McKendree Is Military Friendly, Says G.I. Jobs Survey

Lebanon, Ill. – McKendree University’s commitment to its military-related students has earned it a Military Friendly School® designation by G.I. Jobs for a third straight year. G.I. Jobs is a magazine for service members transitioning into civilian life. Its 2012 Military Friendly Schools list honors the top 20 percent of 8,000 colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide that are doing the most to embrace military families’ educational needs.

Enrollment of students receiving military benefits has steadily increased at McKendree’s Lebanon, Ill., campus, the Center at Scott Air Force Base, and the Louisville and Radcliff, Ky., campuses.

“We are committed to meeting the needs of these students so that they may achieve their academic goals,” said Dr. Christine Bahr, McKendree University provost and dean. She cited several examples of the university’s military-friendly programs, policies and services:

· McKendree employs several staff members designated specifically to assist students and their families who are using veteran benefits. They are available to certify enrollment to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), help process claims and answer questions concerning veterans’ benefits.

· The university participates in the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program. To qualify, veterans must be 100 percent eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.

· A university-wide Military Student Services Committee reviews enrollment growth, coordinates policies and procedures, and plans activities in support of veterans, active duty service members and their families.

For more information, visit the Military and Veterans’ Services web page at www.mckendree.edu/veterans.

It was compiled through extensive research and a data driven survey of over 8,000 schools. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board of educators from schools across the U.S.

For the first time this year, G.I. Jobs also incorporated a survey of military students, whose feedback provides prospective students with insight into the student veteran experience at a particular institution.

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Founded in 1828, McKendree University ranks among the top 13 percent of the Midwest’s Best Regional Colleges in the 2011 edition of U.S. News Media Group’sBest Colleges report.

G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business which 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.