Friday, Sep 27, 2013
Rider was named by Victory Media, Inc., as a 2014 Military Friendly School, recognizing best practices among institutions in the recruitment and retention of military students.
by Sean Ramsden
When President Barack Obama introduced his “8 Keys for Success” to support students who are also military veterans in August at the Disabled American Veterans National Convention in Florida, the first item on his list was to “create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans.”
In earning a spot among this elite group, Rider ranked in the top 15 percent among more than 12,000 schools surveyed.
To that end, Rider University has emerged as a leader, and has now been recognized by Victory Media, Inc., as a 2014 Military Friendly School. Now in its fifth year, the Military Friendly School list provides an update to the premier data-driven resource for military students seeking education and captures best practices among schools in recruitment and retention of military students. More than 50 leading practices in support of military students are captured within the Military Friendly Schools survey, allowing every school approved for funding through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to emulate leading programs and policies, according to Victory Media.
“Our survey and data-driven Military Friendly Schools list stand out as one of the primary drivers for leading practices captured within the administration’s ‘8 Keys to Success’ prior to its inception,” said Sean Collins, vice president for Victory Media and a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. “The administration’s ‘8 Keys to Success’ provide high-level, macro suggestions that schools can take to help veterans and service members transition into the classroom, but lacks actionable definition of best practices needed to really move the needle on campus.”
The 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools was compiled through extensive research and a free, data-driven, survey of more than 10,000 VA-approved schools nationwide. The survey results that comprise the 2014 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 (AAB) consisting of educators from schools across the country, according to Victory Media. A full list of board members can be found at http://www.militaryfriendly.com.
This year’s Military Friendly Schools list criteria also incorporate a survey of over 4,000 actual student veterans. This feedback provides prospective military students with insight into the student veteran experience at particular institutions based on peer reviews from current students.