Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus was named a “military friendly” university today by G.I. Jobs magazine in the release of its annual Military Friendly Schools listing for 2013.
The list compiled by the magazine honors the top 15 percent of U.S. colleges, universities, and trade schools that have embraced America’s service members and veterans as students.
The 2013 list was generated through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 12,000 schools nationwide. The 1,518 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year’s list prioritize the recruitment of students with military experience. Methodology, criteria and weighting for schools making the list were developed with the assistance of an advisory board consisting of educators from schools across the country.
“We are proud of this recognition. It reflects our efforts to embrace the skills, experiences, and knowledge U.S. veterans acquire during the course of their service and to help them apply their skills toward earning a degree at IUPUC,” notes Jack Head, an admission counselor and visiting lecturer at IUPUC.
Head reports that IUPUC has made an effort to ensure both active-duty and former military personnel have support and resources they need to transition to a university environment. The campus is close to Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville. It is also in the vicinity of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division located in southern Indiana.
“On this campus, military personnel and veterans don’t go it alone. We have a support system in place to help them get admitted, apply for their educational benefits, and ensure they are academically successful once they begin their degree programs,” he said.
The university has a part-time VA certifying officer, Retired Master Sergeant Cynthia Scott, who can advise and assist active-duty personnel, veterans, Purple Heart recipients, and spouses or children of disabled or deceased veterans with applying for educational benefits based on their individual status.
Most veterans and their families are eligible for educational benefits from the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the Post 9/11 G.I. bill or the Montgomery G.I. Bill administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“To help veterans better understand the federal, state, and local educational benefits that are available to them, we created a short tip sheet that can be downloaded from our Web site,” Head reported.
“Getting Started: A Guide to Educational Benefits for Veterans and their Family Members” can be downloaded from the university’s home page at www.iupuc.edu.
Personnel in the university’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships can also advise active-duty personnel, veterans, and their family members about other types of financial aid that may be available to them, like ROTC scholarships, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, additional federal Pell grant funds, and other types of federal aid.
Head, who is himself a veteran, reports the campus also has a growing Student Veteran Military Association, which is affiliated with the National Student Veterans of America.
For more information, contact Jack Head at 812.348.2034 or e-mail jjhead@iupuc.edu.