WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Missouri State University-West Plains has once again been named a “military friendly school” by Victory Media, the premiere media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life.
Victory Media officials made the announcement Sept. 23 in a press release. The 2015 Military Friendly Schools® list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. This is the sixth consecutive year Missouri State-West Plains has received the designation.
“Inclusion on the 2015 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Missouri State-West Plains’ commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students,” said Sean Collins, vice president at Victory Media and a nine-year Navy veteran. “The need for education is growing, and our mission is to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools.”
“We are happy to receive this award for the sixth consecutive year, and all of us here at the Missouri State-West Plains Veterans Center count it a privilege and honor to be a part of helping our veterans create a better life through the power of education,” said Cindy Bridges, coordinator of student advisement in the campus’ Advisement and Academic Coaching Center for Empowering Student Success (AACCESS), formerly called the Student Advisement and Academic Support (SAAS) Center. “We are inspired daily by our veterans because, in spite of all the many challenges they are faced with, they bravely continue pursuing their degree programs and inspire other students who know them.”
The Military Friendly Schools® media and website, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, feature the list, interactive tools and search functionality to help military students find the best school to suit their unique needs and preferences. The colleges, universities and trade schools on this year’s list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. These schools have world-class programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility and other services to those who served.
“Our veterans are very appreciative of the services we provide for them and have become dependent upon the Veterans Incentive Program (VIP) and staff to assist them in their educational journey,” said Mark White, coordinator of veterans services at Missouri State-West Plains. “Many come to our Veterans Center with no idea where to start. They just know they want to go to school, earn a degree and better their lives. We provide the services necessary to ensure the success of these goals by assisting them with GI Bill applications, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarship applications, academic advisement, career counseling, long-range academic plans, class certification, tutoring and many other services on a more personal level.
“It is truly an honor to serve those, our veterans, who have served us so well,” he added. “With this sense of honor and collaborative efforts, we at Missouri State-West Plains are an institution that is committed to going the extra mile and a lot more when needed. When our veteran students are successful, we are successful – failure is just not an option!”
Now in its sixth year, the 2015 list of Military Friendly Schools® was compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 8,000 schools nationwide approved for VA tuition funding. The survey results that comprise the 2015 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media.
Each year schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board consisting of educators from schools across the country. A full list of board members can be found at www. militaryfriendlyschools.com/board. Complete survey methodology is available at militaryfriendly.com/methodology.
A full story and detailed list of 2015 Military Friendly Schools® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools ®, distributed in print and digital format to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October.
Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that has been serving the military community since 2001. Victory’s free, data-driven Military Friendly® lists are published in G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur media channels, republished in periodicals like USAToday, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Bloomberg BW and are frequently cited on national TV by NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News and others..
For more information about Missouri State-West Plains’ educational services for veterans, call Veteran Services Coordinator Mark White at 417-255-7720 or visit the university’s Veterans Services website at wp.missouristate.edu/Veteranservices.