Celebrate Veterans Week at U-M

All across campus, the university is proud to offer a week of events that educate and celebrate the experiences and sacrifice of those who have served our country.

Most Veterans Week events are free and are open to the entire university community and to the general public. You are encouraged to attend as many of these events as you can.

*Note: The staff/faculty/student Military and Veteran Appreciation Lunch is only open to former and current members of the U.S. military working or studying at U-M and invited guests (RSVP is required).

Here’s a rundown of events:

Tuesday, Nov. 5

• Patient Experience Learning Forum: Serving Those Who Have Served: 2-3:30 p.m., Danto Auditorium, Frankel Cardiovascular Center
  • This presentation and discussion serves as an introductory conversation and guide with a goal of increasing a veteran’s access to their benefits and improving the care and experience for veterans and their families who receive care at Michigan Medicine.CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AVAILABLE. For more information, click here.

Wednesday, Nov. 6

• Stories of Service: 7-9 p.m., Michigan Theater
  • The evening will feature stories from veterans across many eras and from many types of service. In between stories there will be live music. Tickets are $15 and admission for veterans is free. For complete details and to purchase tickets, visit storiesofservice.org.
• Speaker Event with Michael S. Erwin: Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow’s Leaders: 7:30 p.m., Weill Hall (735 S. State Street), Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
  • A talk with author, co-founder and president of the Positivity Project, CEO of the Character and Leadership Center, Founder or Team RWB, and Michigan Alumni, Michael S. Erwin. Register at myumi.ch/dOO1B.

Friday, Nov. 8

• VETx: Student Veteran Storytelling: 5-8 p.m., Ross School of Business, Robertson Auditorium
  • Student and alumni veterans will share TED Talk-style stories of lessons learned in the military that they still use today. Food and drinks will be served.

Monday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day)

• Flag Raising Ceremony: 8 a.m., Law Quad Flag Pole
• Appreciation Lunch*: Noon-2 p.m., Michigan League Ballroom
• The USS Liberty Incident: Lecture and Discussion: 2 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Hear from a survivor of the attack on the USS Liberty and efforts to have a full investigation and recognition of the event.
• Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Lecture Series. Policy Talks @ the Ford School: Conversation on National Security Service and Policy: 4-5:20 p.m., Weill Hall (735 S. State Street), Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
  • Please join the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for a conversation with LTG James Clapper (USAF, ret.), LTG Michael Nagata (USA, ret.), and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on national security, service, and policy. Visit fordschool.umich.edu for complete event details and to watch the livestream.
• Flag Lowering Ceremony: 5 p.m., Law Quad Flag Pole

Tuesday, Nov. 12

• LGBTQ+ Panel: 9-10:30 a.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Come hear these brave veterans talk about their service, sacrifice and discrimination they faced while serving their country.
• The Diversity of the Military: Noon-1:30 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • How does military service take people from different backgrounds and create an effective unit? Come and hear from our panel about life in the military, what it can teach us about a diverse civilian culture and how veterans/military increase our own U-M DEI initiatives.

Wednesday, Nov. 13

• Vietnam Panel: 10-11 a.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • This is a chance to hear Vietnam Veterans talk about their experiences during that controversial war and how they were treated when they returned home. Their remarkable stories of service, sacrifice and perseverance will change how you look at Vietnam and the men and women who served there.
• Global War on Terror Veterans: 11 a.m.-Noon, Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • A talk with military service men and women who have served during the nation’s longest time of armed conflict. This generation of military members have faced multiple deployments, ever shifting policies and goals and a nation that is largely unaware of the containing conflict.
• VA Eligibility and Supportive Services: 1-2:30 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Come and learn about the different services available to veterans through the VA healthcare system, what criteria are used to assess their needs how they can best access care. Current research studies will also be reviewed.
• Suicide Prevention in Veteran and Military Service Members: 2:30-4 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Learn what the Ann Arbor VA is doing to lower the rate of suicide attempts and suicides among the veterans that it sees. Also, we will discuss steps the Ann Arbor VA is taking to reach more veterans and military families that are in critical need of mental health care to try to reduce the risk of suicide.

Thursday, Nov. 14

• Student Panel: 9-10:30 a.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Student veterans studying at U-M will discuss their time in service and their transition to college. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be on the panel.
• Therapy and Service Dogs: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Come and learn about how dogs and therapy animals can help returning veterans struggling with visible and invisible wounds. Meet service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support animals.
• Movie: Lioness: 2-4 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Lioness presents the untold story of the first group of women soldiers in U.S. history to be sent into direct ground combat, in violation of official policy. Lioness is the first film to bridge the gap between perception and reality of the role women in the military are playing in Iraq, capturing an historical turning point for American society.

Friday, Nov. 15

• Women in the Military: 9-10:30 a.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Women are serving alongside their male counterparts in some of the most dangerous work in the military. Often they have to overcome sexist stereotypes, sexual harassment or worse all while serving their country. Come and hear their stories of perseverance, grit and courage.
• Pop-up Exhibit: From the Front: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Clements Library, Norton Strange Townshend Room
  • The Clements Library is known for the quantity, variety, and quality of its collections documenting the military aspects of American history. This pop-up exhibit features paintings, drawings, letters, journals and other materials created by veterans from the Revolutionary War through World War II.
• Assessment and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress in Today’s Veterans: 11:30 a.m – 12:30 p.m., Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room
  • Come and hear about the latest research and studies involving PTSD and treatments from Sarah Richards, one of the leaders in the Ann Arbor PTSD Clinical Team.