Those with Military Jobs Benefit from Friendly Schools List

Those with military jobs (Click here) looking to further their education now have an additional resource.

At the end of last year, G.I. Jobs released its 2010 list of Military Friendly Schools. The list includes the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that do the most to embrace America's veterans as students.

More than 7,000 schools were considered for the list, and while those that made the cut range from state universities and private colleges to community colleges and trade schools, they all make it a priority to recruit students with military experience.

"Military students bring a high degree of maturity, life experiences, diversity, leadership and worldliness to the classroom," Dr. Dorothy Bassett, dean of Duquesne University's School of Leadership and Professional Advancement, said. "Other students and faculty benefit from the different perspectives that service members and veterans bring."

The passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill made tens of billions of dollars in tuition money available, intensifying an already strong desire for colleges to bring veterans into their classrooms.

"This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school," G.I. Jobs Publisher Rich McCormack said. "Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they're academically qualified. So schools are clamoring for them like never before. Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated. The Military Friendly Schools list is that trusted friend."

One example of a stellar veteran-friendly school is San Diego State University. The school recently converted a fraternity house into one exclusively for veterans.

"We wanted to provide an opportunity for veterans to integrate more into campus life," Dr. James Kitchen, vice president for student affairs at SDSU, aid. "This veteran house is a unique opportunity for student veterans and the other students living on campus to get to know each other on a level that isn't afforded in the normal academic environment."

Other schools on the list offer additional benefits to veteran students, such as on-campus veteran programs, credit for service, and military spouse programs.

The list was compiled through extensive research, which was developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Committee, made up of educators and administrators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toledo, Duquesne University, Coastline Community College and Lincoln Technical Institute.

Criteria for making the list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students, and academic accreditations.