SE Bluegrass News

EKU Earns Top Three Ranking for Military FriendlyⓇ Schools

Reinforcing a tradition of excellence in veterans education, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) once again claimed the top three ranking in the Military FriendlyⓇ Schools 2023-24 ratings. EKU is the only university in Kentucky to achieve the Military FriendlyⓇ Schools’ highest award designation of Top Ten status. 

“EKU’s veterans and military service members are fundamental to our campus community,” said EKU President Dr. David McFaddin. “We are incredibly proud to be named among the top three Military FriendlyⓇ Schools for another year in a row. We continue to invest in excellence for our student veterans and their families to ensure they have support, facilities and programming to achieve success in their academic and career goals.”

According to the Military FriendlyⓇ website, institutions are evaluated by public data and survey responses from more than 1,800 participating schools. To achieve a Military FriendlyⓇ Schools ranking, institutions must meet a variety of standards, including thresholds for retention, graduation, job placement, repayment, persistence and loan default rates for all students, specifically for student veterans.

“I am extremely proud of the entire Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, as well as the many campus partners at EKU that are committed to ensuring that our campus is military friendly,” said Dr. Dannie Moore, EKU vice president of student life and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. “At every level EKU is the School of Opportunity, and this is truly an example of us being excellent in all that we choose to do for our students.”

The Office of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA) provides dedicated services and programming from pre-admission to graduation and beyond for military and veteran students and their families. Several recent initiatives and investments further support and recognize student veterans:  

•    In Fall 2022, EKU was awarded a $1.5-million Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) grant from the Department of Education. Designed to prepare eligible low-income, first-generation veterans to enter postsecondary education, EKU VUB will serve up to 125 veterans in the target region, which includes both Fayette and Madison counties.

•    The VETS|ReadyⓇ Opportunity Portal is a public user-friendly tool that prospective students can use to enter their branch, rank and dates of training to receive a personalized report of credits that will transfer to EKU and requirements that may be needed to graduate. 

•    The 3,000-square-foot Veterans Education and Transition Support (VETS) Center provides a multipurpose campus space to physically and emotionally support student veterans. 

•    The EKU Veterans Memorial is currently being relocated to the Carloftis Garden to provide a larger space for quiet reflection in a centralized and accessible location. Completion of the memorial is expected for Fall 2023. 

•    The new Kit Carson Commons Scholar House, located on EKU’s campus, prioritizes affordable housing and workforce development for single-parent military service members and veterans enrolled in an approved post-secondary institution. 

EKU is home to over 1,700 veterans, active duty service members, Reserve/National Guard members and military spouses and children, as of Fall 2022. For more information about available services, visit va.eku.edu, or contact OMVA at 859-622-2345 at EKUVeteransAffairs@eku.edu. 

To see the complete list of 2023 Military FriendlyⓇ Schools, visit militaryfriendly.com/schools/.

Original source can be found here.