September 18, 2012
SIU Carbondale is again named military-friendly
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale's longstanding commitment to providing outstanding educational opportunities to student military veterans and active duty personnel is again earning national recognition.
G.I. Jobs magazine on Monday (Sept. 17) named the University as a "Military Friendly School" for 2013. The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools "doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus."
The University has earned "Military Friendly School" status in each of the four years the magazine has published the rankings. The recognition continues a string of national and state honors recognizing SIU Carbondale's efforts to assist both student veterans and active-duty military personnel.
In January, Military Advanced Education magazine recognized SIU Carbondale for a fifth consecutive year as being among the nation's top military-friendly colleges and universities. In 2010, the University earned the inaugural Governor's Award for Excellence in Veterans Education, recognizing SIU Carbondale's efforts to enhance the educational experiences of student military veterans.
"We appreciate the opportunity to help our dedicated servicemen and women achieve their educational and career goals," Chancellor Rita Cheng said. "This recognition is the result of the hard work of our faculty and staff, particularly in our Veterans Center, who are focused on the success of our student veterans and active-duty military personnel."
The institutions on this year's list "exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience," according to a news release from Victory Media Inc., which publishes G.I. Jobs and other military-related magazines.
The University is serving approximately 650 student military veterans on the Carbondale campus this fall. There are also 1,187 active duty personnel at 24 off-campus military base locations in 14 states.
Research for the magazine's listing includes government agencies and private entities that administer education benefits, and a comprehensive survey given to the schools. The nine categories include military support on campus, academic credibility, percent of military students, academic credit for military service, flexibility for military service, veteran graduation rates, government approvals, student tuition assistance, and student survey and employment rates and military spouse policies.
More information about the rankings is available at militaryfriendlyschools.com/. More information on the University's Veterans Center is available at http://veterans.siu.edu/, and the University's Office of Military Programs at http://omp.siu.edu/.