November is National Veterans and Military Families Month. In addition to making time to recognize and thank those who have served, it’s a perfect time to acknowledge the UC staff who have devoted their careers to helping veterans, military personnel and military families on campuses and in communities throughout California. UC offers many systemwide veterans resources — including advice for veterans who are considering applying to UC — as well as local services at each campus.
Welcoming student veterans to the UC community
The UCLA Veteran Resources Center (VRC) is one of the most robust in the UC system. Its bustling calendar offers a diverse array of events, from relationship workshops to shared meals, volunteer opportunities, sporting events and more.
Emily Ives, director of the Military and Veterans Affairs Program, explains that the program serves all military-connected students — including children of military families, spouses of veterans, reservists, members of the National Guard, current military personnel and students whose siblings serve.
And, these efforts stretch far beyond the VRC, says Ives. “We work with our colleagues throughout the university to support our students in these areas. It’s integral to student success that our partners around campus understand the student resources and can help connect them.”
Learn how UCLA is supporting military-connected students and local veterans.
Connecting vets with UC jobs
In addition to connecting community veterans with students, UC campuses work to bring veterans on campus as employees. Such is the case at UCSF, where recruiting veterans is a key part of the talent acquisition strategy.
For the past four years, Talent Acquisition Manager Jessica Blair-Driessler has hosted an annual Veterans Open House and Job Fair. The event’s purpose is twofold: to allow veterans and military service members to get to know the UC San Francisco community and to build upon UC’s strong foundation of diversity and inclusion.
The job fair is “a labor of love” says Blair-Driessler. “The veterans have unique challenges that other job-seekers don’t normally have, and we really want to make sure that we communicate our commitment, in a variety of different ways, to employing them at UCSF.”
Learn how UCSF is connecting veterans with jobs.
Veterans resources throughout UC*
UC systemwide resources
UC Veterans Resources
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources
ANR veterans information
UC Berkeley
Berkeley Veterans staff association
Cal Veteran Services Center
UC Davis
Veteran Outreach and resources
UC Davis Health
Veterans Employee Association
UC Hastings
Student resources
UC Irvine
Veteran Services Center
UC Los Angeles
UCLA Veteran Resource Center
UC Merced
UC Merced Veterans Services
UC Riverside
Veterans Resource Center
UC San Diego
Student Veterans Resource Center
UC San Diego Veterans Staff Association
UC San Francisco
UCSF Student Veteran and Military Support Services
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara Veterans & Military Services
UC Santa Cruz
Veteran Benefits Services Office
Veterans Resource Center
*Know of another UC website that offers resources for veterans? Please email ucnetwork@universityofcalifornia.edu and we will add it to this list.