Today, Dr. Jill Biden met with student military veterans at Columbia University in New York City to learn more about the University's programs that serve veterans and military families. Along with nine students from the Columbia University School of General Studies (GS), Dr. Biden met with Professor Peter J. Awn, Dean of GS, Curtis Rodgers, Vice Dean of GS, and David Madigan, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Biden announced earlier this week that she would be visiting campus programs such as Columbia's that support veterans and military families as part of Joining Forces, the initiative she started with First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage all Americans to find ways to support and honor military families.
Columbia has distinguished itself as a military-friendly university, with more than 550 veterans currently enrolled in its undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. Some 300 of those are earning bachelor’s degrees, following their military service, at the Columbia University School of General Studies, which was founded after World War II largely to accommodate the unique needs of veterans and other students returning to college after varied lives and careers. Columbia has continued to actively recruit and welcome Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans as essential members of its diverse university community.
