Primary Contact:
Matthew McDermott 
mbedugnis@luc.edu  
617.778.3346

Loyola University Chicago’s Office of Military Veteran Student Services Awarded Department of Education Grant 

CHICAGO – May 17, 2023

Loyola University Chicago today announced that the Office of Military Veteran Student Services (MVSS) has been awarded a $583,747 grant from the Department of Education (DOE) that will expand the office’s professional capacity and reinforce the experience of student veterans at the University. 

With the grant, submitted under the title Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success, MVSS plans to unveil a new, dedicated space for student veterans on campus this coming fall. “We’re extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity,” says Alex Pirila, associate director for MVSS. Pirila, a Marine Corps veteran, leads the office, which strives to support the successful transition of student veterans and their families from military service to the University. 

“The vision for this dedicated space is much more than a lounge. We hope that it will be a place for our student veterans to gather and hear from University partners like Student Academic Services and the Wellness Center about the resources they have available to them from tutoring to counseling.” 

More than a simple support network, MVSS is dedicated to examining and wholistically improving the student veteran experience at Loyola and beyond. Recently, Pirila and a group of fellow University leaders worked to expand Loyola’s commitment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon Program, which supplements veterans’ post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.  

Previously, the University would match VA funding through the Yellow Ribbon Program up to certain maximums, but beginning August 1, 2023 – the University will provide an unlimited match fully covering tuition and fees for all programs except the Stritch School of Medicine. 

This development is just one part of Loyola’s mission to expand access in higher education – and it doesn’t end on the University’s campus. This year, Josh Jones, a fellow Marine Corps veteran and former president of Loyola’s Student Veterans of America chapter, traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for expanded funding for student veterans nationwide. “It’s pretty amazing,” says Pirila “that this idea went from coffees in a cubicle to Capitol Hill.”  

With the DOE grant, MVSS will not only receive dedicated space on campus – but will be reinforced with two full-time employees to support the work. Looking toward future opportunities, Pirila is also mindful of the past. “Something that not many people realize is that Saint Ignatius, who founded the Jesuits, was a veteran, too. He went back to school in his 30s after serving and was able to change the world. I want our student veterans to know that’s their story too. Anything is possible.” 

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About Loyola University Chicago 
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, with nearly 17,500 students. The University has four campuses: three in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, as well as course locations in Vernon Hills, Illinois (Cuneo Mansion and Gardens), and a Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. The University features 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. Ranked a top national university by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is also among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations including AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation. To learn more about Loyola, visit LUC.edu or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaChicago.