VALOR News and Events

NDSU staff, faculty, students, and community members gathered Thursday, Nov. 6, for a ceremony commemorating Veterans Day.

Bryon Parman, U.S. Navy veteran and the Agricultural Finance Specialist with NDSU Extension, was this year’s keynote speaker. Parman noted how his time in the military shaped his career path, leading him to earn his master’s and doctoral degrees. His military experience included two surface ship deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian gulf areas in the early years after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

To open the ceremony, US Marine Corps veteran and vocal music education major Carlin Johnson sang the National Anthem, and Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Institutional Equity, Laura Oster-Aaland, gave welcoming remarks.

To close the event, the honor guard team from Fargo's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 762 conducted a flag raising ceremony before the assembled attendees, with the sounding of Taps performed by NDSU instrumental music education major Rylie Schick.

NDSU has been designated as a silver status Military Friendly School for 2025-26, recognizing the university’s commitment to supporting military service members, veterans, and their families.

The silver status distinction signifies that NDSU exceeds the standard for creating a supportive environment for military students.

The Military Friendly Schools list is published annually to help service members and their families make informed decisions about higher education. This year’s list will be featured in G.I. Jobs magazine and on MilitaryFriendly.com.

NDSU graduate student and US Marine Corps veteran Terry Traylor was 1 of 6 student veterans nationwide selected for the 2024/25 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship.

According to the VFW’s press release, this fellowship is a roughly semester-long immersive experience in which fellows are assigned to a specific veterans' policy proposal. Fellows conduct research and community engagement while receiving advocacy training and mentorship from professional staff of both organizations.

In addition to attending the Student Veterans of America (SVA) National Convention in January, Fellows then participate in the VFW's annual Washington Conference in March of that year. There, along with VFW advocates from their respective states, they discuss their research on these policy proposals with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, resulting in advocacy experience at the highest levels.

The press release adds that "Student veterans who complete this program often continue to make noteworthy local and national contributions to the veteran community through myriad roles including those in leadership, service and advocacy."

A new partnership was signed in April 2023 between NDSU and The Boeing Company to provide "front-of-the-line" access to job interviews for ROTC members and any student veteran NDSU graduate.

The partnership guarantees an interview for any job for which these NDSU graduates otherwise qualify, giving them a preferred path to working with this industry leading aerospace corporation.

NDSU's Career and Advising Center is the school's point of contact for this program.

For Veterans Day 2023, President Cook thanked NDSU's veteran students for their service and highlighted the many ways they contribute to making NDSU a richer place.

The NDSU Veterans Alliance Organization, known as VALOR, is scheduled to host a short ceremony in honor of Veterans Day on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 8:30 a.m. at the flag plaza near the south entrance of the Memorial Union. The ceremony will start inside the Memorial Union (near the coffee shop) and conclude at the flag plaza near the south entrance of the building.

NDSU Army and Air Force ROTC cadets will be in formation during the ceremony and conduct a flag raising.

This event is open to the public, and NDSU faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend.