Empire State University Student Named Director of Veteran and Military Services at SUNY New Paltz

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – June 3, 2025) From working in accessibility and accommodations to tackling more administrative positions, Donald “Donnie” Martin has worn many hats as a higher education professional. Now, the Kingston resident—who is currently pursuing an M.A. in higher education at Empire State University—is taking on a new role: director of the Office of Veteran & Military Services at SUNY New Paltz. 

For Martin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in adolescent education at New Paltz in 2011, the job is a natural fit. Not only has he worked as the office’s assistant director since 2023, but he is also a veteran. Following in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom served in the military, Martin was enlisted in the U.S. Navy from 2002 to 2006. While he says he didn’t start out in higher ed with the specific goal of catering to military-affiliated students like himself, he acknowledges that his personal experiences as a service member—combined with the wide-ranging work he’s done for colleges including Marist and Vassar—gives him a unique outlook on this population of learners.  

“I’m a higher education professional that happens to be a veteran. Sometimes I think that’s better because I understand how the field works versus just being a veteran advocating for veterans,” Martin says, noting that he’s also held positions in departments such as academic affairs. “I like that I took the path that I did because it gave me time to learn more about how institutions operate … I’ve gotten to understand how different divisions work and how to help veterans and their dependents navigate that system.” 

Being back in school as a student at SUNY Empire is also broadening his perspective, he says. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the needs of non-traditional learners through his coursework, Martin says the experience has helped him further empathize with his students. 

“It’s helped me be more supportive and has also made me more relatable because a lot of my students know I’m doing this and they’ll ask, ‘How’re your classes going?’” he says. “So, it’s giving me more stuff to talk to them about.” 

On track to graduate next May, Martin decided to work toward his master’s at SUNY Empire after realizing his bachelor’s degree “had taken [him] as far as it would go” in higher ed. Still, he admits that the idea of returning to school “terrified” him, both in terms of shouldering the expense and wondering whether he was up to the challenge academically. Luckily, Martin’s state employee benefits and recent changes to New York State’s Veteran Tuition Award—which make him newly eligible for tuition assistance this fall—have significantly reduced costs. And as for his academic concerns? Martin, who describes himself as a historically “average student,” is thriving.  

“It’s been just a really great experience. The professors are really smart people, and they’ve made the programs very easy to follow along,” he says.  

Martin—who, after being the first in his family to receive a bachelor’s degree, will be the first of his relatives to earn a master’s—notes that the staff at the university’s Veteran & Military Resource Center have been helpful, too. 

“They check in each semester to see if I need to use any benefits or anything,” he says, adding that he was drawn to SUNY Empire for its reputation as a “very veteran-friendly school.” “It’s definitely been a supportive environment for adult learners, and a lot of the resources are easy to use.” 

It’s the type of setting Martin strives to offer his own military-affiliated students at SUNY New Paltz, where he’ll officially assume his new director role in early June.  

“Only 1% of the nation joins the military, so it’s important to me to give back to them,” he says. “A lot of people join the military because they can’t go to college. The military is why I got a college degree, and I like being a part of helping the next generation do that [because] I know what that sacrifice means. I know how great that benefit is, and I like being a part of ensuring they get to maintain it.”