UofL to host Veteran Symposium for Higher Education Feb. 20-21

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Representatives from across higher education will gather in Louisville Feb. 20-21 to look at how universities can become more veteran-friendly at the fourth annual Veteran Symposium for Higher Education.

This is the fourth year the University of Louisville has hosted the national symposium, which brings in speakers and guests from coast to coast. This year’s event will be held at the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville.

Tom Jackson, UofL’s vice president for Student Affairs, said the symposium arose from an effort to look at how various offices across universities accommodate student veterans.

“We’ve carved out a very narrow niche,” Jackson said. “We’re looking at the best practices on how to serve veterans on all of our campuses.”

Topics for this year’s symposium sessions include communications and retention strategies, creating environments for veterans and transition assistance. Presenters are from Kent State University, Bowling Green University, Northern Illinois University, University of South Florida, American Council on Education, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, New Jersey Association of State College and Universities, University of Kentucky and Mississippi State University.

UofL hosted the first veteran symposium in Feb. 2009. The symposium is expected to grow to more than 100 participants this year as more universities look for ways to better serve the student veteran population.

Registration for the two-day conference is $199 per person and will continue through Feb. 10.

For more information on the conference, including a full list of speakers and registration, visit stauff.org/veterans/index.html.