Maxwell Joins Initiative to Support Military Veterans in Public Service

The Maxwell School has partnered with the Volcker Alliance and We the Veterans for a new initiative that seeks to expand and create career pathways and public service roles for military veterans.

Maxwell is one of 12 schools of public service to join the initiative, called Service to Service, as part of the Deans Summit, a collaborative network chaired by Dean David M. Van Slyke.

“The Volcker Alliance’s Deans Summit is committed to removing barriers and creating pathways to ensure that our veterans access higher education, especially if their goal is to continue their public service,” says Van Slyke.

Syracuse University and the Maxwell School have clearly stated academic goals to serve veterans and their military connected families and ensure that their academic success leads to professional success, the dean says, adding, “We are grateful for their service and believe their experiences and commitment to public service enhances the classroom environment and strengthens our democratic institutions.”

Staff from each participating campus will recruit military-connected students into master’s degree programs and provide support and guidance to encourage retention and degree attainment. The initiative will also provide students with cross-campus fellowship experience for network building and professional development.

Maxwell is especially well-positioned for the partnership with its master of public administration program, which can be completed in one year and is top-ranked by peer institutions, as well as the myriad resources and opportunities provided by Syracuse University through its D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

What’s more, through its Executive Education programming and collaborations with organizations such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Maxwell is poised for another emphasis of the partnership: placement in local government internships and high-need jobs that deepen the military-to-civilian service pipeline.

Dan Nelson’04 M.P.A., director of accelerated learning and global engagement and head of Maxwell’s state and local initiative, says Service to Service aligns with efforts already underway to empower veterans and military personnel to pursue careers in local government in partnership with ICMA. “We are also proactively collaborating with various states to strengthen recruitment initiatives, ensuring that those who have served our country have excellent opportunities to contribute to their communities, he adds.

The Volcker Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by former Federal Reserve Board chairman and revered economist Paul A. Volcker, who served on the Maxwell School Advisory Board from 2001 until his death in 2019.

Other Maxwell partnerships with the Volcker Alliance include the Syracuse University Next Generation Leadership Corps, nicknamed SU NextGen, which offers a two-course internship, special events and mentorship focused on civic engagement to undergraduates campuswide.

We the Veterans is a nonprofit created by veterans and military family members that works with government, tech and academia to launch research-backed initiatives and engage with the over 16 million veterans and their family members.

The Service to Service initiative aims to enroll an inaugural cohort of graduate students for Fall 2025. Interested individuals should complete this veterans/military information request form.

–By Michael Kelly