6 RCC Student Vets Named To SALUTE National Society

NANUET, NY - From Rockland Community College: Six student veterans earned induction into the Rockland Community College chapter of the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society at a luncheon December 6. Eighty-six students have been so recognized during the RCC chapter's first six years. Rockland was the first community college in New York State to establish a chapter of SALUTE (Service, Academics, Leadership, Unity, Tribute, Excellence).

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are all represented in this year's class of inductees: Mark Woods, Army; Nicholas Heitzmann and Christopher Sobel, Navy; Nicholas Bulson and Justin Ludwig, Marines; and Kelly McAllen, Air Force. Jordan Bogart, a 2012 RCC graduate and Marine Corps veteran, served as the alumni witness to the signature of new members.

Among the criteria for induction are a minimum 3.0 GPA and at least 12 credits earned.
Woods maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA and is on track to obtain his associate's degree in Liberal Arts in May 2019. He served active duty in the Army for seven years, including one year in Iraq and three years in Germany. “I was asked to join other honor societies, but this is the only one I joined because it was important to me to be part of a veterans honor society,” said Woods, the deputy director of the Rockland County Veterans Service Agency. “I spend my day helping veterans; I can relate to their situations. At RCC, I think I bring a little more maturity and focus to it than the younger students would.”

“This recognition is validation of the consistently high level of achievement and performance by the student veterans,” said Jonathan Barnwell, coordinator of RCC's Veterans Affairs office and founder of the RCC chapter of SALUTE. “We are proud to have inaugurated the first SALUTE chapter among community colleges in New York State, and hope to continue to set the tone in saluting our military students in years to come.”

The SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society was founded in 2009 at Colorado State University
through a grant from the American Council of Education and the Wal-Mart Foundation. There are more than 280 chapters nationwide, representing almost 15,000 inductees.

For more information about programs for student veterans at RCC , contact Jonathan Barnwell at 845-574-4105 or jbarnwel@sunyrockland.edu.

Photo courtesy of Rockland Community College