Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the University of South Florida to kick off a new statewide initiative aimed at making resources more accessible for Florida’s 1.5 million veterans. During the announcement of Forward March, Gov. DeSantis highlighted USF for its success educating and empowering student veterans.
USF is known nationally for retaining military-connected students by offering academic services that allow them to graduate on-time with a strong GPA. This year, Military Times magazine ranked USF as the second-best school in the nation for military students. That’s out of all four-year public and private institutions. About 1,850 student veterans are currently enrolled at USF.
“I want to thank President Judy Genshaft for not only what you’ve done for the university but for really embracing veterans and USF’s role, particularly in a community like the Tampa Bay area where we have so many important operations that emanate out of this area,” Gov. DeSantis said. “I think what you’ve done at USF has really been great and just as a veteran, I want to thank you personally for your service.”
The USF Office for Veteran Success has taken a number of measures to improve student success. It established a streamlined admissions assistance process and is developing an Accelerated Wellness Program that provides a variety of therapies to support veterans with combat-related trauma or other service-related mental health concerns.
Gov. DeSantis addressed those concerns, along with other issues that impact veterans, such as housing, emergency assistance and transitional services. He was joined by USF alumnus, veteran and former State Representative Danny Burgess, who is spearheading Forward March and is currently the executive director of the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs.
“President Genshaft set the standard for serving veterans in the university system,” Burgess said. “She’s the model for the country in terms of higher education and how to do that, so we appreciate you so very much.”
Forward March brings together leaders and experts from a variety of veteran service programs from across the state. By breaking down communication and geographic barriers, Burgess and Gov. DeSantis hope to leverage all of Florida’s resources to provide the best services to support veterans across the state. Forward March is an initiative run by the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs.
While on campus, Gov. DeSantis also announced the appointment of two Tampa Bay area judges. Thomas Palermo was appointed to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court and Jessica Costello was named to the Hillsborough County Court.