Summer 2023 Newsletter

Celebrating military-affiliated graduates from the class of 2023

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (center) with graduating Brown ROTC cadets.

During Commencement weekend, the Office of Military-Affiliated Students (OMAS) held a special Graduating Veterans & ROTC Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 26. Distinguished guest speakers included OMAS program director Christian “Mac” Manning, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Bott (United States Air Force), Robert C. Murray ’23 (United States Marine Corps), Brown President Christina H. Paxson, and United States Senator Jack Reed.

In addition, Lieutenant Colonel Craig Cude (United States Air Force) was present for the commissioning of Air Force ROTC cadet Raquel Ruiter ’23, Brown’s first in 50 years. Brown University Veterans Alumni Council (BUVAC) co-chair Larry Eichler P’07 and honorary member Joan Wernig Sorensen ’72 LHD’19 hon., P’06 P’06 were delighted to present the ROTC awards at the ceremony as well.

OMAS graduates from the Class of 2023.

Congratulations to this year’s OMAS graduates:

Veteran among Brown’s honorary degree recipients

Air Force ROTC cadet makes history at Brown

In a touching ceremony during Commencement weekend, Raquel Ruiter ’23 was sworn in to the Air Force by her father. Ruiter is the first Air Force ROTC cadet commissioned at Brown in 50 years and the first AFROTC woman from Brown to commission in the Air Force. Ruiter graduated with a degree in international and public affairs with a focus on Russian studies. In an interview with the Providence Journal in June, Ruiter remarked on what it’s like navigating a male-dominated field: “I’ve found that with a little bit of grace and a lot of chutzpah, most challenges can be overcome.”

In her time at Brown, Ruiter took on a heavy courseload in addition to maximizing all of the opportunities available through ROTC, including a Department of Defense-sponsored summer program, a competitive internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a study abroad program in Berlin. We congratulate Raquel on all of her accomplishments and future successes!

The OMAS team is growing

Brown hosts an academic boot camp for veterans and active-duty service members

Visiting scholar in International and Public Affairs Jonathan Bott leads a lecture during the bootcamp.

In partnership with the Warrior-Scholar Project, the University welcomed 16 veterans and active-duty service members to campus this June 17-24 for an academic boot camp focused on the humanities. The weeklong program offered an intensive curriculum designed to help military veterans prepare for a collegiate academic environment and included lessons from Brown faculty, mentorship from fellow student veterans, one-on-one tutoring sessions, and group seminars led by Brown graduate students.

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Staying in touch with the alumni veteran community

•  Is your alumni record up to date? To ensure you are kept updated about any upcoming veteran-related programs or information at Brown, email alumniveterans@brown.edu with your branch, dates of service, and anything else you’d like to share. Thank you for your service!

•  Help expand the BUVAC mailing list. Do you know anyone interested in Brown military-affiliated news and events? Please share this newsletter and encourage your classmates, peers, and networks to join the BUVAC mailing list by emailing alumniveterans@brown.edu.

•  Interested in finding out more about how Brown supports veteran and ROTC students? OMAS offers programs and services to help Brown students make successful transitions by connecting them with campus and community resources, facilitating learning opportunities, providing space for shared conversation, and more. The OMAS website includes details on Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC.

•  Keep up with Brown alumni veteran affairs. Visit Brown’s Alumni & Friends website for more information on BUVAC and its alumni-student mentoring program, updates on the University’s initiative to bring more veterans to College Hill, and links to past newsletters.

•  Support the Veterans Financial Aid Initiative. Learn more about Brown’s initiative to expand financial aid for veterans and consider making a gift in support of this critical priority.