Retired U.S. Army veteran and longtime director of UNLV’s Military & Veteran Services Center Ross Bryant was named the Student Veterans of America (SVA) national “Chapter Advisor of the Year.”

Bryant accepted the honor on Jan. 6 at the 2017 SVA National Conference in Anaheim, Calif. “I was shocked, humbled and honored. I appreciate our SVA chapter for nominating me, and I can’t emphasize enough that this has always been a TEAM effort,” Bryant said. The SVA has chapters on 1,400 campuses in all 50 states and four countries.

UNLV has more than 1,700 active-duty, reserve or veteran military students on campus. Most have received tuition benefits from the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. From tuition assistance and campus training to on-site Veterans Administration support and specialized recruitment, UNLV is increasing its services for student veterans and active-duty personnel.

Bryant said UNLV has been strongly committed to supporting the veterans returning from what is now more than 16 years of war. “During the last five years especially, the Military & Veteran Services Center has enjoyed great support, community collaborations and greatly improved services,” Bryant said.

But it has been and continues to be a team effort, Bryant said. He added that UNLV leaders have worked hard to ensure he has a robust staff to help student veterans get their Veteran Affairs payments and benefits on time.

“Nothing at UNLV happens without our team processing files, getting each veteran certified and meticulously posting payments. This award is a reflection of all of them,” Bryant said.

The Military & Veteran Services Center enjoys a strong partnership with a number of veterans programs, including the VA's VetSuccess program, the Nevada Department of Veteran Services, the National PAVE program, and other various community veteran support nonprofits/programs.

“All of these relationships have improved our services and positively impacted our student veteran population. I thank all of you who are involved with these programs and organizations,” he said.

UNLV is recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a VetSuccess campus and designated a military friendly school by G.I. Jobs Magazine. The university was also recently ranked among the top universities for veterans by Military Times magazine. UNLV ranked 36th out of more than 125 4-year universities listed in the publication's "Best for Vets: Colleges" edition.UNLV has also re-engaged with Nellis Air Force Base and offers on-base advising and courses for active-duty military.

Learn more about UNLV’s Military & Veterans Services Center at www.unlv.edu/veterans.