Not long after he started his role as Director of Veteran Enrollment at The College of Saint Rose, Marty Dinan grew a beard.

“It’s funny the reaction I get sometimes when they see my business card, and it says ‘retired Colonel,” says Dinan, who has been the point person for veterans at Saint Rose for 1 1/2 years and graduated from the College with a degree in sociology in 1986. “They say, ‘I didn’t know you were a retired colonel, sir.’ I say, ‘The reason I grew the beard is to blend in with you guys. Don’t make me throw the colonel hat on.’ Some veterans don’t love officers, but I love my enlisted.”

Not only does Dinan love the veterans who come to Saint Rose as part of their shift into civilian life, he understands them. He’s a veteran of three wars, deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 with later deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to Colonel in the New York Army National Guard in 2013. He spent 19 years as a police officer, all while serving as a commissioned officer in various command and staff positions. He’s served in the active Army, the Reserves and the National Guard.

Read more here, and watch a video here.

The application for the Enhanced Tuition Award is now available, and as the only Capital Region college to opt-in to the new state program, we want to spread the word.

The Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA) is a new program that The College of Saint Rose – along with only 29 other New York State private universities and colleges – will offer its students for the 2017-18 academic year. It provides qualified New York State residents who apply and are chosen by New York State with up to $6,000 toward their tuition, half of which will be provided by the College.

For the New York State students who apply and are selected by the state this makes the investment in a great Saint Rose education even greater. The College estimates as many as 900 incoming and current Saint Rose students may be eligible for the award based on the state’s criteria. The last day to apply for the Enhanced Tuition Award is August 21.

Watch a video about how the math works out here.

Rob Grom ’04 has designed the covers of hundreds of New York Times crossword puzzle books, the memoir of Grateful Dead drummer William Kreutzmann, the crime fiction of Iris Johansen and four books of nonfiction by William Shatner.

As a senior designer at St. Martin’s Press, the world’s fifth largest publishing house, Grom plays a substantial role in determining what readers see when they pick up the latest novel by Donna Tartt or Michael Cheban. And as an accomplished photographer and designer he gets to choose the covers he will create himself.

“Book publishing is such a great place for a designer. You can spend a lifetime creating covers and never repeat yourself,” said Grom, who joined the company in 2004 as a junior designer. “And the work we do is definitely becoming more recognized in art circles.”

It was at Saint Rose, Grom said, that he developed the crucial design skills and ability to develop concepts through different medium.

Now, when he and his St. Martin’s co-workers select their paid summer interns, they give special consideration to the art and design students from Saint Rose. The publisher has hosted Saint Rose interns for a decade or so.

Read all about it here.

Q: Is there a way to create a special reunion session at the event for members of my program/school/class?
A: Yes! If you are interested in planning an event specifically for your class or affinity group, the Office of Alumni Relations is happy to accommodate that request.  We will work with you to plan something special and memorable for your group. Contact our office directly at alumni@strose.edu.

Q: What activities are there for my whole family to enjoy?
A: There will be many family-friendly events at HOME.COMING & Family Weekend that we encourage you and your family to be part of. By incorporating our Athletics Department into the overall weekend, there will be numerous sporting events, scrimmages, and even an “Open Swim” for families in the pool. There will also be HOME.COMING Fest on the lawn which will feature food trucks, live music and performances by our student groups, and novelty vendors.