Southern Illinois University opens a two-day Veterans Summit Thursday in Mount Vernon.
The conference is meant to both connect veterans with services, along with hear from veterans about what their needs are.
SIU Carbondale Interim Chancellor John Dunn says veterans play a key role on his campus.
"I'm very proud of the fact that we are widely recognized nationally as a 'veterans friendly' campus. That's a mark and a distinction that you have to achieve at a certain level to be able to say that - and we have done that, and done it for many years."
The summit - at the Mount Vernon Armory - begins with a symposium on the first day for veterans to share their experiences and needs with key stakeholders in the region.
On Friday, it brings together service providers, agencies, and other organizations to begin to develop a plan to improve service delivery.
