ֹ has been named a Military Friendly® School by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs®,&Բ;STEM JobSM and Military Spouse, for the seventh year in a row. In addition, this is the fifth year that ֹ at Tuscarawas has held the elite title. ֹ at Ashtabula has been recognized for four years.
The latest designation puts ֹ in the top 20 percent of colleges and universities nationwide that are doing the most to embrace a commitment to student veterans, both in the classroom and after graduation.
“This is a major point of pride not only for the Center for Adult and Veteran Services, but for the Division of Student Affairs and the ֹ community as a whole,” says Joshua Rider, director of ֹ’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services.
Institutions that competed for the elite, Military Friendly School title completed a survey on topics such as military support on campus, military spouse policies, student retention rates, employment and graduation.
“Over the past six years, since the roll out of the Post 9/11 GI Bill in the fall of 2009, ֹ student veterans have graduated at a rate of 51 percent over four years,” Rider says. “This is 11 percent greater than the national average for veterans at a public institution during the same timeframe, according to Student Veterans of American in their Million Records Project.”
In addition, ֹ has a 72 percent retention rate of veterans between their freshman and sophomore year.
“This honor indicates that as a university community, we are serving our student veterans, service members and their families at a very high level,” Rider says. “It’s the university’s duty, but also a privilege to assist these military connected students on their path toward graduation and success.”