Senior Airman Emile Phaneuf

In partnership with a fellow Tillman Military Scholar, Marine Corps Corporal Jeb Williams, Senior Airman Emile Phaneuf provoked a change at the University of Arkansas to become a more military-friendly institution.

Over the past two years, while forming a student organization, Military Past and Present On Campus, Emile would chase down any individual with a “short and tight” haircut in an effort to recruit current or former servicemembers to this cause. With their newly founded coalition, Emile and Jeb pressed the issue of services, scholarships and support for military members on campus.

Eventually, this led to the creation of a campus wide veterans’ task force and the establishment of a veterans’ resource center. Just the start of these efforts, Emile hopes that the University of Arkansas will set the example for all institutions of higher learning when working with veteran and active servicemembers. Aside from these endeavors, Emile is working towards his Master’s degree in political science and plans to continue his career in public service upon graduation.