Military Friendly
G.I. Jobs, the premier magazine for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has awarded Bellevue University the designation of Military Friendly School. The 2012 Military Friendly Schools list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members and veterans as students.
This is the third consecutive year Bellevue University has received the designation.
"Out of the GI Jobs survey, fully 94.5% of our students participating in the survey would recommend Bellevue University to a fellow veteran. In military parlance, that's the definitive seal of approval," said Willie Woolford, Assistant Director of Military Programs at Bellevue University. "Our professors, many of whom have military backgrounds, understand the military, and use a 'life gets in the way' philosophy when it comes to military deployments and the military mission. We make the best effort to help our service members complete their education, without making them start all over each time. Maximum transfer of credit and minimizing the time to finish a degree are part of our fabric. Integrating their experiences into the degree curriculum also allows us to provide 'Real Learning for Real Life.'"
In its effort to help student veterans find the right school, G.I. Jobs incorporated a survey of student veterans for the first time. This feedback provides prospective military students with insight into the student veteran experience at a particular institution based on peer reviews from current students. Student veteran survey feedback can be viewed at http://www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/2012 list. Michael Dakduk, Executive Director for the Student Veterans of America agrees. "The Military Friendly Schools list is the go-to resource for prospective student veterans searching for schools that provide the right overall experience. Nothing is more compelling than actual feedback from current student veterans."
Service members and veterans can also meet individual student veterans from the various schools virtually on the site to learn more about personal school decisions and the transition from the military to an academic environment.
The 1,518 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year's list prioritize the recruitment of students with military experience. These schools are making the grade by offering scholarships, veterans' clubs, full-time staff, military credit and other services to those who served. The 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools ® was compiled through extensive research and a data driven survey of more than 8,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were 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://www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/advisory-board/.
"Bellevue University was founded 45 years ago in large part to serve military personnel from Offutt Air Force Base," said James Biernesser, Director of Military Programs at Bellevue University. "This award shows we remain committed to serving our military students and the University's heritage."
