Today is a solemn day. It’s been nearly 20 years since terrorists attacked and leveled the World Trade Centers in New York, crashed into the Pentagon, and overtook a plane that went down in a Pennsylvania field.
And as we commemorate the anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are grateful for the brave Americans who continue to protect our freedoms, here and around the world. So grateful, that we want them to know they always have a home at Cleary University.
Throughout our more than 100-year history, Cleary has been a welcoming place for veterans to pursue their education. We’ve earned recognition as a veteran-friendly institution among top schools in America. And we were recently named by the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency a gold-level veteran-friendly school.
Since the GI Bill was passed to promote veterans in continuing their education, our nation has looked out for our dedicated troops, helping them build a life after their military service is over. We not only want veterans to find a home at Cleary; we want them to thrive here. And that’s why we’ve created so many opportunities for them to find support, community, and purpose on our campus.
We have the Student Veteran Committee (SVC) and a Student Veterans Coordinator, Joanna Olejniczak-Caushaj. Our Veterans Resource Center supports veteran students on our campus with the support they need to pursue their education and build a career. And two months from today, on November 11th, we will honor our Student Veterans on Cleary University’s Veterans Appreciation Day.
Recognizing that the skills troops pick up in the armed forces may not directly translate to the workplace, Cleary, as a business university, helps veteran students transform those skills into skills desperately needed in our 21st century workplaces. We know that veterans can have difficulty adjusting to the workforce once they leave the military. It is our goal to help our veteran students find new purpose and pour their passions into careers where they can thrive.
General George S. Patton Jr. once said, “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.”
We recognize this and pay homage to those who offer to protect us from terror and danger. It is the least we can do to welcome them on their path forward and partner in their pursuit of success.
In these strange times, we are so aware that the actions of one person can impact so many others. It’s always been true, but most of us had not realized this before 9/11 when so many ordinary folks gave their lives to protect others.
This many years later, as we remember that fateful day, and think about how it changed us as a country and as individuals, face forward with the knowledge that a small but mighty few can change the course of everything for many, many more. And every veteran who graduates from Cleary University is someone who will change the fate of our communities for the better.