Brown University Veterans Alumni Council
Connecting Brown’s student and alumni veterans—on campus and beyond.
About BUVAC
Brown University Veterans Alumni Council (BUVAC) provides a way to convene Brown’s growing military-affiliated community by raising awareness of the University’s military-related news and activities and engaging veteran and ROTC through a formal mentoring program.
BUVAC’s Mission
Established in 2018, the Brown University Veterans Alumni Council (BUVAC) engages Brown alumni, parents, and community members by providing support and facilitating connections to Brown University students who are veterans or are participating in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs. The Council also supports military-related activities and programming on campus, and plays a critical role in engaging alumni interested in military affairs at Brown University. Supported by the University’s Division of Advancement and the Office of Alumni Relations in its day-to-day efforts, the Council collaborates closely with Brown’s Office of Military-Affiliated Students (OMAS).
Interested in military affairs at Brown?
About the Mentorship Program
Making the connection
In BUVAC’s mentoring program, student veterans are paired with Brown veteran alumni mentors. Over the course of the school year, the pairings explore topics such as broadening their networks, learning about post-graduation military experience, and how to navigate their chosen careers. The goal? To help mentees graduate with a solid transitional road map to navigate their journey from military to student and civilian.
Passing down practical tips
By providing an opportunity to learn from their professional and personal experiences, alumni mentors aim to offer practical advice to mentees as they navigate their time at Brown and prepare for graduation. In addition to access to their mentors, mentees in the program receive guidance from two veteran mentor alumni champions, Scott Quigley ’05 and Jeremy McKenzie MMP’16.
Council Membership
Co-Chairs
- Ben Cassidy ’75
- Larry Eichler P’09
Honorary Members
- Joseph Healey P'22, P'24
- Jeffrey Hines '83 MD'86
- The Late Joseph Santarlasci, Jr. '67 (BUVAC Co-Founder)
- Joan Wernig Sorensen '72 LHD'19 hon., P'06 P'06
- E. Paul Sorensen '71 ScM'75 PhD'77 LHD'19 hon., P'06 P'06
Members
- Damian Ballard ’20
- Linda Lou Borges-DuBois ’76
- David Chichester '67
- James Cunningham ’72
- Joseph DiChiaro, Jr. ’60
- Peter Donnelly ’09
- Samuel G. Friedman ’62
- Theron Hamilton AM’03 PhD’07
- Jonathan Hillman ’09
- Catherine Maas '85, P'13, P'17
- Jeremy McKenzie MPP’16
- Manuel “Manny” Menezes ’64
- Michael Muir ’20
- John Peracchio ’82, P’13
- Scott Quigley ’05
- Matthew Ricci ’15
- David Salsone ’13
- Mathies J. Santos ’77
- Michael Zaskey ’17 MD’21
What’s BUVAC been up to?
Read all about it in BUVAC’s most recent newsletters:
University Veterans Initiative
In November 2019, President Paxson announced an exciting new veterans initiative, which aims to increase financial aid for student veterans, double the number of veterans on campus in the next three to five years, and extend its need-blind admission policies to include prospective students who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Learn more about this initiative and make a gift to support veterans financial aid, or email alumniveterans@brown.edu for more information.
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