Temple University has again been named to the Military Friendly Schools list honoring the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that do the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and to ensure their success on campus. Temple has been featured on the list each year since its inception four years ago.
“Inclusion on the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools shows Temple University’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students,” said Sean Collins, director for G.I. Jobs magazine and vice president of Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life.
The Military Friendly Schools® list is compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 12,000 schools nationwide approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Each year, schools are held to a higher standard via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board of educators from across the country.
Categories in which schools are rated include military support on campus, academic credibility, veteran graduation rates and tuition assistance, among others.
“We’re creating a culture to best serve our veteran students, particularly those who are coming back from active duty and transitioning not only to civilian life but also to college life,” said Laura Reddick, Temple’s associate director for adult and veteran-student recruitment. “It’s a difficult transition, and we’re sensitive to that.”
Veterans enrolled at Temple benefit from the university’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which allows veterans who are 100 percent eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill to apply for additional educational benefits such as tuition support and stipends for housing and books.
In addition to being a Yellow Ribbon school, key student-services administrators across Temple have formed a Veterans Task Force Committee to better coordinate initiatives. The Office of the Registrar has streamlined the application process to ease veterans’ transition to college, and Reddick holds virtual information sessions for military personnel who are still in active duty but considering higher education.
The university’s Disability Resources and Services can assist veterans with physical or mental disabilities, and student-veterans have access to the Temple Veterans Association (TVA), a student organization run by student-veterans that hosts guest speakers and organizes career fairs, employer panels and networking events. TVA, which has a seat on the Veterans Task Force Committee, is advised by Fox School of Business Senior Assistant Dean Debbie Campbell and Anthony E. Wagner, a Navy veteran and Temple’s executive vice president for financial affairs, chief financial officer and treasurer.
“Temple really cares about our veteran students,” Reddick said. “As a university, we want to be able to help them come back from the military and pursue their dreams. We want to help them in every way we can.”
The Military Friendly Schools website features the full list of 1,739 schools that exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. For details on Temple Veteran Affairs, visit www.temple.edu/veterans.