Syracuse University has the potential to be the best university in the country for veterans’ affairs, and the proposed medical school can make this a reality.

The administration is exploring the creation of a veteran-focused medical school and announced last week the formation of a 21-member committee to examine the feasibility of bringing such a school to the SU campus. The committee must submit a report of its findings to the chancellor by early October.

While specifics of the initiative are highly speculative at this point, the establishment of a veteran-focused medical school would be the first of its kind in the United States. SU should do what it can to help veterans, and the creation of a veteran-focused medical school is an opportunity to place the university at the forefront of veterans’ affairs on a national basis.

Although financial support for the project should not come at the expense of existing schools, funding for the proposed college should not be seen as an obstacle, as monetary donations for veteran endeavors are not uncommon. Earlier this year, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, a nonprofit organization at SU, received a total of $8.5 million in funding from external sources over the course of only three weeks.

The idea of a medical school at SU stemmed from the Academic Strategic Plan workgroup — a component of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Fast Forward Syracuse initiative. While the university community often hears of meetings associated with Fast Forward Syracuse and the Campus Master Plan, the medical school proposal and the efforts behind it serve as a tangible example of the transformative ideas that can result from these collaborations.

The concept is an extension of two goals Syverud listed for the university in his inauguration speech in April 2014: to enhance the undergraduate experience and to restore SU as the best place for veterans. The creation of the medical school would bring these goals together and has even interested the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, including VA Secretary Bob McDonald.

While SU considers the feasibility of the proposal, the university should act on its capability to lead efforts of enhancing veterans’ affairs as an academic institution.

Published on September 20, 2015 at 10:53 pm

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