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The transition from military service to a civilian career can bring a new set of challenges and opportunities. At the Tepper School, the BELL Veterans Fellowship helps make graduate business education more accessible to veterans navigating that transition, thanks in large part to alumni like Steve Snyder, MSIA 鈥�82.

While Snyder is not a veteran himself, his connection to the military community is personal. His son-in-law is an active-duty service member, and Snyder and his wife relocated to Nashville, Tennessee after his son-in-law was stationed at Fort Campbell so they could support their daughter and her family. Through that experience, Snyder has seen the impact military service can have on families. He has also seen the opportunities a graduate business education can create for those transitioning from military service into the corporate world.

鈥淚've seen firsthand the impact that serving in the military has on families,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淚've also seen the benefit of the Tepper School program for those that have served and are looking to become very active and engaged in the corporate world.鈥�

That perspective, combined with his own experience at Carnegie Mellon, is what motivates Snyder to support the BELL Veterans Fellowship, which provides scholarships to exceptional master鈥檚 students at the Tepper School who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Snyder came to the Tepper School, then the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, after earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in economics from Dickinson College. After completing the program, he began his career in New York before relocating to Philadelphia, where he worked in a regional brokerage firm. He went on to focus on municipal and corporate finance before transitioning to Penn National Gaming.

Over a 25-year career in the casino business, Snyder ultimately helped spin out Penn National鈥檚 real estate into Gaming and Leisure Properties, where he retired as chief financial officer in 2020. He credits his Carnegie Mellon education with providing a strong foundation for that career.

鈥淚t really helped and has served as a real foundation for my career in finance in terms of management talent, management skills and the ability to problem solve,鈥� he said.

Snyder explained that giving back is about making a similar opportunity available to students whose military experience has prepared them to become leaders in the business world.

鈥淚 really feel strongly that the veteran community is one that really can benefit from these advanced degrees and really be tremendous corporate leaders in the future, given the experiences that they've had going through the military,鈥� he said. 鈥淚've been very blessed to be in a situation where I can support philanthropies like a scholarship program at the Tepper School.鈥�

For current MBA student Daniel Pharis, that support has had a direct impact. A former Army field artillery officer, Pharis came to the Tepper School after serving in the military and recently completed a consulting internship with McKinsey, where he received a return offer for the firm鈥檚 Pittsburgh office after he graduates next Spring.

Pharis said the financial support he received through the BELL program was particularly meaningful as he navigated the transition to business school while also raising a young family.

鈥淸When transitioning from military life to a graduate program] you鈥檙e already working these long hours and transforming a vast majority of your life,鈥� Pharis shared. 鈥淭he financial support that I was able to get from the BELL program has been very impactful and took something off of my plate.鈥�

More than the financial assistance itself, Pharis said, the fellowship gave him a tangible reminder that others were investing in his future.

鈥淚t's people like Steve and the other benefactors of the BELL Fellowship who are sacrificing their own time and money to bet on me, essentially, and I am going to make the most of the opportunity,鈥� he said.

That connection between Snyder鈥檚 own experience and the experience of students like Pharis is central to why he gives.

鈥淭he veterans have given so much, and their families have been impacted so greatly, that to the degree I can help make it attainable for some of them to get the benefits that I received through the master's program at Carnegie Mellon is really what motivates me to support the BELL Fellowship Program,鈥� Snyder said.

More than 40 years after his own time at Carnegie Mellon, Snyder is helping make a Tepper School education more attainable for veterans as they transition from military service into the next chapter of their careers.

鈥淚 would like to communicate how grateful I am to the people who are offering their support to make the BELL Fellowship possible, 鈥� Pharis said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been, without exaggeration, life changing for myself and my family.鈥