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Welcome Duke Student Veterans!

Duke is proud to have you as part of our community of students, faculty and staff.

Veterans Day ceremony in front of the Chapel on Thursday, Nov. 11.

We’re available and ready to assist in your transition and experience.

Student Affairs works collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to support our undergraduate, graduate, and professional school student veterans. Throughout the year we work with key stakeholders across campus to determine the needs of our students, develop priorities, and implement support strategies.

Student Affairs’ currently focuses on three primary objectives:

  • Developing and implementing opportunities for community building
  • Serve as a resource both on- and off-campus for student veterans
  • Advocacy 

About Us

Below is a list of Dean of Students Office staff members who support our student military-affiliated community and all Office of Student Veterans initiatives.

Headshot of Clay Adams

S. Clay Adams, Assistant Vice President, Dean of Students Office

A Chesapeake, Virginia native, Clay serves as the Vice Dean of Students at Duke University. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, a B.S. in Business Management, and a M.A. Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He most recently earned his Masters of Business Administration from North Carolina Central University. Clay directs the onboarding of new undergraduate students, parent and family programs, student veteran initiatives, Student Affairs crisis response and risk mitigation teams, and graduate and professional student support. Additionally, he works is the Division liaison to various constituencies. In his free time, Clay can be found enjoying time with his family or training for endurance sports. Clay's passion for working with the military-affiliated student population can be directly tied to his family. Clay's older brother was an enlisted Army service member in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Email: clay.adams@duke.edu

Headshot of Grace Sullivan Zirkle

Grace Sullivan Zirkle, Associate Director, Dean of Students Office

Grace is an Associate Director within the Dean of Students Office. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. After graduating, Grace worked as an admission counselor at her alma mater before going on to pursue her M.Ed in Higher Education Administration & Student Affairs at the University of South Carolina. Grace's portfolio includes supporting Duke's military-affiliated community through programming, advocacy, and resource sharing. She also directs undergraduate parent and family programming, advises undergraduate orientation programming, and supports new students in their transition to Duke. In her free time, Grace enjoys traveling, baking, and spending time outside. Grace has a particular passion for working with prospective student veterans and any opportunity to interact with Duke's diverse military-affiliated community.

Email: grace.zirkle@duke.edu

Headshot of Nicholas Harrelson in his combat uniform and gear

Nicholas Harrelson, Graduate Assistant

Nicholas Harrelson is a Graduate Student Assistant in the Office of Student Veterans. He lives in Mebane, NC with his wife Codie, son Atticus and infant daughter Harlow. Nicholas is a postulant to the priesthood in the Anglican Catholic Church, a student at Duke Divinity School, and is a vowed brother in Christ Mission Anglican Benedictines. He holds a Bachelor of Art in History from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and a Master of Art in Diplomacy with a concentration in International Conflict Resolution from Norwich University. Nicholas served six years as an infantryman in the United States Army and is a two-tour combat-wounded veteran of the recent conflicts.

Email: nicholas.harrelson@duke.edu

Beautiful Reed, Graduate Assistant

Beautiful Reed is a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Veterans. She is an Army Veteran and current 2nd year Doctor of Physical Therapy student here at Duke. When serving, she was a non-commissioned officer for the 1888th Medical Detachment in Washington State where she worked as a surgical technician. Being a Washingtonian, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). Beautiful lives in Durham with her husband and German Shepard Husky Kona, and enjoys being outdoors, crafting, playing soccer and video games.

Email: beautiful.reed@duke.edu

Resources and Helpful Information

Select a category from the drop-down menu below.

Contact Us

If you have general questions for Student Affairs and how we work to support student veterans or need support at Duke University please email: veterans@studentaffairs.duke.edu or call 919-613-4453.

Location 

GPS - (36.006695, -78.913686)
Crowell Building, East Campus (Third Floor)
10 Epworth Lane
Durham, NC 27708 

Certification and Benefits Questions

The Registrar’s office serves as the University certifying official for Duke. Please direct questions related to benefits and certification to her via email at veteranseducation@duke.edu or call 919-684-2813.

Comprehensive instructions on how to apply these benefits can be found at the following Duke University Registrar Website.

Are you planning to use your VA education benefits at Duke?

Registration and New Benefits Application can be found at the following link: https://registrar.duke.edu/veterans/veterans-education-benefits.

If you have already applied with the VA to use your benefits, and have received your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) letter from them, please forward a copy of the letter to veteranseducation@duke.edu.

 Questions: veteranseducation@duke.edu

Do you want to learn more about education and training benefits eligibility?

