University praised for recruiting, retaining military and veterans as students

G.I. Jobs magazine named the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to its 2011 list of Military Friendly Schools, an honor given to the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools working to embrace U.S. veterans as students.

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations. Schools on the Military Friendly Schools list also offer additional benefits to student veterans such as on-campus veterans programs, credit for service, military spouse programs and more.

"We are honored to be selected for this recognition," said Dana Rocha, director of the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs at UCCS. "We continually strive to meet the needs of veterans and their dependents and have seen a more than 70 percent increase in the number of students enrolled in the past two years."

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last April when G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of educators from several universities, the Veteran's Administration, the American Council on Education and the Student Veterans of America. A full list of board members is available athttp://militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/advisory-board/

"This list is especially important now because the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school," said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobspublisher. "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."

A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annualGuide to Military Friendly Schools and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in late September. The newly redesigned website www.militaryfriendlyschools.com features interactive tools and search functionality to help military veterans in choosing schools that best meet their educational needs. The site currently shows 2010 Military Friendly Schools but will switch to the 2011 list in late September.

G.I. Jobsis published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business that also publishes The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and annually rates the nation's "Military Friendly Employers," "Military Spouse Friendly Employers" and "Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses."