[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]For John J. Murray, 9/11 was personal. As a municipal bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald, he worked in the ill-fated North Tower of the World Trade Center. He was downsized shortly before the terrorist attacks, and watched the news that morning in horror and disbelief.
“I was in shock – that was my building, those were my co-workers,” he says. “I frantically called the trading desk; someone picked up for a second and I was immediately disconnected.”
All 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who went to work at the top of the North Tower that morning died.
“I was hit with a flood of emotions: sadness, anger, rage, denial,” Murray says. “It was extremely hard to process the loss of that day.”
Haunted by the tragedy, Murray joined the Army in 2005 at the age of 35. He served as a combat medic, including a yearlong deployment to Iraq. After eight years, he got out and enrolled at the College of Staten Island to earn a degree in social work. The college is one of 24 campuses that make up The City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban system in the nation and the first university system to earn the designation of Military Friendly®.
Many of the CUNY campuses are within sight of where the World Trade towers fell on the morning of Sept. 11. Knowing the nation would soon go to war, the catastrophe spurred CUNY leaders to begin building up its services for military and veteran students. The system formed a Veterans Task Force made up of its colleges’ presidents. After studying the needs of veteran students, the task force issued 38 recommendations for services and programs to better serve military and veteran students.
“We created a single point of contact for veterans, we streamlined the introduction to our campuses for student veterans, we expanded opportunities for veterans to obtain CUNY credit for prior services training and we developed support services to ensure post-graduation career success for our veterans,” says Chancellor James B. Milliken.
CUNY built a system of veteran coordinators across its campuses and established the Project for Return and Opportunity for Veterans Education (PROVE), designed to improve retention and graduation rates for student veterans.
The efforts led to the designation of all 18 of the CUNY system’s undergraduate schools as Military Friendly® for 2016. Launched in 2003, the Military Friendly® program rates colleges and companies to help veterans and military families make well-informed decisions about their post-military education and career options.
“We are proud of the fact that so many of our campuses have been ranked among the most Military Friendly® in the country and that CUNY is the first Military Friendly® university system, and we plan to build on that,” Milliken says. “We are developing for more experiential learning opportunities for student veterans, a cohort of STEM student veterans to reinforce our support systems, and a strong veteran alumni community for veterans with shared experiences.
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Above and Beyond
Jonathan D. Fermin-Robbins, 32, will be part of that alumni community someday. In the meantime, the Army veteran is a pre-law honor student working on a bachelor’s degree in political science at Hunter College in Manhattan, the largest of the CUNY schools. He served as a satellite communications (SATCOM) operator/maintainer, and then did the same job overseas as an Army civilian employee for five years after he separated in 2009.
The son of a missionary, Fermin-Robbins grew up in Ecuador. He’s lived on three continents and speaks three languages. So when he decided to take advantage of the GI Bill he earned in the Army, he wanted a college that offered both a quality education and a diverse student population.
“Hunter College is rated as one of the most diverse colleges, in terms of student population, in the world,” he says. “The school is full of first-generation college students who come from hundreds of different countries, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds.”
Fermin-Robbins was impressed by the support for veterans at Hunter. “The greatest assets Hunter has are the PROVE internships and veterans club. Having a space where I can go as a veteran to be around other like-minded individuals is invaluable,” he says. “The counselors go above and beyond their duties and help proof-read papers, draft resumes and provide their experience as upper-level graduate students.”
Fermin-Robbins, who has his sights set on Harvard Law School and a career in either politics or advocacy, is one of more than 3,000 student veterans studying in the CUNY system – nearly four times the number enrolled in 2008. The growth is evidence that CUNY’s Military Friendly® policies are working, Milliken says.
“We expect those numbers to grow further because of our extensive Military Friendly® approach,” he says. “It means we are reaching more veterans, that they appreciate the value and benefits of a CUNY education and enjoy a great deal of support on campuses.”
That includes Lisa Beatha, CUNY’s university director of Veterans Affairs, who coordinates activities and programs for veterans system-wide. It also includes personalized assistance for veterans on each campus for their day-to-day needs, a quarterly veterans newsletter, veterans clubs, waived application fees and a special team for veteran admissions.[/fusion_text][two_fifth last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”https://www.gijobs.com/militaryfriendlyfirst-jonathan-fermin-robbins/” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/title][fusion_button link=”https://www.gijobs.com/militaryfriendlyfirst-jonathan-fermin-robbins/” color=”default” size=”” stretch=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_self” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ animation_offset=”” alignment=”left” class=”” id=””]View Profile[/fusion_button][/three_fifth][/fullwidth][fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Get Involved
When James Marone first arrived at Queens College, another one of the CUNY campuses, he didn’t get involved right away. He didn’t take advantage of the resources CUNY has for veterans. As a result, the former Marine Corps corporal and Afghanistan veteran struggled to adjust to campus and academic life. Sitting in classes with civilian students – some still in their teens – could be challenging.
“At times it tested my patience,
but it opens discourse to more perspectives,” says Marone, who is earning a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in business administration. He plans to write a novel and produce a game for iOS.
Marone has come a long way since he was a freshman. Today he serves as the president of the Queens College Veterans Club, and he helps his fellow veterans in the Veterans Support Services Department as part of a VA work-study program.
Marone urges service members transitioning to a college campus not to make the same mistake he made. “Take advantage of the on-campus resources, get involved with student organizations and network within the school,” he advises.
CUNY’s leaders aren’t taking their foot off the gas. They will continue to recruit and help military students, veterans and their families succeed in school and in landing rewarding civilian careers. It’s a win-win for both CUNY and the students.
“Military personnel, reservists and student veterans bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills to CUNY’s campuses that all add to one of our greatest attributes – our diversity,” Chancellor Milliken says. “Student veterans have been trained in varied Military Occupational Specialties that range from education in STEM fields to financial, security and counterterrorism training. Additionally, many of our veterans have traveled and operated overseas and have broad cultural understanding and have learned foreign languages, all welcomed at CUNY.”[/fusion_text][two_fifth last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”https://www.gijobs.com/militaryfriendlyfirst-james-marone/” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]