In an effort to ensure veterans’ work experience is recognized when they transition into the civilian workforce, New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed Mike Haynie of Syracuse University to aid him with the initiative.

Haynie, executive director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at SU, was appointed Feb. 9 to the New York State Council on Returning Veterans and Their Families as part of Cuomo’s ‘Experience Counts’ campaign.

Haynie, a former U.S. Air Force officer who served 14 years in both the United States and abroad, said he hopes to address how unemployment affects veterans and their families. Military personnel usually move every three years, which puts stress on the families who are forced to find new jobs, enroll in new schools and forge new relationships, Haynie said.

‘My role at Syracuse University has evolved into supporting its commitment to the area of veterans and military families. I think (the council) will advance Syracuse University’s standing as a leader in higher education addressing these issues,’ he said.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor said Haynie is a great addition to the council and has unparalleled expertise in using higher education resources and veterans’ skills to help them and their families, according to a Feb. 9 SU News release.

Haynie said his appointment to the council would not affect his job at SU and is simply an addition to his current workload. Haynie said he took the job because he feels the IVMF needs to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and take advantage of an opportunity that complements the mission of the institute.

‘I have very little interest in sitting through more meetings,’ Haynie said. ‘If I’m going to participate in this, I want the council to produce outcomes that are actually going to make a difference for veterans and their families.’

One of the issues the council addresses is the disconnection between state licensing requirements and veteran experience. Haynie used combat medics as an example of a military profession that carries no merit for veterans who are searching for a job in the civilian workforce. A combat medic has to start again with no record of past experience, Haynie said. He emphasized that past experience in the military should receive a state license for skills and tasks they did while on duty.

The IVMF at SU was founded last year when Haynie worked with James Schmeling, managing director for the institute, to create a bridge between military disabilities and entrepreneurship. They created the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program to provide resources for veterans such access to education, training and assistance in building small businesses.

‘We started working together in February to create this new institute,’ Schmeling said. ‘(Haynie) has been a terrific collaborator, and I really enjoyed working with him as we founded the institute and got it up off the ground.’

Schmeling said the goal of the institute is to take a national leadership role in leveraging resources of higher education to serve veterans and their families. He said he supports Haynie’s initiative to help veterans with experience get equivalent state licenses, and he hopes Haynie will address education and professional degrees for veterans while on the council.

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Published on February 20, 2012 at 12:00 pm

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