Southern Connecticut State University Dedicates Veterans Center in Honor of Longtime Director Jack Mordente

NEW HAVEN, CT—Southern Connecticut State University will formally dedicate its Veterans Center in honor of longtime director and founding coordinator Jack Mordente, M.S. ’77, 6th Yr. ’79, during a special Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11. at 3:30 p.m.

Mordente began working with veterans at Southern in 1975 while pursuing his master’s degree in counseling, helping establish what became the first campus Veterans Center in Connecticut. He went on to lead the center until his retirement in 2022, dedicating nearly five decades to supporting student veterans and military-connected students.

Over the past 50 years, the center has maintained service records for more than 4,100 veterans who attended Southern while providing guidance on educational benefits, academic support and connections to state and federal resources. It also has served as an important gathering place where generations of veterans have found community and camaraderie as they transitioned from military service to college life.

The dedication will recognize Mordente’s lasting impact on Southern and formally name the center in his honor.

A U.S. Army veteran who served in the Medical Service Corps as a social worker, Mordente is a member of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame and previously served as president of the National Association of Veterans’ Programs Administrators.