Against stiff competition, the student veterans' organization from University of Evansville took top honors at an invitational SVO Hall of Fame Competition, held Oct. 27 in Indianapolis and sponsored by the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI).
The event, which was open to the public, showcased the talents and achievements of the best of Indiana's SVOs. Besides the University of Evansville (UE), top SVOs from the following universities participated:
- Ball State University;
- Indiana University Southeast;
- Ivy Tech Bloomington;
- Ivy Tech Sellersburg;
- Ivy Tech Wabash Valley; and
- Purdue University.
IU Southeast and Purdue University took home second and third place honors, respectively.
The event was the culmination of previously-held grant competitions sponsored by Operation Diploma, MFRI's post-secondary education initiative. All SVOs presented to a panel of expert judges before a live audience at the NCAA Hall of Champions.
"We are so proud of each SVO that competed in the Hall of Fame event," said Stacie Hitt, director of Operation Diploma. "They are excellent examples of successful student organizations, and the public competition inspired those in the audience."
UE's SVO, called UE Vets, offered a top-rate presentation that clearly explained how it has pursued its established mission to "provide support and outreach to veterans, current service members, and their families as they transition from the military to college and beyond to the workforce." The SVO received high praise from all of the judges.
"University of Evansville is an example of what an SVO should be," said Michael Dakduk, a competition judge and executive director of Student Veterans of American. "Not just in Indiana; they are a national example of what SVOs can aspire to be."
UE Vets has successfully competed for Operation Diploma grants every year since 2009, and was named as a military-friendly school by GI Jobs from 2010 – 2013. And the university's 2009 partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to serve as a Yellow Ribbon Institution of Higher Learning has led to a 383 percent increase in student veteran enrollment since 2009, according to UE Vets.
The SVO has put on a number of collaborative events, including a Veterans Day 5K Walk, Run and Roll Race, a Veterans Fair, and a city-wide book read aimed at increasing understanding of readjustment issues after military deployments. These events engaged a number of different constituencies, including UE alumni veterans, the UE campus and SVOs at the University of Southern Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College Southwest.
During opening remarks, MFRI Director Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth emphasized that all SVOs in attendance earned their way there through exemplary work.
"There's a reason why you have been chosen to participate today," she said. "By providing important avenues of connection and support, you are crucial to your peers' success, and you are also helping to educate your faculty and administrators about how much student service members and veterans bring to Indiana campuses. Thank you for making a difference on your campuses, in your communities, and beyond."