UCM Named a Top School in Military Advanced Education and Transition Guide

By Jeff Murphy, December 19, 2015

WARRENSBURG, MO – With a strong commitment to the men and women who serve this country, Military Advanced Education & Transition (MAE&T) has awarded the University of Central Missouri the designation of a Top School in its 2016 MAE&T Guide to Colleges & Universities, measuring best practices in military and veteran education.  The Guide was released late this December, and is available online later this month at mae-kmi.com.

The Guide presents results of a questionnaire of the military-supportive policies enacted at more than 600 institutions including private, public, for-profit, not-for-profit, four-year, and two-year colleges. From community colleges to state universities, online universities and nationally known centers of higher learning, MAE&T’s 2016 Guide to Colleges & Universities arms students with information about institutions that go out of their way to give back to the nation’s men and women in uniform.

Now in its ninth year of publishing the Guide, MAE&T was the first publication to launch a reference tool of this type. This year, institutions were evaluated on their military culture, financial aid, flexibility, general support, on-campus support and online support services. Each school’s performance rating by category is represented by an easy-to-recognize dashboard. This enables prospective students to quickly target schools that follow best practices in military education, and then put these in context with other academic or career considerations.

With input from an advisory board of educational and government experts, and criteria based on recommendations from the Veterans Administration and military services, MAE&T’s Guide to Colleges and Universities provides the foundational information a prospective student would use in framing his or her educational needs.

“Our goal is to be a dynamic resource for active servicemembers and those who have moved from the military to their civilian careers, helping them find the school that best fits their plans for the future,” said Kelly Fodel, Military Advanced Education & Transition’s editor. “We think this year’s Guide is our most comprehensive to date, thanks to our newly established advisory board. The board evaluated the drafts of the questionnaire, made pages of notes and suggestions and helped to redefine questions for clarity. We thank them for their thoughtful edits and additions to our process.”

Not only is the 2016 Guide printed in the December issue of Military Advanced Education &Transition, but also published in a searchable database online. Students will have access to all the survey questions and answers provided by the schools, as well as explanations about critical issues such as activation and deployment policies, withdrawal policies, scholarship and financial aid information and important support information.

“While we realize that all schools are unique, we focus our annual survey on the best practices that make a true difference to servicemembers and student veterans,” said Fodel. “These best practices have been asserted by various higher education groups and reinforced by veteran groups, and we consider our survey to be the most detailed and informative in the industry.”

Developing good relationships with Missouri National Guard and nearby Whiteman Air Force Base, UCM’s commitment to military personnel and veterans includes the establishment of the Whiteman Advantage initiative that has led to a number of programs that help active duty military personnel who want to advance in their careers, as well as those who are preparing to make a transition to civilian life. Key elements of the Strategic Initiative Portfolio include the Military and Veterans Success Center, which opened in 2011 to provide a one-stop resource for active duty service members, veterans and military dependents. Also benefitting these individuals is the Military Tuition Package, which was established in 2011, to help reduce college costs not covered by traditional military benefits.

To learn more about institutions selected for MAE&T’s 2016 Guide to Colleges and Universities, visit mae-kmi.com or pick up a copy of the December issue of Military Advanced Education & Transition.