VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — During a Veterans Day ceremony at ECPI University's Virginia Beach campus, speakers took a moment to say, "thank you."
"To my fellow veterans and active-duty members, I salute you and thank you for your service," said Gary Melander with ECPI Electronics Engineering Technology faculty, who retired from the U.S. Navy.
"[Veterans] have given on themselves for something greater than self, and they will continue to give all because that is what has been instilled in them," said Suzanne Bryant, who retired from the U.S. Army. She also attends ECPI and studies criminal justice.
Administrators said it was important to stop and pay tribute Thursday.
"Over 30% of our students are military and veteran, we want to make sure we are supporting them in all ways," said Bill Brown, executive director of ECPI Military & Veteran Education. He also retired from the U.S. Army.
Brown said the school assists with resources, such as accommodations in case of no-notice deployments, streamlined registration and tutoring.
Re-entering civilian life after serving in the military can come with its challenges. Some veterans pursue an education to ease or aid the transition back into civilian life.
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"What the GI Bill does for veterans as far as getting them into the campus, they have a lot of different programs that help out the veterans in their transition phase," said Master Sergeant James Wire, education director for the Army's Soldier for Life program.
"Being one of the senior enlisted folks in the Navy, I always preached to the junior Sailors, 'Hey, go get your degree,' but I never did it myself," said Navy veteran Christopher Stewart. After serving 20 years, he retired as a chief information systems technician in 2022.
Stewart is now on the cybersecurity track working toward a bachelor of science. "It's a piece of paper that says you've been formally trained on how to accomplish these tasks, and it means a lot," he said.
And formal training helps guide some veterans with their transition into civilian workforce.
"We're helping them open doors to be able to focus on their studies, and when they graduate, go out and get the career they seek," Brown added.
Earlier this week, the Military Times also ranked ECPI University first in the country for its 2023 Best for Vets list in the career and technical education category.