Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has named Penn State Schuylkill to the coveted Military Friendly Schools® list. The 2014 Military Friendly Schools® list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.
"Inclusion on the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Penn State Schuylkill's commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students," said Sean Collins, Vice President at Victory Media and a nine-year Navy veteran. "The need for education is growing and our mission is to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools." Complete survey methodology is available at militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/
methodology-press-kit.
Penn State Schuylkill Chancellor Kelly Austin commented, "We are committed to providing the opportunity for our military veterans to pursue their higher education goals. We view it as a privilege to serve them as they return from serving our nation and safeguarding our freedoms. We feel honored to have been awarded the designation as a Military Friendly School for 2014."
This is the second year that Penn State Schuylkill has received this designation. In keeping with the commitment to serve veterans, a school certifying official is located on the Penn State Schuylkill campus to oversee the certification of education benefits for veteran students. The campus also has a veteran to assist students with the transition. A current student, Richard T. Williams Jr. stated, "My transition from active military to full time student was seamless. I started my process while I lived in Alaska, and the admissions office was extremely helpful with answering my questions about enrollment and getting the process started. I actually deferred my arrival here to Penn State by one semester, and once I did come to the campus, the advising department walked me around campus and actually referred me to the veterans work study position I have now." Williams is serving as the campus liaison for veterans to assist with their transition to the classroom. In describing the education benefits process, he said, "The student aid office helped to ensure I received my education benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which made the process quick, painless, and stress free."
Veterans considering college were invited to an evening Information Session this past spring. Plans are under way to repeat this event in the fall and spring. Additionally, the campus hosts a special Veteran's Day program that is held at the Veteran's Memorial located at the campus entrance. It includes an Honor Guard presentation during the program. The community is welcome and Veterans join the campus community for a luncheon immediately following the ceremony.
The Military Friendly Schools® media and website, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, feature the list, interactive tools and search functionality to help military students find the best school to suit their unique needs and preferences. The 1,868 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year's list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. These schools have world-class programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility and other services to those who served.
Now in its fifth year, the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools ® was compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 10,000 schools nationwide approved for VA tuition funding. The survey results that comprise the 2014 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media. Each year schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from schools across the country. A full list of board members can be found at http://militaryfriendlyschools.com/board. A full story and detailed list of 2014 Military Friendly Schools® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools ®, distributed in print and digital format to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October.
As a campus of Penn State University, Penn State Schuylkill shares in the University's three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service. Penn State Schuylkill provides extensive academic opportunities as part of a major university with an international reputation in a setting as intimate and comfortable as that of a small college. Penn State was recently recognized as 37th in the latest U.S. News & World Report National University rankings and was named as No. 1 among corporate recruiters by The Wall Street Journal.
ABOUT Victory Media, Inc.
Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that has been serving the military community since 2001. Our data-driven Military Friendly® lists are published in G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur media channels, republished in periodicals like USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Bloomberg BW and are frequently cited on national TV by NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News and others.