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In its thirteenth year, Salem State University recognized over 50 graduating student veterans at its annual Veterans Stole Ceremony. The celebratory and networking event welcomed graduates and their families, along with Salem State alumni and prominent members of the military community, Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Kim Emerling ’00, director of veterans’ services for Salem, Mass., and Colonel (Retired) Cheryl Lussier Poppe ’01G, former Massachusetts secretary of veterans’ services and current senior advisor to veteran-owned business development and partnerships for the supplier diversity office.
Poppe served as the event’s keynote speaker, lauding the class’s commitment to service, saying, “You stepped forward and chose to serve. Where only one percent of the nation’s population serves in the military, you are part of a smaller but wildly important population. That is what makes your commitment to education after military service even more special. Not only did you serve your country, but you continue to serve your communities and campuses.”
Creating a campus community where veterans’ affairs is part of the inclusive conversation is a main priority of double Viking Sam Ohannesian ’03, ’10G, senior director for student retention services and veterans’ affairs at Salem State.
The ongoing tradition of the stole ceremony is important to not only graduates, but also Salem State staff and the greater Viking community. “We want the relationship with our veteran and military-connected students to be relational, not transactional,” said Ohannesian. “Our top priority is to support the financial, emotional and academic needs of our students. This population has given so much to our country and they deserve nothing but our very best.”
Salem State’s president, John D. Keenan, spoke to the academic success of contemporary student veterans utilizing the Post-9/11 GI Bill™, which helps pay for school or job training. Data shows that a student veteran is more likely to graduate and earn academically rigorous degrees in the fields of business, science, technology, math, and engineering, with their average 3.35 GPA higher than the national average of 3.11. With the help of the Post-9/11 GI Bill™, more than 450,000 student veterans have completed a post-secondary certificate or degree across the country.
During the ceremony, graduating veterans were presented with a decorative stole as an accompaniment to their graduation regalia in addition to a challenge coin—a token of appreciation that is symbolic of camaraderie and service.
The event was sponsored by the Salem State University Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the university’s veterans’ affairs office.