{"id":60,"date":"2023-08-15T15:37:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T15:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.syr.edu\/gibill\/?page_id=60"},"modified":"2023-10-17T17:05:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T17:05:32","slug":"welcoming-veterans-to-campus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.syr.edu\/gibill\/welcoming-veterans-to-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcoming Veterans to Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Welcoming Veterans to Campus\n<\/span><\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 22, provided World War II veterans with federal aid to help transition them back to civilian life, including funds for education, health benefits, and home mortgages. More popularly known as the GI Bill, it primarily sought to reduce the possibility of an economic crisis upon the return of millions of veterans after the war. The number of years of college education provided under the bill depended on the duration of a veteran\u2019s service. This benefit included the provision of tuition, books and supplies, and a stipend. Before the war, the average American could not afford a college education, but the GI Bill made this dream attainable to many veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syracuse University was well-positioned to welcome veterans under the GI Bill. The University had spent the war working with the federal government to provide training to servicemen and women. Having served on a Presidential committee which proposed legislation like the GI Bill, Chancellor Tolley led the way to opening the University\u2019s doors to veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University reached out to veterans, and the response was dramatic. Between the 1945-46 and 1948-49 academic years, total enrollment at Syracuse University rose from 5,716 to 19,698.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the University recognized that veterans were a different type of student, it worked to accommodate their needs as much as possible. Syracuse offered an accelerated program that turned a four-year college education into two and a half years. The University also accepted those who had not graduated from high school, so long as they passed the entrance exam. Additional support services for veteran students, such as personal and vocational counseling as well as speech and hearing therapy, were also made available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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