New group salutes military alums

Army veteran Kevin Doe Crowsyn (MA ’17) has talked to members of the military who think getting a college degree means using a diploma mill or taking night classes at a branch campus of any school that happens to be near their base.

Not so, he tells them. Crowsyn steers them toward the University of Florida Online, where they can study one of more than two dozen fields, all while attending a top university and the No. 1 online college program in the nation.

Then, two things happen. First, they get a degree to help with their next promotion.

Second, they become a Gator.

And as an alum, they are eligible to join UF’s newest alumni affiliate group, the Association of Military Alumni.

Crowsyn became a believer in UF when he was considering graduate programs. Already an early adopter of social media for the military, Crowsyn found the College of Journalism and Communications’ online master’s with a specialization in social media. At first, he feared a lackluster undergrad transcript might doom his chances, but he knew he wanted a degree from a top institution.

“I wanted to set myself up for the future, go somewhere respected, with a top-rated program,” Crowsyn says.

When he read about graduate admission requirements, he was daunted but didn’t give up.

“It’s the military mindset; I figured there would be extra hoops,” Crowsyn says, “but there had to be a way to get in.”

There was, and now he wants that experience for fellow veterans. Like him, veterans move a lot and often need more time to get a degree. Crowsyn got his bachelor’s degree eight years after high school after multiple deployments.

“It’s a longer road, to get a degree, but that’s not uncommon for folks in the military,” Crowsyn says. “We have to chip away at it.”

As a graduate, Crowsyn jumped into alumni activities, eager to join a veterans alumni group. There wasn’t one, and that planted a seed.

The UF Alumni Association was excited at the prospect of a new group, and veterans in other alumni clubs and affiliate groups pitched in. As of July 2024, the Association of Military Alumni became official.

The group is open to anyone connected to the military, including veterans, certainly, but also family members and Department of Defense civilians. And the group has 100% crossover with other Gator Clubs®, considering that veterans can be members of both the affiliate group and their local club.

“We wanted to welcome anyone affiliated with the military and create a more open community,” Crowsyn says.

The group’s first event was Military Reunion Weekend in November, which will become an annual event that will coincide with Veterans Day and the Saluting Those Who Serve home football game. This year, the event also included a Veterans Wellness Summit, in conjunction with the College of Health and Human Performance. And at the Gator Military Awards Ceremony, the group gave a lifetime service award to retired Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Charles Dorman (BS ’73), a member of the UFAA Board of Directors.

“That’s kind of our Super Bowl weekend,” Crowsyn says.

Plans include scholarships and working with ROTC and the Student Veterans Center for the launch of a Gator Military Hall of Fame, which would draw on the archives to bring to light stories of Gator veterans of the past as well as the present.

“Some colleges don’t have reputations for being particularly military friendly,” Crowsyn says. “UF is not like that. We have the Army, Air Force and Navy ROTC on campus, and all the top-tier programs, from law to health, are sending students into the military. There’s a huge demographic, and I think we have the potential in the next three to five years to be the largest affiliate group at the University of Florida.”

That’s the can-do spirit — both Gator and military.

“We want to spread the word,” Crowsyn says, “for UF to be recognized for what it is: an exceptional, military-friendly school."