The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) at the University of Miami functions within the Dean of Students Office providing advocacy, support, and connections to campus resources for military-affiliated families and student veterans. The VRC opened in April 2023 with the mission to welcome and support student veterans in achieving their academic goals. Over the past two and a half years, the center has grown in making the University of Miami an institution that supports military-affiliated students in pursuing higher education. This year, Military Times, a leading independent news organization directed toward the U.S Military community, ranked the University of Miami as one of the top universities ‘Best for Vets’ for the first time. Jon Baldessari, the inaugural director of VRC, began his tenure with the focus to provide a wide range of support and services that connect student veterans with information and individuals who can help enhance their higher education journey.
“Over the short time since the VRC was stood-up, the increased awareness has not only been about how “veteran friendly” our campus is but also about what those veterans bring to our campus—their leadership, their resilience, their goal-oriented approach, and their commitment to each other,” Baldessari shares.
The center serves many different paths of military affiliation, the largest being students who attend UM through the Veterans Administration Education & Training Benefits Program. Additionally, they work with active-duty personnel, reservists and national guard personnel, and ROTC students—reaching over 650 students across all undergraduate and graduate programs. VRC also advises the Veteran Students Organization, a student-group open to all UM Students and prides itself on their members combined knowledge, world experience, and selflessness.
“[The VRC’s] other areas of focus have been on growing our collaborations with a number of community partners to raise our profile as a positive influence here in South Florida as well as fostering connections with alumni of the University who served in the military. Our alumni Cane Veterans are an important networking and mentorship resource to our current students,” Baldessari adds.
The connections and support generated by the VRC is what earned the University the recognition as one of the ‘Best for Vets.’ Through a variety of initiatives curated for all types of military-affiliated students and events aimed toward awareness and education, the VRC fosters a veteran community that will continue to flourish at the university for many years to come. If you want to learn more about the resources and support the center offers, visit their website here.
