UNO is home to many military-affiliated faculty and staff members. Here are some of their stories.
Nicole Cooper: Combat Veteran, Alumna & UNO Staff
Q: We use the words "military-connected" when referring to all the students we serve through our office here at UNO. When you hear "military-connected" what does it mean to you?
A: To me this means a family, or a community of people who have served. There is this automatic comradery, no matter where you go or what other differences may exist, there is just something that connects all of us who have served. I think because we have been through something, and so those of us who have chosen to serve share an understanding of what that means. That connection can bridge differences in age, culture, background and it is something that unifies people.
Q: If you would want civilians to know something about you as a combat veteran, or about veterans generally, what would it be?
A: Veterans are a tight-knit community. There is a work ethic that exists and that comes from our military experience. We are leaders and have had unique leadership experience and know what it means to make decisions that impact people's lives. We embrace difference and this comes from that background of travel and being with so many different people, meeting people from all over the world and working together. It's really an asset. It absolutely shaped my world perspective and made me who I am today. Being a veteran is such a core part of me.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your military background.
A: I joined the National Guard when I was 17 to pay for college. I participated in a split option program that allowed me to attend basic training before my senior year of high school and then to complete advanced individual training after I graduated high school. I had no idea when I joined that so much of my service would be serving on active duty.
When I was 19 years old I deployed to Iraq, serving in Camp Anaconda in Balad, and I came home from that deployment when I was 21. In Iraq, I served in logistics, the G4 shop with the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. My second deployment was at Camp Buehring in Kuwait. This deployment was in a support capacity for convoy escort teams who were helping missions that were going in and out of Iraq. It was interesting as I was assigned to a Cavalry Squadron and was one of only three women among more than 600 men.
After my first deployment, I also worked full time under our Brigade Commander and had the opportunity to participate in a joint training exercise with the Marine Corp and the Japanese military in Osaka, Japan. Thinking back, it is amazing to me that I was so young when I joined the military ... I was just 17 years old and making a decision that completely changed my life and shapes such a big part of me.
Q: So you said you joined to pay for college. Were you able to do that?
A: I was, yes. I earned both a bachelor’s degree from UNL and my MBA from UNO and I only had to pay for the last portion of my MBA. Being able to use VA benefits was wonderful and at UNO they supported me as a veteran student by crafting my program of study to maximize the use of my benefits. Having that support while transitioning out of the military was huge!
Q: What is your current role at UNO?
A: I am the Assistant Controller in the Controller's Office, which is part of the Business and Finance Department. I work with an amazing team that really values who I am and that part of me that comes from my military background. As an alumna of UNO, I feel so blessed that I have been able to come back to the organization and contribute to it through my work in the Controller's Office.
Neal Grandgenett: Marine Veteran & UNO Faculty
Q: We use the words "military-connected" when referring to all the students we serve through our office here at UNO. When you hear "military-connected" what does it mean to you?
A: Great question! I was in the Marine Corps and served on a Navy installation as part of a Marine Security Unit, so for me, it is a community. There were Marines and sailors in that environment, but there were also civilians who worked there in addition to the families. That time for me was really the beginning of a journey that is fundamentally about citizenship. The word "citizen" is a special term - it is about being part of something to which you receive benefits but also owe something. The military personnel gives something up when they serve, but spouses and children give up so much too as do the civilians that work for the military. So, that community is a wide-net and it certainly needs to be to succeed.
Q: If you would want civilians to know something about you as a combat veteran, or about veterans generally, what would it be?
A: That today's military is highly trained and highly professional, much more so than is perceived by the general public. The network of those who make the military happen is much larger than people realize. What it takes to make bases work and to make "defense" happen is a wide group of citizens working together. It is a lesson in citizenship at its best.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your military background.
A: In the Marine Corps I served on a Naval weapons station and the unit I managed the operational security for the Navy. It was a functioning Marine Barracks and those are all over the world. Most people know that Marines provide security at U.S. Embassy's, for example. I earned Sergeant and there was a lot of training and on-going professional development. People who do this kind of work in the Marine Corps are highly vetted because this work can be highly stressful and excellent judgment is needed in addition to the more tactical skills typically required of a Marine.
Q: What is your current role at UNO?
A: I am the Dr. George and Sally Haddix Community Chair of STEM Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. In that role, I help support an interdisciplinary STEM environment on campus. I am currently also the Associate Director of the STEM TRAIL Center. My background is middle school mathematics teaching and then as a professor of STEM Education with a specialization in mathematics education.
Q: Do you see a connection between your military service and your current role at UNO?
A: Absolutely. Attention to detail was critical for what I did in the Marine Corps. Self-discipline and follow-through were also paramount. I learned how important communication was and I frequently make personal connections between effective communication in the Marine Corps to effective communication in higher education while we deeply serve students in our mission here.
Sarah Edwards: Military Spouse, UNO Faculty & Administrator
Q: We use the words "military-connected" when referring to the students we serve through our office here at UNO. What do those words mean to you?
A: My first thought is that this is a group that shares an appreciation for teamwork. People who have served tend to work hard to achieve goals as well as exhibit a desire to be part of something greater than any individual. Military-connected people have different life experiences, such as having experienced geographic diversity. I also think there is really something about that "we" that connects a community and provides support - again, there is an ethos of being connected to something greater than oneself.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your particular military connection.
