Committee Members

Scott Althaus, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chair
Andy Bender, Chez Veterans Center
Stephen Bryan, Office of the Dean of Students
Meghan Hazen, Office of the Registrar
Michael Lotspeich-Yadao, Chez Veterans Center
Sara MacKenzie, Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Lt. Col. Zac Miller, Army ROTC
Capt. Michael O’Neill, Navy ROTC
Jason Sakowski, Chez Veterans Center
Lt. Col. Josh Meents, Air Force ROTC
Michelle Trame, Office of Student Financial Aid
Robert Chromniak, Student Veteran
John Goeken, Student Veteran
Kristi Kuntz, Office of the Provost, ex officio

Charge Letter

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for agreeing to serve on the Committee for the Recruitment and Retention of Student Veterans. Your work on this committee will inform the strategic direction for the recruitment of prospective student veterans to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as shape priorities for improving the network of services available on our campus.

In the year ahead, the committee’s continued focus should:

Revisit the recommendations of the 2019 Military Veterans Academic Credit Self-Study and outline continuing priorities for action as informed by recent recommendations from this committee.
Recommend changes to policies and practices to support the needs of student veterans.
Advocate by connecting with campus units that address academic issues associated with the unique opportunities and experiences these students bring to campus.
As requested by the Chez Veterans Center, provide feedback and offer expertise on various initiatives aimed to improve the student veteran experience.

As Vice Provost, I will be available to discuss your committee’s charge at the first meeting which will be scheduled by my office for a date in October. Recommendations from the committee may be shared with my office at any time with an annual report of activities due May 15, 2026.

At the conclusion of the committee’s work, and for the purposes of our institutional records, please be sure to provide access to Kristi Kuntz or her designee, any materials or documents that were stored outside of the provost office shared drive (i.e., Box, Teams).

Sincerely,

John Coleman
Provost