By Jeff Murphy,
February 16, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – Nearly three months after earning a Top 10 Gold-level Military Friendly®
School Award, the University of Central Missouri has received a second designation
from the organization many military members and their families turn to when considering
choices for a higher education. Victory Media, publisher of Military Spouse magazine
and digital media, ranks UCM No. 1 among 2017 Military Spouse Friendly® Schools for
public universities with more than 10,000 students.
UCM is included on a list that features 100 institutions across 10 categories. They
demonstrate the growing success among all sizes and types of post-secondary schools
for tapping into the talented group of men and women who are military spouses. The
complete list is available at militaryfriendly.com/2017-military-friendly-spouse-schools,
and will be featured in the April issue of Military Spouse Magazine.
“We’re honored to have so many active duty military members, reservists, and veterans
enrolled at UCM, but we also realize their success is often dependent on the sacrifices
their spouses and other family members at home make while these men and women are
serving this country,” said UCM President Charles Ambrose. “We believe being Military
Friendly also means meeting the educational needs of the often unsung heroes who stay
behind in times such as deployment to raise families and provide other types of support
for those in uniform.”
According to Victory Media, this annual companion list to Military Friendly® Schools
recognizes those higher education institutions that actively recruit and support spouses
of active duty service members while acknowledging and supporting military spouse
students through the unique challenges of military life.
“Military spouses are expert problem-solvers. They thrive under pressure, and are
highly educated and mobile,” said Daniel Nichols, chief product officer at Victory
Media’s Military Friendly® division. “Colleges and companies recognize these attributes
and want to bring them on board. And, companies that employee both veterans and their
spouses see even stronger retention and employee loyalty. Who better to train military
spouses for successful careers than a Military Spouse Friendly® School?”
To be considered for Military Spouse Friendly® Schools recognition, colleges and universities
were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary
survey. Questions to determine Military Spouse Friendly® Schools helped evaluate
institutions’ admissions, retention, career counseling and mentoring programs, according
to how well they serve veterans, and whether or not colleges and universities address
concerns of military spouses and their families. This includes flexible learning options
and degree continuation to accommodate deployments and relocation. Survey methodology,
criteria and weightings were created with assistance from an advisory council of educators
and employers.
In announcing its list of Military Spouse Friendly® Schools, Victory Media provides
a description about various institutional attributes that contribute to the Military
Friendly designation. Included among UCM’s many features are in-state tuition for
all active duty and military veterans and a Military Tuition Package for those students
utilizing federal military educational benefits. Staff in UCM’s Office of Military
and Veteran Services provide exemplary service to active duty service members, veterans
and dependents, while the university also offers a 1,500-square-foot Military and
Veterans Success Center (MVSC) that provides individual and group study areas, computer
lab with CAC readers and printing and fax services. Additionally, UCM has a military
transcript specialist who ensures service members, veterans and transfer students
receive the maximum credits toward their degree program in accordance with American
Council on Education and university guidelines.
Additionally, the university offers a Command Pass that allows military members to
attend home sporting events free of charge, and cooperates with Whiteman Air Force
Base to provide courses and other types of programs that meet the needs of military
members and their families.
UCM in November 2016 received a No. 3 ranking among large public universities and
a 2017 Top 10 Gold-level Military Friendly® School Award, recognized as an “exceptional
example of what it means not just to build a program that meets federal requirements
but one that serves the military and veteran community from classrooms to careers.”
To learn more about opportunities available at UCM in support of active duty service
members, veterans, and their families visit ucmo.edu/vets.
