Editor’s note: This content was contributed by Student Veterans of America to supplement Military Times’ coverage of the group’s National Conference. See all our coverage of NatCon2018 here, and learn more through SVA.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I’m pleased to welcome you to our 10th Annual National Conference.
If you’re a student veteran, we want to help you make the most of the time you’ve chosen to invest at NatCon. Please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself or ask for help when you see members of the SVA Headquarters staff identified by the “staff” ribbons on our nametags.
To all SVA stakeholders, we welcome you to the largest annual gathering of student veterans in the country. Student veterans are talent hiding in plain sight in campuses across the country. Please spend as much time possible learning about the best and brightest students our country offers.
Ten years is an important milestone in our history. As we’ve grown from 20 chapters to nearly 1,500 chapters this year, SVA’s dedication to providing world-class support to the 1.1 million student veterans in schools has never wavered.
We are more likely to graduate, to have a higher GPA and to earn degrees in emerging fields like business, science, engineering, math, and technology. Critically, we have empowered a new generation of veterans by securing lifetime education benefits and expanding educational opportunities as we led the fight to pass the Forever GI Bill.
With such success in mind, each of you should consider what the future means for your campus, chapter, and community.
That’s why this year’s theme is Defining Our Future at NatCon2018.
Founded nearly 10 years ago we remain a grassroots, chapter-based organization that brings together veterans, military family members, and civilians to support veterans’ success in higher education and beyond. More than anything, we are a veteran success organization dedicated to the future leaders of America.
Thank you again for joining us for #NatCon2018. It’s because of you that we continue to be the leading voice for student veterans across the country.
Respectfully,
Jared Lyon
President and CEO
Jared Lyon is a Navy veteran and president and CEO of Student Veterans of America.
