Honoring Moore School alumni and student veterans and military personnel
Please join the Moore School in extending a gracious thank you to U.S. veterans and especially to the more than 650 Moore School alumni and student veterans and active military personnel this week when the nation celebrates Veteran’s Day. The Moore School is exceptionally proud of their alumni and students’ military service and thankful for their steadfast commitment to serving a higher cause while oftentimes being far away from their families and in harm’s way. For nearly two and half centuries, brave men and women in the U.S. have honorably and unselfishly answered a call to defend the nation’s values and way of life. They have helped to make this world a better place with their courage, sacrifice and dedication. The Moore School is forever grateful for their unwavering pledge to all the nation holds dear. They are truly some of the finest men and women in the country.
In honor of these individuals, the Moore School would like to highlight some of its newest military-related initiatives. In February, the Moore School hired Cody Zilhaver, a recently retired U.S. Army colonel, to serve in a new position as the director of military engagement. Zilhaver directs military- and veteran-related initiatives; the scope of his duties include:
- Business development with the U.S. Department of Defense
- Development of Moore School military and veteran programs
- Engagement with Moore School alumni and donors
Over the past seven years, the Moore School’s Executive Education department has taught on average 16 graduate certificate and non-certificate courses annually to 500 military students, mostly from the U.S. Army and Defense Finance and Accounting Service, as part of their professional development. As they continue these programs, they are broadening their efforts to also include the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, which have shown interest in the executive education programs, namely the business analytics offerings. Additionally, Executive Education has added three new courses to its portfolio: Certified Government Financial Management Exam Preparation; Certified Business Data Analytics Exam Preparation; and Demystifying Artificial Intelligence and Making Your First Move: A Course for Leaders and Managers.
Other Executive Education military and veteran efforts include:
- Developing articulation agreements with the U.S. Army Financial and Comptroller School as well as the U.S. Navy Supply Corps to award transfer credit for military education toward the Moore School’s MBA and operations and supply chain management degrees.
- Offering the STRIVEentrepreneurial program — the Faber Center hosted the first ever STRIVE program in 2022 exclusively for military personal and veterans interested in being business owners. This 32-hour program was free to attend and covered all the critical ways and means to starting a business.
- Creating a new scholarship in honor of Marine First Lieutenant Jason Mann, a 2005 Moore School business administration graduate. Mann is the only known fallen alumnus in the Moore School during the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The scholarship will support a Moore School student with a direct connection to the military.
Speaking of direct connections to the military, the Moore School is proud to host 49 current undergraduate and graduate military and veteran students. The Moore School’s strong relationship with the military is growing even stronger under these new initiatives and future ones. Programs like these at USC contributed to Military Times rating the university as the "2022 Best for Vets: Colleges," announced in September.
The Moore School honors veterans and military students and alumni and stands ready to support them. Go Gamecocks!
-Cody Zilhaver, director of military engagement for the Moore School’s Executive Education department