Middlesex College has earned the Military Friendly School designation for 2022-23.
The list was developed by Viqtory Media, which annually highlights colleges, universities and employers that are military-friendly.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey, according to information provided by Middlesex College. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-23 survey with 665 earning the designation.
The 2022-23 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community, according to the statement.
Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of its ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
Joel Adams, coordinator for Military and Veterans Services at Middlesex College, said he was proud of the designation, which the college has earned numerous times, and he was grateful for the generous support of the Willard T.C. Johnson Foundation, which has funded the center since its inception in 2012.
“The foundation has allowed us to make a huge difference in the lives of these men and women,” he said in the statement. “I’m so proud of them and their success.”
Adams highlighted several center initiatives.
“First is the formal training we give to faculty and staff that allows them to understand what our military-affiliated students have been through,” he said in the statement. “We also offer academic advising and tutoring. All this helps our students succeed, and it also alleviates stress as they map out their future.”
Another plus is the Veterans and Servicemembers Association, a student organization that develops extracurricular activities for veterans and promotes community service opportunities, according to the statement. In the past the group has visited veterans in local nursing homes and participated in Operation Shoebox, in which they packed food and hygiene items that were delivered to troops overseas.
Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships for the Military Friendly program, said schools that achieve this designation have much of which to be proud.
“Military Friendly is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process,” she said in the statement. “Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools that achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.”