regardless of military experience of affiliation, you can join at any time!

Email nmkry721@live.kutztown.edu for info!

September 11, 2025, marks Kutztown University’s second annual Flags of Remembrance Ceremony.  24 years since the day that time stood still.  Flags of Remembrance placed within the Kutztown University Alumni Plaza represented the 2,977 lives tragically lost on September 11, 2001.  We honor the bravery and sacrifice of the American heroes who ran headfirst into the chaos with hopes to save even one life--and we remind ourselves that freedom is not free.  We were pleased to welcome several guest speakers who shared personal reflections--including our own director, Nick Snyder, Kutztown Mayor Jim Schlegel, Kutztown Police Chief Drezek, and PA Dept. of Veteran Affairs leader John Noll.