Penn State cements “Invest in Veterans” into its institutional calendar

TL;DR: Penn State’s official Diversity Holidays calendar now includes National Invest in Veterans Week (March 1–7) among the observances it highlights for employees. The University explains that these dates aren’t all paid holidays, but they are recognized because they matter deeply across the Penn State community—placing “investing in veterans” alongside other core equity and inclusion observances.

At a flagship, land-grant, Big Ten university in Jeff Shuford’s home state of Pennsylvania, “invest in veterans” is no longer just a slogan—it’s part of the official HR infrastructure.

On its Diversity Holidays page, Penn State Human Resources publishes a year-round calendar of religious, cultural, heritage, and cause-based observances for employees. The page invites staff to:

“View this year's list of important holidays and celebrations across our many communities. These events may not be University paid holidays, but they are important observances and celebrations that matter to many members of the Penn State community.”

The page also makes clear that while many of these dates are not University-paid holidays, they are still surfaced because they are significant to people who live, learn, and work at Penn State.

Within the March section of that calendar, alongside entries like International Women’s Day, Women’s History Month, and National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Penn State lists “National Invest in Veterans Week” under its “Career-related Days/Week” column.

Why this placement matters

This isn't just a calendar entry; it is a structural validation of the movement.

• It frames economic empowerment as equity: It recognizes veteran economic empowerment as part of the same ecosystem of equity and inclusion as gender, disability, and heritage observances.

• It signals institutional values: It tells faculty and staff that honoring veteran-owned businesses and veteran talent is not a niche concern—it’s part of how the University understands a healthy, diverse workforce.

• It creates permanence: It gives National Invest In Veterans Week® a recurring, discoverable footprint on a major public university website, linked directly from HR’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging section.

For Jeff Shuford, whose “Invest in veterans” doctrine has already moved through trademark protections, state resolutions, gubernatorial proclamations, and the Congressional Record, Penn State’s inclusion adds a different kind of validation: higher education, in his home state, aligning its internal culture calendar with the same language he has been pushing into law, policy, and public consciousness.

You can see the observance listed on Penn State’s site here:
➡️ Diversity Holidays | Human Resources – Penn State

Quote for Publication

“Seeing National Invest in Veterans Week on Penn State’s diversity calendar, in my home state, tells me we’ve crossed an important line. Investing in veterans isn’t just a program or a campaign anymore—it’s part of how major institutions define inclusion, economic justice, and community. When a university of Penn State’s scale builds that into its culture, it sends a signal to every campus and every employer in the country: veterans aren’t an afterthought, they are a core constituency you plan for all year long.”

— Jeff Shuford