Inaugural NYC Summit at Columbia University Advances Support for Veteran and Military-Connected Students

Navigating higher education as a veteran or military-connected student comes with a unique set of hurdles—from unraveling complex federal benefits and balancing Reserve duties to adjusting to civilian campus culture. In a high-cost, fast-paced environment like New York City, those challenges are amplified. On October 16, 2026, higher education leaders, government officials, veteran-service professionals and student veteran representatives gathered at Columbia University for the first New York City Summit for Veteran and Military-Connected Student Support to tackle these issues head-on.

Organized by the NYC Consortium for Veteran and Military-Connected Student Support and hosted by Columbia University’s Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI), the event brought together 82 students and administrators from 26 colleges and universities in the New York City area. Together, they addressed  pressing issues facing student veterans today—like  education benefits, student engagement, and military-to-career transitions—and are working to transform isolated campus-specific efforts into a unified, citywide system of support.

Stephen Westby, Army veteran and Director of Student Success, NYU School of Professional Studies said, “Today, 26 universities from around the New York City area have come together with a spirit of curiosity and wanting to work together. We may have different students in different majors in different parts of the city, but when you start to talk to one another across campuses, you're going to find the questions are the same. The goal is to bring all of us together so that we can find creative solutions to our common problems. 

Among the key speakers were Kenneth Smith, who is the Executive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; Columbia University President Jennifer L. Mnookin; Columbia School of General Studies Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch; Yesenia Mata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Veterans’ Services; Viviana DeCohen, Commissioner, New York State Department of Veterans’ Services; and Student Veterans of America President and CEO, Cory Boatwright. 

In the morning and afternoon there were breakout sessions where people talked about real problems that veteran and military-connected students face. Topics covered included making services work better across campuses, helping students in the Reserve and National Guard, keeping student veteran groups going, and making civilian workers understand military communities better.

One of the presenters, Betsy Montañez, Director of the Center for Military-Affiliated Students at The New School remarked, “I've presented this information around the country. Why am I not presenting it to my colleagues in the New York City area and therefore making sure all of the schools serving New York City have access to best practices, information and tools.”

A main theme of the day was how mutually beneficial it can be when information-sharing takes place between institutions, which often must tackle very similar challenges, and the epiphany that these institutions are not isolated at all in their experiences.

“It's so important for us to connect and share resources and ways to help our veterans. A lot of colleges and universities are working with limited resources and budgets, and we really are stronger together,” said Andie Marais, Senior Director of Military and Veterans’ Higher Education Engagement and Transition, Fordham University.

The NYC Consortium for Veteran and Military-Connected Student Support is working to improve the lives of veteran and military-connected students by helping higher education institutions in the New York City area share knowledge, practices, space and resources. Organizers hope the connections and ideas created during the Summit will ultimately create better cultures of support for veterans, active service members, military-connected students and their families at each institution.

David Keefe, Director of Military and Veteran Community Engagement at CVTI added, “Regional resources are distinct, and they are unique. What works in California, Texas, or Florida may not work here in New York City. Veterans and military-connected students face real challenges in housing, cost, access, and more, and only New York City colleges and universities know how to face and address them here. We can face them together, not as competitors, but as a community of New Yorkers who deeply care about veteran and military-connected support in this city.”