Military Friendly is the military ratings division of Victory Media, a service-disabled, veteran-owned business, and Military Friendly rates colleges on how well they recruit and retain military veterans as students.
“Military Friendly is a federally trademarked term, created in 2003 by Victory Media. It is not a generic phrase or moniker that an organization or institution can self-assign,” said Victory Media. “Nor is it a term that is owned, controlled or defined by the federal government. The organizations and institutions that choose to participate in the process earn their Military Friendly designation.”
Bluefield College earned the distinction, Victory Media said, as a result of its commitment to provide “exceptional higher education and service to the men and women of our armed services.” Victory also noted the “convenience and flexibility” of BC online programs that are needed for students working full time, raising a family, or too busy to study in a traditional classroom. They also touted Bluefield’s “caring professors,” “competitive tuition rates,” and “generous financial aid specifically for veterans.”
“We work with thousands of schools to help them assess their efforts to attract and support [service members and veterans],” said Victory Media. “Military Friendly schools and employers represent the top tier of institutions who provide the best opportunities for military service members and spouses.”
Considered an industry leader in ratings for more than a decade, Victory Media surveys thousands of institutions and assembles lists that “capture best practices in recruitment and retention of military employees and students.” Their Military Friendly rankings have been published annually since 2003 in G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and online at militaryfriendly.com/schools.
“Our nation’s military members perform highly skilled jobs using high-tech equipment in the most challenging situations around the globe,” said Victory Media. “They are leaders who work well in teams and are truly mission-oriented. They are graduates of the premier training institution in the world. We help them make informed choices about the next step in their professional lives.”
Colleges know this, added Victory, which is why they compete to attract veterans as students. As a result, veterans have countless opportunities on where they can attend college, but they need a consistent and predictable standard to help them make that decision. That’s where Victory Media comes in.
The organization establishes a standard definition of what it means for a college to be Military Friendly. They then measure how well the institution engages prospective military students in a recruiting environment, how well they educate military students, and how well they assist military graduates in obtaining meaningful employment. They also evaluate, among other factors, public data from government sources along with proprietary data collected through Military Friendly surveys. In addition, they look at student graduation rates, placement rates and loan default rates, specifically with veterans at the schools.
“Veterans benefit when companies and schools invest in engaging, educating and employing them,” said Victory. “Our nation benefits. Victory Media takes its role in the growth of Military Friendly as a personal guarantee to every person who wore the uniform.”
In addition to the Military Friendly distinction from Victory Media, Bluefield College was also recently named among the nation’s top military friendly schools by Military Advanced Education & Transition (MAE&T).
Designed for service members and the commanders and officers who influence the educational decisions of military personnel, MAE&T is the leading journal of higher learning for the nation’s service members and veterans making the transition from military to the civilian sector. The MAE&T’s Guide to Military Friendly Colleges and Universities is a list featured annually in the magazine that measures best practices in military and veteran education in order to provide America’s men and women in uniform with the information they need to make the right choices about college.
More than 600 schools were evaluated for the MAE&T list based on their military culture, financial aid, flexibility, general support, on-campus support, and online support services. Bluefield College was among the elite schools deemed a top military friendly school and listed in the MAE&T’s 2016 Guide to Military Friendly Colleges and Universities in print and online at mae-kmi.com.
“We are pleased to be recognized as a military friendly college,” said BC’s Trent Argo, vice president for enrollment management. “Bluefield College has always strived to provide exceptional service to our men and women of the armed forces. It is important for us to give back to those who give their all for our country. As a veteran, it gives me great pride to be able to provide educational opportunities to our armed service personnel.”
For more information about Bluefield College and its military friendly programs, visit the BC web site at bluefield.edu/online, email [email protected], or call 800-872-0175.