Even if Syracuse University does not move forward with the creation of a veteran-focused medical school, it should continue to pursue the establishment of the National Veterans Resource Complex.

The university is proposing the creation of a National Veterans Resource Complex to help establish central New York as the “hub” of research and programming in regard to veterans and military affairs, according to a report from the Faculty Advisory Committee charged by Chancellor Kent Syverud with assessing the feasibility of a veteran-focused medical school.

If the university were to move forward with the complex, the veteran-focused medical school idea would be considered as a potential branch of the NVRC. But the complex is a legitimate proposal in itself that would make SU the national center for veterans resources and is worth exploring independent of the medical school concept.

The NVRC would serve as the center of veteran life on the SU campus and would include a regional student veterans’ resource center, a conference center and a 1,000-seat auditorium, among other things. The complex would also house eight tenants, including the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and SU’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, according to the report.

The complex is a broader initiative that a significant population of the university community can get behind, whereas the veteran-focused medical school narrowly focused on a specific type of support that would only involve a very niche group of the university community.

Although the financing of the estimated $62.5 million total project cost is unclear at this time, securing funding to make the proposal a reality should not be a concern. The complex should still be strongly considered when it is projected to generate “hundreds of high-paying jobs” and more than $300 million in regional economic activity over the next five years, according to the committee’s report.

However, the university should remain conscious of the ways in which the proposal affects existing plans and proposals that are in flux under the Campus Master Plan. According to recent project descriptions from the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council, the Veterans Resource Complex would be housed at 111 Waverly Ave., which currently houses SU Health Services.

There must be a comprehensive plan that explicitly takes into account exactly what will happen to health services if the NVRC proposal is implemented, considering there were talks of possibly turning the building into a central hub for sexual assault resources at a time when spatial problems are a significant factor in university planning.

If SU chooses to not move forward with either the medical school or veterans complex, it should enact some of the ideas within the proposal in efforts to improve the university and remain in line with its mission to aiding veterans through advancements in research and program resources.

Regardless of whether or not the university chooses to bring a veteran-focused medical school to campus, it must acknowledge that the creation of a National Veterans Resource Complex is a feasible opportunity that would once again place SU at the national forefront of veteran support.

Published on November 3, 2015 at 1:13 am

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