Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Syracuse University Impact
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Syracuse University Impact

How the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs Helps Veteran and Military-Connected Students Pursue Their Higher Ed Goals (Podcast)

Thursday, November 7, 2024, By John Boccacino
Share
'Cuse Conversations PodcastalumniCollege of LawMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsOffice of Veteran and Military AffairsSchool of Information StudiesSyracuse University ImpactveteransWhitman School of Management
An orange microphone and the text Cuse Conversations is at the top left, and an Orange block S is at the top right. Next to a smiling man's headshot is the text Dwayne Murray 97, Deputy Director, Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

Dwayne Murray, deputy director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), discusses its impact on campus and around the world, explores what sets Syracuse University apart as a best place for veterans and shares his love for working with veterans and military-connected students.

Syracuse University has a long, proud history of serving our veterans and military-connected students that dates back to World War I and the post-World War II era when thousands of veterans embarked on their journey to a college degree through the G.I. Bill.

One of the central organizations on campus that helps the University accomplish this mission is the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), which, for the last 10 years has played a critical role in helping veterans, military-connected students and their family members pursue their higher education dreams.

Dwayne Murray ’97 is living out his dream job as the OVMA’s deputy director, and he’s proud of the work the organization does through its programs and initiatives while serving as the University’s central hub for veteran and military-connected students.

A man smiles for a headshot while wearing an Orange tie.

Dwayne Murray

“The OVMA sets our veteran and military-connected students with an opportunity to go through the entire life cycle of being connected to Syracuse University, from being recruited to when they graduate with their degrees,” Murray says. “We provide student success opportunities, immersion trips, job readiness activities and an outstanding 100% job placement rate thanks to our career services office.”

Murray was a track and field student-athlete on campus and earned degrees in sociology (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences) and information management and technology (School of Information Studies) before enlisting in the U.S. Army immediately after graduating.

Following a decorated 25-year active-duty career in the Army, both as an enlisted soldier and an officer, Murray returned to his alma mater in June 2022 to take on this latest career challenge, which blends his passion for his country with his drive to help veteran and military-connected students achieve their goals.

“To be at the intersection of where I’ve had some of the most formidable experiences of my life as a student, and then to combine that with the purpose, direction and motivation that comes from being in the Army, I had to take advantage of this opportunity,” Murray says. “It’s the only calling for me that was bigger than continuing to serve in the military because I could pay back my institution, I could pay back the students that walk these halls and I could share those lessons I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had with our campus community.”

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Murray discusses the impact the OVMA has had on campus and around the world, explores what sets Syracuse University apart as a best place for veterans and shares his love for working with veterans and military-connected students.


Check out episode 171 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Murray. A transcript [PDF] is also available.


Global Impact as a Best Place for Veterans

Murray says the commitment to our veterans and military-connected students is “baked into our DNA as a University,” including the advent of the Student Army Training Corps, which was the forerunner to the Army ROTC. Syracuse University was also home to one of the first Air Force ROTC programs on a college campus in the nation.

Four people smile while posing for a group photo at a tailgate.

Dwayne Murray (second from left) poses with attendees at the OVMA’s Stars & Stripes tailgate.

Among the many ways the OVMA and the University help facilitate the transition from active duty to student, Murray points to:

  • a simplified, streamlined admissions process, including waiving application fees, which has led to a 300% increase in enrollment over the last 10 years;
  • customized support services;
  • innovative and creative programming under the leadership of Director of Veteran Career Services Jennifer Pluta G’15 that has yielded a 100% job placement rate for student veterans;
  • a welcoming and inclusive environment, featuring various affinity groups;
  • strong cross-campus relationships that lead to expanded opportunities for students; and
  • significant scholarship opportunities that eliminate financial barriers to a degree.
A man smiles while posing for a photo in his U.S. Army uniform.

Dwayne Murray enjoyed a decorated 25-year active-duty career in the U.S. Army, both as an enlisted soldier and an officer, before returning to Syracuse University in June 2022.

Add it all up and Murray says it’s easy to see why Military Times consistently ranks Syracuse University among the “best place for veterans” among private universities.

“We are fully committed to enhancing the opportunities for our students, and these efforts have led to a global impact,” Murray says. “We have close to 60 veterans enrolled in the College of Law’s fully interactive hybrid online juris doctorate program [known as JDinteractive], which gives our veterans and military-connected students the opportunity to earn their law degree completely online. We have students in the Defense Comptrollership program, that earn an MBA from the Whitman School and a master’s degree in public administration through the Maxwell School. They go on to serve as leaders in their civilian agencies or their military branch of service.”

National Veterans and Military Families Month

While Murray has always seen Syracuse University as part of his identity—when he was 7 years old, his grandmother bought him a Syracuse sweatshirt from the Salvation Army that became a cherished possession—the University is also ingrained in his family.

Dwayne’s wife, Alison Murray ’01, currently serves as the assistant dean for student assistance with Hendricks Chapel, where she is responsible for religious and spiritual outreach programs and services that assist students seeking holistic support. Alison, who earned a nursing degree on campus, served in the Army for more than 20 years.

With November being National Veterans and Military Families Month, the Murrays are an outstanding example of service to country and passion for giving back to students.

“Alison is a nurse by trade, and Hendricks Chapel is like a hospital in that she can diagnose folks and provide them with the type of support and assistance they need to grow, thrive and be successful,” Dwayne says. “It’s an amazing feeling knowing we share this strong connection with our alma mater.”

A wife and husband pose for a photo while sitting on a bench at Syracuse University.

Alison and Dwayne Murray.

  • Author

John Boccacino

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • University’s Dynamic Sustainability Lab and Ireland’s BiOrbic Sign MOU to Advance Markets for the Biobased Economy
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Engaged Humanities Network Community Showcase Spotlights Collaborative Work
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By Dan Bernardi
  • Students Engaged in Research and Assessment
    Tuesday, May 20, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, May 19, 2025, By News Staff

More In Syracuse University Impact

Serving Those Who Served: The Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic

Service members injured in active duty are entitled to receive disability benefits and associated medical care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). But navigating the process can be intimidating. Thanks to the efforts of the Betty and Michael…

Innovative Student Group Designs Inclusive Clothing for Neurodivergent Community

Carolyn Fernandes ’25 remembers walking out of an interview for a design internship that she ended up not getting. She wondered if fidgeting with her nails—a common, repetitive expression of her nervous energy every day—was misconstrued as a sign of…

Celebrating 30 Years of the Shaw Center as a Hub for Academic Community Engagement (Podcast)

Community engagement. Reciprocal learning. Service to others through volunteering. Those were the principles behind the creation of the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service in 1994 under the direction of then-Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth Shaw and his…

Striving to Improve the Efficacy of Obesity, Diabetes Treatments (Podcast)

The cutting-edge weight loss and diabetes research developed by medicinal chemist Robert Doyle has offered significant and consistent weight loss and glucose control to its recipients through peptide-based treatments. Doyle and his fellow collaborators reported that two new peptide compounds­­—GEP44…

Students Helping Children’s Hospital Patients Through Play Sessions

Jonida Konjufca was not sure what she wanted to do professionally before she enrolled in the Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), but her professors and coursework soon opened her eyes. “I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. HDFS…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.