Program house dedicated to student veterans planned for fall
A residential program house dedicated to student veterans will open this fall near West Campus, providing a much-needed space for Cornell’s growing veteran population to find community, resources and support.The house – the result of a robust partnership with the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association (CUVA) – will likely accommodate around a dozen student veterans as residents, with room for future growth, in addition to providing common space for gatherings, social events, guest programs, meals and more for the broader student veteran community.“Increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students who have served in the military is an important goal of the institution and a crucial part of student diversity and a reflection of Cornell’s ‘any person’ ethos,” said Provost Michael Kotlikoff. “I am pleased that our efforts have had successful results these past few years, and a dedicated program house for this valued and broad campus population will further support and enrich the Cornell experience for our student veterans and others with military connections.”
Kotlikoff and Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life, have been working for several years to strengthen university support and advocacy for student veterans, particularly undergraduates.
“We see this as an extension of our commitment to support our student veterans,” Lombardi said. “It fits naturally into our program house framework here at Cornell, which is long and storied, with a number of different thematic and identity-based program houses.”