Over the last six years, veterans increasingly have chosen The University of Toledo to pursue their education. Now GI Jobs magazine is recognizing the effort UT is making toward assisting with the unique needs of military personnel and has named the University to its 2010 Military Friendly Schools list.
“It is enormously important that we work closely with those men and women returning from recent conflicts abroad or coming back for more education, having served their nation in years past,” said President Lloyd Jacobs, who served four years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Veterans have already proven their discipline and commitment to success, and it is an honor that so many are choosing The University of Toledo to provide the specialized education they need to succeed in a particular career field,” Jacobs said.
Enrollment of veterans has increased steadily since the creation of the UT Military Service Center in 2002 when approximately 200 veterans were attending classes. UT now serves more than 500 veterans of which approximately 120 are using the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, designed to educate those service members who were engaged in conflicts since September 2001.
The reason for that enrollment increase and for the recognition from GI Jobs magazine is due to the resources UT has put in place to handle educational concerns regarding veterans and their families, according to Mark Schroeder, admission coordinator of the Military Service Center and a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Army.
“Veterans have unique needs when it comes to coordinating tuition payments, which may come from a variety of state and federal programs. They are often moving from place to place, which makes UT’s strong online learning programs so attractive,” Schroeder said.
UT also works very hard to use veterans’ military service and put it toward the degree program they are pursuing.
“Engineering technology and electrical engineering are great examples,” Schroeder said. “Many veterans have expansive knowledge of these or other areas they learned during their service, and it’s important to be able to translate that knowledge and time spent in the field into college credits.”
Schroeder said UT also works with spouses of veterans as government programs provide tuition assistance to them to pursue careers that would be more easily transferable — such as teaching — from region to region as military assignments change.
“The goal of the Military Service Center is to provide one place where veterans can go to get help or get answers, and I think our growth in enrollment has shown veterans appreciate our efforts,” Schroeder said.
GI Jobs recognizes the top 15 percent of more than 7,000 schools nationally for the 2010 Military Friendly Schools list. Its press release is available here.