A: I am a military spouse and being connected to that life allowed me to live on three different continents and experience different cultures and ways of life.
Q: What is your current role at UNO?
A: I am the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Q: What is the relationship between your role and military-connected students at UNO?
A: As a military spouse and teacher, I lived the experience of having teacher certification standards vary state by state and the hiring window only one month out of the year. Trying to navigate that career while having to frequently move was extremely difficult. I want to make our systems as transparent and easy to navigate as possible.
Q: If there were something you would want people to know who do not have a military connection, what would it be?
A: While there is a shared experience in this community, it is different for everyone. Some people look back with awe on their time in service and other people are just glad to be done and want to move on with their life. I would invite people without a military background to acknowledge the variety of lived experiences and honor people's choices to create their own meaning relative to their service.
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado: Navy Veteran, UNO Faculty & Administrator
Q: We use the words "military-connected" when referring to all the students we serve through our office here at UNO. When you hear "military-connected" what does it mean to you?
A: I think it means we have both an understanding of and a sensitivity to the lived experiences of all those who have served, whether they be active duty, veterans, reserves, National Guard, and also of family members who have a very real experience of the life of service. It's the whole ethos of Student Success here at UNO - we take into account the whole person. When OMVS was founded, that was the idea behind it.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your military background.
A: I am a Navy veteran. The further away I get from that experience the prouder I am for having served. I hope I did so with distinction. I want to honor all those who came after me. My service really is part of who I am. Military service was a catalyst for me to go on to serve in the public arena.
Q: What is your current role at UNO?
A: I am the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Success and professor of political science.
Q: What is the relationship between your role and military-connected students at UNO?
A: I hope I serve that community as an ally and a beacon or a horizon point that people can aspire to. I was Navy enlisted and used my GI Bill to get an undergraduate education, then a Ph.D., and now have returned to service as a campus and community leader. When I was a student at UCLA someone asked me, "What do you need money for, you don't have to pay for school?" And I thought, well sure, but I earned that benefit. I gave six years of my life. It isn't free money for school. So, given my experiences, I want to be an ally and a supporter. People know I am here and I'll pick up the phone. I'm a good shipmate. If there is something that needs to be done, I'm happy to help. In higher education and my role here at UNO, that's how I see myself.
Q: If you would want civilians to know something about you as a veteran, or about veterans generally, what would it be?
A: Unlike almost every other segment of society, those who have served - veterans, guard, reserve, active duty - they understand what that sacrifice of service means. Not many people across the broader society really understand that sacrifice. These students bring knowledge and understanding of what service means that is lost on most people. Universities need to understand the value of these students and what they bring to our communities. We need to integrate military-connected students into the life-blood of the university. I believe universities can do a better job integrating this tremendous asset. We can all learn from and benefit from the lived reality of people whose experience is a true understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Jim Harrold: Air Force Veteran and UNO Faculty & Staff Member
Q: We use the words "military-connected" when referring to all the students we serve through our office here at UNO. When you hear "military-connected" what does it mean to you?
A: I relate that to the whole spectrum - veterans, active duty, Guard and reserves, and family members. Family is a big part of military life and we should not forget that.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your military background.
A: I served in the Air Force for 26 years - entered in 1982 and retired in 2008. Even before that I had family connections. My dad and his three brothers all served and fought in World War II. My grandfather, on my mother's side of the family, fought in World War I. When my mom was young during the depression era, my grandfather answered the call and moved the family to Washington DC during WWI. All that family history resonated with me more and more during my own military experience. There was a time in America when it would have been unusual to meet someone who did not have a family member who had served or was serving.
Q: What is your current role at UNO?
A: I am a faculty member in the School of Public Administration. I am also an advisor to the approximately 160 MPA students at UNO.
Q: If you would want civilians to know something about you as a combat veteran, or about veterans generally, what would it be?
A: If you were walking down the street during the World War II era, it would've been impossible to meet someone without a military connection. That is no longer the case in America. I can't recall the number off the top of my head, but something like 8% of the adult population has served, so it is now common not to know anyone who has served. The much smaller percent of the population who has served is the result of an all-volunteer force, which is good, but the lack of personal experience can often translate into a lack of understanding. This has created a kind of reverence for military service that borders on idolatry and that is not healthy.
What is healthy is recognizing that people join the military for very different reasons and that the military is a cross-section of American society. Instead of objectifying all service members as heroes, civilians should instead take the time to get to know them. We should not assume. Get to know those who have served, especially young veterans who have served in the long war. Talk to them because that is the basis of real understanding that can begin to replace platitudes that can feel empty to veterans.
Lacey Dudash: Veteran & UNO Staff
We sat down with Lacey Dudash, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Navy Veteran to learn about her military connection and what veterans bring to the workplace.
I was born and raised in Alaska. I joined the Navy in 2006 and served five years - in Japan for three years then Mississippi. I went to school in Louisiana and now live here in Nebraska.
I was able to get my education completely paid for and am ecstatic I made the choice I did. If I had not joined the Navy I would have had a huge debt. I completed an associates's degree while in the Navy so was able to get that head start on my BA.
There is a strong work ethic and a directness that veterans bring to the workplace. We are all about getting things done. The way I lead my team is that mindset of solving problems and working hard. Some civilians may misinterpret that directness as brash, but it isn't rudeness. We are focused on mission success and come from a place where lives could be at stake.