Dear Whitman Alumni: November Message from Cindie Adams

As we work to wrap up production of the Fall 2016 Whitman magazine, I found one article particularly interesting. This year, the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veteran’s with Disabilities (EBV) program celebrates its decade anniversary. To date, 1,300 veterans have graduated from this program that began at Whitman and now operates on 10 U.S. college campuses. This article struck me as especially timely–not only because of the program’s 10th anniversary but also because of where we currently stand as a University in terms of our commitment to veterans.

EBV is one of many programs and initiatives that illustrate Syracuse University’s dedication to providing post-service education to former members of our nation’s militaries. I proudly read news articles about national rankings and acknowledgments of such efforts to help prepare veterans for productive lives after service. Earlier this month, Military Times ranked SU the #1 private school and #3 overall best college for veterans. That ranking comes on the heels of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises at Whitman being ranked the country’s top entrepreneurship program for veterans and number two overall by USA Today/College Factual.

Reading about these accolades as well as story after story of veterans who have worked to achieve success as civilians with the help of an SU program or resource makes me grateful to be associated with Syracuse University. But attending the University’s Veteran’s Day service on November 11 brought a greater sense of gratitude and pride–not only in the poignant and fitting observance hosted on our beautiful campus but in Whitman’s connections to the event.

The inspiring and uplifting mood of the observance was set by the eloquent invocation delivered by Captain Loren Aderhold, Chaplain, U.S. Army, a student in Whitman’s defense comptrollership program. The keynote speaker, Richard M. Jones, earned undergraduate and graduate accounting degrees from Whitman in 1992 and 1995, respectively, and a J.D. from Syracuse University in 1995. In his touching speech, Jones shared how the late Horace Landry, a beloved accounting professor at Whitman, was a major influence and source of support throughout his transition from military to civilian/academic life. Today, Jones serves as executive vice president/general tax counsel/chief veteran officer at CBS Corporation.

As attendees recessed to the Quad for the moving flag ceremony and wreath presentation, the feeling of appreciation for the sacrifices of veterans and their families was palpable. The service offered a moment of collective pause to pay reverence while also highlighting the need and impact for veterans’ programming at Syracuse…and across the nation. I am mindful of and grateful for my colleagues who are committed to teaching and administering the programs which help bolster these deserving men and women who selflessly served our country.

Best,

Cindie Adams, Executive Director of Alumni and Corporate Relations

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Cindie Adams

Cindie Adams is the executive director of alumni and corporate relations at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. She has extensive expertise in academic program development, career advising, managing boards and teams, and higher-education admissions. She has also worked in global marketing for a consumer products company and in export sales. Adams holds a B.A. in economics, political science, German and international relations as well as an MBA and an M.S. in counseling psychology, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With her husband, Jim, she enjoys spending time with their four twenty-something children, traveling the world, and taking on any fitness and adventurous challenge.