Duke veterans and military-affiliated students may be eligible for education and training benefits, such as the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E Chapter 31), or Educational and Career Counseling (Chapter 36).

If you are not eligible for these benefits, there are a range of other VA education benefits you may be eligible to receive. There are also education benefits for dependents and survivors. Click on each program or chapter to learn more about your eligibility and the application process. 

Visit eBenefits to apply for education and training benefits or VA healthcare. If you have questions pertaining to these benefits, call the veteran benefits administration at 1-800-827-1000.

Need Help?

For Emergencies, call Duke Police at 919-684-2444, or dial 9-1-1. This number will be answered by Duke Police on campus, and by Durham Police off campus.

If you are a student veteran or family member in need of urgent confidential help, you may choose to utilize the Department of Veterans Affairs dedicated resources:

The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Support for deaf and hard of hearing individuals is available. 

In some instances, callers may experience difficulty connecting with the Veterans Crisis Line. If you have trouble reaching the call line, please click here to connect to chat, or text 838255 for immediate support. 

University Resources

Academic Resources

Community Resources

Educational Resources

The Office of Student Veterans provides various educational resources for students, staff, faculty, and community members. These tools provide an overview of military experience, culture, and potential needs. We acknowledge that the information provided is not comprehensive nor does it speak to the experience of every member of the Armed Forces and family. To best understand the experiences of military personnel and their families, we encourage building relationships with Servicemembers and Veterans.

Current Educational Resources:

Veterans Affairs - Military Cultural Awareness Training

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs put together training resources for educators, health professionals, and care givers to better equip persons for working with Veterans and Servicemembers. These trainings have been accredited and are free. Click the link above to create an account and explore one of the four training modules.

For more on the efficacy of these trainings, read this article on “Military Cultural Awareness.”

If you are a Duke University staff or faculty member and interested in receiving an in-person military culture training, fill out this Qualtrics survey and we will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. Request a training here.

Members of the Dean of Students Office at Duke University provide a traveling 'roadshow' that is designed to provide general awareness of the military affiliated community, Duke history with the Department of Defense, and current services provided to support our military affiliated students. Typically, we provide a student panel discussion, complete with Q&A once the formal presentation is completed. 

Military Occupational Codes for all Service Branches

Jobs within the Armed Services are classified by unique codes designated by numbers and letters. These codes vary by branch of service.  

To assist civilians in translating Military Rank, we have provided the following Military Rank Chart for all Service Branches.   

Future Educational Resources (Coming Soon):

“Green Zones” are spaces determined as safe. The goal of Green Zone trainings, therefore, is to educate university personnel on military experiences, potential issues facing Student Veterans, and available resources to Servicemembers on and off campus so Duke staff and faculty can serve as allies to military-affiliated students. These trainings occur at institutions of higher learning throughout the United States.

While we do not currently offer Green Zone Training at Duke for staff and faculty, UNC Chapel Hill hosts frequent Green Zone Trainings. Check their website for upcoming dates, registration forms, and location.

Connect with Student Veterans

Duke University and Student Affairs are committed to supporting our military-affiliated students, their families, and their dependents. Below you will find information about peer-to-peer networking opportunities; additional information about faculty and staff who are interested in connecting and supporting military-affiliated veterans; current student profiles; and information about the Duke Veteran Alumni Network.

Student Groups & Networking Opportunities

The following initiatives include peer-to-peer networking opportunities across Duke and beyond.

About the Network

Our military-affiliated graduates are invited to join the Duke Military Alumni Network. The Duke Military Alumni Network is an affinity group where students can connect, engage with each other, and continue building their Duke and military-affiliated network even after they physically leave Duke. 

Recent graduates will also receive an email from the Office of Student Veterans inviting them to join.

 
  1. Visit http://alumni.duke.edu.
  2. Either Create your Duke OneLink account OR click on "Register/Sign In" if you have already created your OneLink account.
    • * Please note: In order to update your profile, join the Duke Military Alumni Network, and access the alumni directory, you need to create/sign in with your OneLink account.
  3. In the navy blue header, select "Groups" and then "Affinity Groups."
  4. Click "Duke Military Alumni Network."
  5. Click the "Join Group" button.
  6. Congratulations! You are now a member of the Duke Military Alumni Network affinity group!

Military Call-Up Policy

We in the Office of Student Veterans acknowledge that this may be a difficult time for our military-affiliated community. If you or one of your colleagues is called to service, please refer to the Duke University Military Call-up Policy.